Clark's Elioak Farm — Attraction in Columbia

Besides the lack of food vendors, I had a brief conversation with the lady,believed to be management/owner( part), about the immediate need to resolve severe safety issues. Her statement was that they have hundreds of acres of land and have removed several trees lately. Trees along crop management fields where and are the least of my concerns. In fairness, I am willing to do another inspection of trees I spoke briefly with her about. She didn't seem to like me expressing my 40 years of expertise in the field of arborculture tree care . Seemed more interested in collecting souvenir monies. I tried to explain that tree issues I personally observed could have an immediate and severe impact on persons and property. Now, considering that this is a for-profit adventure park that caters to families with our most precious commodity, CHILDREN , my words would have invoked a more caring response. The amount of trees previously removed from the property is in my professional opinion, weighing profits over possible losses. I explained to the lady that I have 40 years continuous experience in tree care industry holding LTE number 230 and ISA Certified Arborist certification from the International Society of Arborculture. My complaints are not about possible failure or failures but of " imminent " failures that exist. To name a few, large red maple with hanging broken limbs and dead limbs 2" over bench and children's play area to left of Cattle Ride, in 2 trees. Large ash approximately 60' in height with approximate dbh 20" within 50' of structure children were present and playing in and around , approximate 17" dbh ash along area walking from parking area to entrance and along grass line area where cars with children present are parked. These issues are a major safety concern and potential for extreme hazards when they fail. Note not if they should fail, but when. In short, every hazard I noticed is imminent failure. The degree of severity will be ,is there a child present when such a failure occurs. Yes, people trees offer us shade ,clean air ,habitat for wildlife, and erosion control to name a few things, but trees should never be neglected whenever there are children possible present. Not to mention the extreme sorrow an injured child bestows upon us, the loss of that child is a loss we can never measure. We may lose the cure for cancer or any other deadly or debilitating disease that we now have no cure. That child may one day find that cure. Not to mention all the other positive impacts that child may have brought society had they only matured. Again, in fairness, I will wait to see what actions ,if any, the owners of this park undertake. Again, money is not, nor should it ever , be a reason a for-profit business should skirt obvious safety hazards. With warm days ahead I would like to think the owners will heed this warning and act swiftly to assure the safety of their visitors. In overall my 4 grandchildren had a fun and exhausting experience exploring the many fun things that are offered. Concerns that immediately stood out could easily be mitigated by a qualified, licensed and insured professional tree care service and most likely with a one day overall investment of time. There may be more and it wouldn't hurt to enter into a relationship with a qualified arborist that would do a walk through looking for potential hazards and correcting them for the safety of everyone involved. I enjoyed myself with my grandkids immensely today, Easter Sunday 2024 , and if asked would volunteer my time to meet with any representative of this establishment to point out my findings and I would freely do future inspections, within reason, to help identify potential risk. I write this review online as it's fresh in mind and in case I can not reach a proper party to express...

Clark's Elioak Farm has plenty of parking (gravel lot), friendly staff and activities that most ages can enjoy. It is a very open property and you can take your time walking about. There are also picnic tables and restrooms available. The 'Enchanted Forest' is a neat storybook concept but the actual structures are dated and in need of renovations and fresh paint.

I think the business would benefit from offering packages for guests so you can choose a selection instead of a 'pick and choose' activity menu. We were a little surprised that there was an $8 admission charge for a 14 month old child. $2 or $4 would have been more appropriate. For four adults, one child for admission and train ride each it was $72.50 - and I'd recommend people not purchase the train ride.

Also, $2.50 for a short, one lap (approximately 50 seconds) pony ride is too much, despite being a low cost. The young woman leading the horse, Captain Jack, was very nice though. We just wish the ride was comparable to the cost. They'd be better off getting rid of the actual pony ride and instead offer an educational experience for children to learn about equines.

The goat feeding area is incredible and absolutely the highlight of the farm. You can enjoy feeding the goats and there is a calming, therapeutic quality to that area. I would not call the petting area a "petting zoo," as that suggests multiple available animal interactions. But the goat are is excellent and very enjoyable.

Overall we had a great time feeding the goats, but the rest of the farm was so-so. We'd return for the goats but nothing else. This could be a nice spot for a 5 y/o's...

I'm 38 weeks pregnant and oh so very tired. Despite this, I chose to take my 2 year old to this farm today because we had 2 hours to kill and I wanted her to have a fun experience. I was worried about having to chase my daughter around in the hot sun, but I am so glad we went here because it was literally the best experience. There is A LOT to do with a vast amount of shade to be found everywhere, and little kids are safe to run around, even if you're a very slow pregnant mama trying to keep up. My little had a blast, and I never felt overwhelmed. We bought extras to everything, and the total cost was $39; not bad at all. We loved the train ride, and even though the cow ride was a little small for me, it was fun and my daughter just loved it. We rode the horse and fed the goats, and rode the hay ride as well. There are tons of little playgrounds throughout, so very easy to keep my little occupied and it was so nice to be able to sit in between every activity because my daughter wanted to play on the slides, etc. Very easy to spend 2 hours here. The shade and spacing of the activities was perfect. I still can't get over that I didn't get winded or overwhelmed this late in my pregnancy trying to corral a 2 year old. Best experience by far at a farm. We will...