Elk Ravine Farm — Attraction in Town of North East

I cannot speak more highly about Elk Ravine than to say this - If I could be there every day of my life I would. The way Jim and Kathy care for the animals is apparent in how much each animal trusts them. This tour was supposed to be a birthday gift for me, but it ended up being a gift for our whole family - and we're all adults!

I am obsessed with highland cows (I affectionately call them coos) and thought that was going to be the best part of the day. I can safely say the best part was speaking with Jim and learning about each animal and what they need. Brushing and loving on the cows was in fact just as fantastic as I thought it would be though!

Jim took the time to answer all of our questions, he never once rushed us, and in fact he left one of our party members in with the baby goat they were holding - for about 5 minutes! while the rest of us went to meet the foal a couple of stalls down.

They say hands on, and boy do they mean it! From bottle feeding a coo to holding any animal we could safely pick-up, we couldn't have been more hands-on. I am glad we bought a second pair of shoes, although they did have spare boots on hand for the guests, just in case.

Kathy and Dilli (the female horse who pulled our carriage) were fantastic tour guides, even when it started to rain. Kathy was kind and funny - and also answered all our questions, even the ones that aren't technically farm related.

Elk Ravine wasn't just a place to cuddle cute animals. The education our family received while there was amazing. We just moved to a horse farm and will likely become horse hands in the near future - Jim never once avoided the questions we asked about horse care, and told us what to expect - all with a killer sense of humor!

The last but arguably more important part that Elk Ravine plays is the positive environmental impact. The highland coos and water buffalo have summer jobs taking care of invasive plant species by munching them down! HOW FREAKING CUTE?!

I don't think I've had a more rewarding experience on a farm in my life. In general, I wish I could express to y'all how amazing yesterday was but there are simply no words, you have to go experience it yourself! Will we be coming back? Of-freaking-course. And we'll be telling all our family and friends...

If you’re looking for a hands on, educational, up close and personal tour of a farm with the sweetest animals, Elk Ravine Farm is where you want to be. As a cow lover, my fiancé surprised me with a trip to Elk Ravine and it was the best two plus hours I’ve ever had. We started our private tour brushing the cows, meeting the babies and mamas completely immersed in farm life. Francesca was a highlight who loved head scratches and giving cow licks! Phoebe was very knowledgable about every cow and answered all of our questions. We got to spend a wonderful amount of time with them without ever feeling rushed to move on to the next part. To keep the tours private they have you switch to another staff member who brings you to the next set of animals. We met the donkeys, baby goats and sheep with Nancy. And we can’t forget Sacha the beautiful guard dog! Nancy placed baby goats in our arms the moment we got in the pen and had so much time to hang out with them and learn about their lives on the farm. Next we met Jim the owner of the farm. He showed us the pigs and the gorgeous horses. Jim has so much knowledge and is so kind and hilarious. He makes you feel right at home on his farm. We even got to see a horse going into labor and learned more about what goes into birthing a horse (congrats Tinkerbell!) we ended the tour with a carriage ride through the farm and on the open road with Kathy who told us more about the farm and the start of the tours. We had the absolute BEST time at Elk Ravine and we will most definitely...

Our visit to Elk Ravine Farm was unforgettable. We booked a private tour and were lucky to have Nancy and Kathy guide us through the farm’s impressive facilities for over two hours. Their passion and care for the animals really showed, and we learned so much along the way.

We got to meet a whole range of animals—KuneKune pigs, sweet farm dogs, massive and majestic Belgian draft horses, curious emus, chickens, pigeons, a stunning peacock, playful water buffalos, Nigerian Dwarf goats, donkeys, and of course, the stars of the show: the Highland cows.

The Highland cows were my absolute favorite—so fluffy and gentle, with huge horns but incredibly calm and friendly personalities. They loved neck scratches and were just a joy to be around. The water buffalos were also very sociable (one even tried chewing on my dress!), and the emus stole the show with their sassy personalities—curious, playful, and eager to investigate our bags and clothes. Every moment was full of laughter and awe.

To top it off, Nancy kindly gave us a ride to the train station when we couldn’t get an Uber back. Just the nicest, most generous people. We had the best time and couldn’t recommend this experience more highly—whether you’re an animal lover or just looking for something special and heartwarming to do...