One of our favourite days out as a family is going to visit a farm, it’s a great day out for both of our kids with their age difference as they love animals, and I find for toddlers it’s not a hugely overwhelming day. We’re lucky that living in Milton Keynes we have a few options for farms, so there are loads for us to explore. Recently we met up with some of Ivy’s friends and their parents for a day together to play at Rookery Open Farm, with animals to feed, a large play area, and soft play – it was a great day out for toddlers!
Rookery Open Farm is laid out differently from our visits to Thrift Farm and Green Dragon Eco Farm as this farm has a large covered area with animal pens that you can go in and feed. Not all of the animal pens you can go into and feed the animals, but there are plenty that you can!
The kids both loved going in to see the goats and feeding them, Ivy found them particularly hilarious! There was plenty of space in the pens, so you could happily fit in a few people without overcrowding the animals.
As well as the open pens, there are also paddocks with cows, sheep and other animals in. Just outside of the covered barn area there is a pond area with lots of ducks too!
Inside the animal, barn were also birds, guinea pigs and rabbits. Ivy didn’t pay too much attention to these – she was more excited by the goats! However her little friend Charlie adored the rabbits, that’s all he wanted to look at!
Rookery Open Farm also has this huge outdoor play area, probably one of the biggest and most varied we’ve come across on our travels! There were loads of things to play on, and it was all nicely spread out so loads of room for little ones to play. Ivy and her friends particularly loved the cars and tractors you could play in! There were also climbing frames and slides for older children and younger children.
Outside is also a large outdoor picnic area, with loads of green space and a couple of picnic tables. Everyone had the same idea as us bringing a picnic so most of the benches were taken – so might be worth remembering to bring a picnic blanket with you!
No toddler day out seems to be complete without soft play. Rookery Open Farm has a large three-storey soft play area, with a smaller section for toddlers and younger children. This worked great for us as Ivy and her friends were able to go play in the toddler area, while our 10-year-old Reuben could play in the larger area.
There’s also a cafe area with tables to sit at inside the play barn area, although we didn’t use this when we visited.
We loved our day out at Rookery Open Farm! As I mentioned farms are always a winner for my two kids, but Ivy’s two friends that joined us and their families also had a great time! I really liked that there was a mix of things suitable for different age ranges, particualrly as I hae a 1 year old and a 10 year old, there isn’t always something that they can both enjoy.
How To Find It
Rookery Open Farm is located in Stoke Bruerne, Towcester NN12 7SJ, use the map below for directions.
Good to Know
- Rookery Open Farm is open everyday from March until October apart from Tuesdays, 10am until 5pm.
- During October they are only open for half term and weekends.
- Adults admission is £7, children £6.50 and under 2’s are free.
