Beyond the Beltway: Old Mac Donald’s Farm

Address:  3203 FM 1960 East, Humble, TX 77338

Many of our Beyond the Beltway adventures this summer have been educational, or at least informative, but this one was just plain fun!

Old Mac Donald’s Farm is located north of Houston, not far from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. It is located on 15 acres of land and has lots of different activities for the kids to do. All activities are included in the entry fee, with only the animal feed and concessions costing extra.

One of the main attractions is the many different kinds of animals at the farm. Some of the ones the kids were able to look at were ducks, an emu, llamas, a Jersey cow and calf, donkeys, and a Patagonian cavy (a rabbit-like animal). If these animals were close enough to the side of the pen the kids were even able to pet them.

Other animals we were able to feed. When we arrived at the farm we bought a couple of feed bags for $1 each and these actually lasted for quite a while. We were able to go inside the pens with potbellied pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, and chickens to feed them by hand. Watch out for those baby goats though. When we didn’t get food out fast enough for them they decided to taste my daughter’s skirt, my shoe laces, and my camera case instead!

There are also peacocks and Axis Deer roaming the grounds. We didn’t get close to the peacocks, but the deer came right up when offered food. My kids quickly grouped them into two categories: greedy and lazy. The greedy ones pushed others out of the way to get more food while the lazy ones just lay in the shade and waited for us to go to them!

One of the other activities at the farm is the pony rides. All of the horses and ponies were very gentle and they were led around the arena at a walk. During our Saturday morning visit there were no lines so the kids did this at least 5 times!

We also got to take a ride on the train. The train ride didn’t take long and just went around the outside of the activities area, but the kids really enjoyed it.

The farm also includes several areas for the kids to play. There are a couple of large play structures with slides, tubes for the kids to climb though, and even rope netting. Be sure to check out the “secret hideout” below the main deck on the play structure near the volleyball court! Other play areas are the hay barn, a small “Indian village,” and the sand mountain (which is just what it sounds like!).

After exploring the farm and playing for a couple of hours we were very hungry and hot. The farm does allow food to be brought in, but we decided to order from the very limited menu at the concession stand. We grabbed a few hot dogs, chips, and cold drinks and sat at one of the many picnic areas to have our lunch.

After lunch the kids were still complaining about being hot, and started looking longingly at the swimming pool. I had planned ahead and brought all of our swimsuits (which are required to go in the water) so we spent the next hour or so at the pool. The pool has two sections. There is a small area that is only one foot deep for the little kids, and a larger area that goes from two to four feet deep. Although it was a little crowded the kids had plenty of room to jump in and swim around, and there were even three life guards on duty to make sure everyone stayed safe.

After cooling off we changed back into dry clothes and did one more round of our favorite activities before heading out to the car. On the way home I always ask the kids what their favorite part of our outing was and this time they couldn’t narrow it down to less than five things! I think that means our trip to Old MacDonald’s Farm was a great success!