I recently found out about this farm, and not having seen many big-size farms in the Netherlands…read morebefore, decided to combine a visit to their open farm day with a separate dinner that was being organized here one fine Saturday evening. The experience was somewhat surreal! If you are looking for a day trip outside the big city and into nature's arms, this is your spot. Easily accessible by public transport, De Marsen is about an hour's trip from Amsterdam's central station. You take a bus all the way to Landsmeer and then walk about 15 minutes through a beautiful flat landscape and across a stream to arrive at the farm. The farm is open to all and they do arrange tours every now and then. Being off season for most crops and also because the farm recently switched management, there wasn't much to see in terms of animals or plantations, but they had a donkey, a chicken coup, some goats, and a pig farm where their legendary pig, named 'Uh-oh' lives. Along the tour, the new head farmer remarked how the huge pig has its own fan-following with people coming to see it regularly. Walking through the coup was quite awesome. The animals were enjoying. We took some time off to walk around the surroundings, which were really quiet and serene. I will go back, I liked it so much. We stayed until about 10PM after socializing with a lot of people we met on the farm. It was a great evening with a bonfire, spotting a hedgehog, and playing with the farm kittens. Netherlands is more than windmills and cheese. It has a lot of flat open space where people still farm their food!

So glad this was a stop on our Europe tour! Getting the opportunity to watch a clog making and…read morecheese making demonstration was awesome! Staff is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable, very interesting to see first hand how they take a piece of wood and create a shoe! So many great souvenirs to be had. I personally loved the wooden shoe keychains.. you can have names etched on as well. Very affordable gift for all! I bought 5;) Lots of delicious cheese to purchase too, they make sure to double wrap and sticker them properly for customs. Lovely family owned and operated business. Make sure to put your feet in the oversized clogs outside for a picture perfect photo!!

This whole area is adorable. I love the vibe I love the stores. This was our favorite day in our…read morehoney moon.

if you want a taste of the countryside this is it! i'm a total city girl and i will say this farm…read morecharmed the pants off of me. we decided to go apple picking and a girlfriend suggested this place. we went on a sunday and the second to last sunday(week-end) before the season is over. so it was crowded. the parking lot was full but they had over flow parking and it was very organized with a shuttle bus to and from. walking up to the farm there was a field of sheep so of course we had to stop and baaaahhh at them and take a few photos. then we got side tracked by the cute little shopping ateliers and food stands. i bought a few little knick knacks and apple stroop. all very well priced. there was even a market with all sorts of food. once we snapped ourselves out of the shopping coma we were in we headed out to the farm to do what we came there to do. By the way, you can adopt trees and make them you're own. we saw Tommy Hilfiger had a tree..ha! they give you a plastic bag or you can bring your own baskets etc. i filled my whole bag up with maybe 30 apples? it cost 9 euros for the bag. it was a very charming experience especially for us city girls. it's about a 10 min drive past schipol. we thought about taking the train and bus out..but if you have a car by all means drive. it's in the middle of nowhere. sadly we had missed the pear season.

Ever need to get away from the city, clear your head, get a breath of fresh air and see nature? Hop…read moreon a bike, or a bus, or into the car and head to this farm. It's only about 20 minutes from city center but feels a world away. Attention fans of Metropolitan's gelato. Yes, this Metropolitan (http://www.yelp.com/biz/metropolitan-amsterdam-2) that we've all been raving about - their milk comes from here and you can get the ice cream and sorbets here at the farm! A more peaceful option than Warmoesstraat. Attention tourists and families, this is a nice change from all the sights of Amsterdam. You can see animals and get a bit of country without going too far from the city. There's a lovely garden to sit in and soak in the sun or rest under the shade of an apple tree. And of course, you can get fresh milk! By the cup or by the liter, whatever you choose. There's a store to by meats and cheeses fresh from the farm. Yum! I also recommend talking to the family who owns the farm. They have a great story and a passion for their work.

This place is very close to my work ( I work, soon to be worked since I'm going to quit, at a…read moreday-care for autistic children in Amstelveen ). I love Elsenhove and me and the kids go to this place all the time. If you this the scenic route to this place you'll have to go through the woods and meadows to get there, which I love, but of course there is also a road to this place so you can park your bike or car next to the entrance. Everything at this place is so neat, nicely done and lovely. There are clogs at the entrance which you/the kids can use in case you want to wander around through the dirt with the goats. There are different kinds of animals like pigs, cows, goats, donkeys, rabbits, birds, rates, chickens..it's so much fun for the kids to see and pet them. There are fun informational games for the kids in the stables as well. Everything is very clean and there are different spots where you can wash your hands with soap and water. There is also an awesome playground, which was renovated this last winter. It is so much fun and actually kinda big. There are picnic tables where you can sit and relax and watch the kids. The little café next to the playground has drinks and ice-cream, so you can have a coffee while catching some sun. The best; all this awesomeness (except for drinks then) is free. You can leave a donation if you like but it is not expected or anything. I highly recommend visiting this place if you want to do something fun with your kids!

Such a cute place for kids and animal lovers alike. Upon walking in we were greeted with the farm…read morecat who snuggled up with me. Animals were all very friendly and were not afraid to come and have a intimate moment with you. The small cafe had hot drinks and snacks - all reasonably priced and a lovely interior. If you are in the area or looking for something to do with kids then this is a great lace to spend and afternoon!

This is known as the children's farm and it's kind of hidden. It took us a few extra minutes to…read morefind it than what our GPS described but it's a cute place. This little zoo is free, but I wished there was a donation box, because I would truly try to keep this place running. They had little ponies, pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, etc. and a playground outside for the kids to play in. Inside had turtles, gerbils, mice, etc. and activities for the kids to play, almost like a museum on the inside. It's a bit outdated but considering it's free, it was still really cute. My kids and I spent about 2 hours here before leaving and it was a great way to have my kids burn off some energy.

Farms are a mere 10 minutes away from Amsterdam's city center. It's so weird to watch the scenery…read morechange from urban to rural, just like that. Rembrandt Hoeve is a farm of cheese and clogs. We had a hilarious guide at Rembrandt Hoeve Clogs and Cheese. This guy cracked jokes in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. He was kind of flirty, occasionally boastful, occasionally self-deprecating, and did not fail to charm.

This clog/cheese farm is run by one of the most entertaining men I've ever met in my life. It's…read moredifficult to tell if his utter insanity is an act, or merely to show guests a good time, but regardless he will teach you all about how clogs are made, and take the creepiest of photos at your request. Oh, and the cheese is cheap and delicious. I grabbed a huge log of smoked gouda with bacon in it (that helps make the best mac & cheese ever), and I only wish I had grabbed twelve. But then I probably would've been stopped at customs, and they would've taken all my delicious cheese.