Historic Wagner Farm is part of the Glenview Park District. We visited for a Halloween event and had fun. I think my two year old liked seeing cows for the first time, and she seemed surprised by the chickens. Perhaps more than anything she was happy to see the barn cat since she said goodbye to it. We went into the farmhouse and it was interesting to see. She wanted to go upstairs but I was afraid that she was going to wan the to carry her up or down, so I vetoed that for this trip. The playground was probably the biggest hit. It's a small playground with some slides and a sandbox and maybe some other equipment. She had a blast on the slide and I was happy there were no swings because I would have been stuck pushing her for 20 minutes. There's a parking lot across the street, and for this event there was overflow parking in the church lot next door. I will keep an eye on events happening at the farm to see if my kiddo would enjoy coming to something else here. read more

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It is okie for the city farm. But it doesn't really have many animals out. Maybe it was too hot on that day. Also, the farm looks so empty. We only saw chickens and 2 skinny cows. The horses were into the stable. Stuffs were nice. But really so empty again..... read more

Historic Wagner Farm - Farmers Market Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

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My children really enjoy visiting this farm. Sometimes we can see the cows grazing when we drive past. They had cows, horses, and two type of chickens the last time I visited. There is feed that you can purchase to give to the chickens. There is also a cute playground that the kids really enjoy. There is ample parking across the street and I've never had trouble finding parking. I have to plan to make a visit out here because it's always been spontaneous visits right around closing time so we have yet to go inside the barn. All families should bring their children to the Wagner farm! read more

Visiting Historic Wagner Farm on a gorgeous spring day was a morning well spent! My toddler absolutely loved it here! There were tons of farm animals to see up close, the staff was so incredibly kind, and it was incredibly interactive for all ages. There was a cute little outdoor playground, a building block area and play store inside, and plenty of seating for a snack or picnic lunch. We would most definitely come back on another nice day because my son had a blast! And it's FREE! How lucky are we? read more

Historic Wagner Farm - Indoor pretend horse & carriage - Farmers Market Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

We went here while visiting family in the Chicago suburbs. It was a nice, fun morning with all of our kids (1 year up to 4 years of age). We went on a Saturday so there was a small farmers market going on as well. It was a nice morning for the families looking at animals and playing on the playground. read more

Historic Wagner Farm - Farmers Market Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

For some reason the farm AND the farmer's market are all included within the Wagner Farm Yelp overview here. In my opinion they should be separate. I'll review both together - but my star rating is really intended more for the farm itself. Wagner Farm was family owned for decades and was given over to the Village of Glenview - I believe when the last of the family had passed on. The village has done a wonderful job of keeping the property mostly "as is" while making some updates to offer public access. In my opinion this is a gem of an educational tool within the Chicago metro area - especially for kids, and adults as well. Mostly animals - not much grown here as the pasture is used for grazing. Now - for the Farmer's Market... I first went to the Glenview market back when it was at the old train station. It's about the same size as it was back then - not as large as some other area markets, but still a decent number of offferings to be had. Vendors are friendly here - it's a decent market for some basics - but there's more variety to be had in Park Ridge and Oak Park. read more

This is great for a family experience. Prices were reasonable and there was a ton to do. Parking is very close, then you take a tram to the farm. They provide a guided tour along the way, which is really interesting. Once inside, you can pay for carousel rides, baby goat feeding, and a gift shop. It's free to walk around and there are tons of animals to see and some you can pet. The animals didn't seem stressed and their enclosures looked clean. The goats are switched out if they are overfed or stressed; there is an area away from the public where the goats are left alone. You can walk through the stables to see horses including the iconic There is a plaza with food options, including a tasting bar with beers for purchase. I wish they had more than one tasting bar. The one line was way too long for us to wait in. The end was also wonky. They have covered lines to stand in while you wait for the tram back. That is really helpful to stay out of the hot sun. However, the people organizing the trams weren't doing a great job. On the way into the farm, they pack you into the tram like sardines. But on the way back, trams were leaving with tons of empty seats while people waiting to leave were stuck standing in the long line. It would have also been nice if there were a few seats along the long line queue. It is a family oriented place, so there were lots of pregnant women and grandparents. It would be nice if there were places for them to sit while waiting in line. read more

Are the kids going stir crazy at home? Are they driving you crazy? There's a solution for that! Wagner Farm is a hidden gem in Glenview that has free parking and admission. There are horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, cows, and more to see up close. There isn't an abundance of animals on the farm, but it's plenty to get that farm experience right in the burbs. You'll also see that there are community farming plots being tended to with vegetables and fruit being grown by members of the community. If you have young kids, there is an indoor play area that allows kids to play in a small silo, chalk up a cow, play make believe with toy chicken eggs, and more. Still not enough to convince you? How about ice cream, sundaes, floats, and milk shakes? Yup, they have just the thing to cool you down in the summer. There are plenty of benches, tables, and grass to have a small picnic or just run around. It's so nice that something like this is free and open to the public in the burbs. Definitely a great place to take the family or just walk around and soak in the sun and animals. read more

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What a find! After two decades of driving past and thinking that it was just a few cows and a barn, I have finally discovered what a treasure trove this place is for parents with small children. Our daughter whooped and squealed nearly nonstop as she dashed from pen to pen to see the different animals. And she seemed to enjoy just as much the faux chicken egg exhibit inside the main building. + Easy parking across the street + An educational interior space illustrating farm techniques and history + Picnic tables + Pigs + Sheep + Horses + Cows + Chickens + A barn cat, aka Blackie, aka the chillest cat ever to doze And it's all free. The terrain can be muddy and stroller-unfriendly, so plan accordingly. read more

This is a good place to spend a few hours looking at animals if you don't want the full zoo experience. You start by taking a team from the parking lot which gives you a mini-guided tour. Once inside the grounds, you can purchase some feed (for many of the animals) and milk bottles (for the goats). read more

Historic Wagner Farm - Farmers Market Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

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My 1 1/2 yr old is so not a fan of Wagner Farm. He takes one look towards the cows and horses (or perhaps a sniff) and breaks out into hysterics. I have to admit I don't blame him...the animals are smelly! My 3 1/2 yr old, on the other hand, thinks this place is great....and loves getting a glimpse at the cows, horses, chickens and more. However, I think she enjoys the activities inside "museum" even more than the outside, which is good because her little brother is happy in there. And (of course) they like the ice cream parlor inside even more. After a morning with a bunch of smelly animals, some activities inside and scoop of Homer's ice cream...I've got one happy (and smelly) little girl. We did check out the annual dairy breakfast* this past weekend. It appears to be a great fundraiser for the fair, but we were less than impressed with the long lines (especially for mediocre food) and there aren't many more activities than a typical day. Next time we'll stick to the regular hours where there is no charge and less crowds. And perhaps we'll leave the 1 1/2 yr old at home. * http://www.glenviewparks.org/event/12th-annual-dairy-breakfast/ read more

This is a really cute farm to have in the suburbs and ideal for (supervised) children. There's not a WHOLE lot to see, but if you're with a kid who loves animals, it's fantastic. There are cows, horses, occasional pigs and lambs, chickens, and a roaming cat. If you go in the summer, you can tour the historic farm house and have some Homer's Ice Cream in the museum area. read more

Such a darling place to visit. So clean and well organized and absolutely adorable for kids. Many spots to take the cutest pictures. A lovely afternoon was spent here! read more

This is a fun and mostly free family activity. Plenty of space to roam and very scenic. We took some awesome Christmas photos here that turned out great. Plenty of cows and other wildlife to see. The parking situation is ample and within close proximity!! read more

Adorable spot to take kiddos! Enough to see and do but not overwhelming. Don't forget to stop and get ice cream!

I personally came here for the first time and it was a delightful, fun, and educational visit for all at this historic farm/museum. The driver for this particular visit was their annual dairy breakfast ($10 per adult, $5 per child over 2) and I attended with the daughter and both grand-daughters. They had a breakfast buffet provide by Egg Harbor and as may be expected for anything from EH, the quality was very fresh and good for their pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee, and OJ. Breakfast was enjoyed at communal tables under a tent. Note that you're walking around on grass covered grounds and around a farm. We came on a delightful, sunny 67F day, but I definitely would not want to come here for this event on either a day with wet grounds or a very hot day. After breakfast, we walked around with the kiddos, and visited up close with the standard farm animals - pigs, lambs, chickens, cows, and horses. We also visited a fun historic grocery store replica, an old fashioned ice cream shop, and a corn silo replica. There's plenty to keep kids busy, and it was a great deal and value to enjoy this event. read more

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Adorable place, great for families! Brought my kiddos, who loved the animals and playground!

I researched online before bringing my family out. I wished there was a map or "you are here" board, so we could know where we were allowed to go or what there was to see. We saw chickens, and walked out back to see horses but no one ever explained or approached us. So we guessed what we could do. One house to the north looked like some people went inside? But we weren't sure what that was. The kids did like seeing the cows, pumpkins, and chickens. Overall it was maybe 20 minutes of things to see/do. read more

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I wasn't sure who to reach out to, as I wasn't able to get the wonderful ladies name. She is a middle aged woman with piercing blue eyes and blondish hair. I came in with my 2 autistic kids who were very excited to be outside and around the animals. As autistic children do, they were stimming and making their excited noises.... everyone was staring at us, kids were pointing while their parents just shushed them.... This wonderful mystery woman was heaven sent. There was a tall older gentleman with overalls and a straw hat who was talking about the chicken. She made a point to answer my son's 100 questions regarding the chickens, even though she was just walking by to grab something. Now that I think about it, I think he might introduced her as Farmer Amy. I hope the owners see this review, and know how Farmer Amy's kindness towards 2 children who otherwise would have been left behind, like so many time in the past We will see you all again next week as they can't stop asking to see the " Lady with beautiful eyes with the chickens." read more

Historic Wagner Farm - Our favorite hamg out spot!!!! #AutismAwareness #FarmerAmy #Kindness - Farmers Market Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

Fun and educational place to take little ones. It's a small farm that consist of horses, cows, chickens, pigs and sheep. There are also some friendly cats that roam the grounds. There are plenty of picnic tables ( kid size) to pack a lunch and enjoy nature and the animals around you. There's plenty of parking And the entrance is free. This place is a hidden gem. I take my LO here regularly and mommy is happy to save mommy while my LO has fun and learns at the same time. Inside the museum kids can pretend to gather eggs from chickens and milk a fake cow. There is also colored chalk to draw on the fake cow a carriage and little stores that show the old price of produce. If you go around closing time 4:30ish you can even see a cow get milked. Kids of different ages will enjoy this place and did I mention it's all free? Update: There is now a ice cream shop inside the museum. A nice place to take the kids after visiting all the animals. Prices are reasonable and it's pretty good! read more

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I'm working here as a student farmer during the 23-24 school year and I absolutely love this place. If you ever get a chance to work here I'd highly recommend it, the lady who's running the program for my group at the new trier learning center has honestly helped me a lot with social skills, technical knowledge about building and even gave me the idea of wanting to do something with agriculture in my future after high school. I've seen how well they take care of their products from preparing the land for the next harvest to getting the food baskets ready. The childhood joy of this place hasn't diminished at all since I was a little kid going here with my grandma. It's always a good experience and the scenery is amazing. Not to mention the sensory garden they've put up is quite nice and surprisingly accessible to any kid no matter their physical abilities. 10/10 would work here or visit again. read more

My kids love Wagner farm. It's amazing to see a real farm in the middle of suburbia. It's open Year round and it's nice to check out all the animals. They have chickens, cows, horses and pigs Year round. They get sheep in the spring time for the summer. Wagner Farm also has a nice museum that you can check out after you're done with the animals. The museum has a few farm related activities. You can also bring your own food and have a picnic in the summer time. They have some nice picnic tables and shade. I also had my kids birthday parties here a couple years. They loved it and still talk about it now, a few years later. read more

I am lucky to live so close to Wagner's Farm. I enjoy visiting its animals and rocking in a rocking chair in front of the main building. In the summer, I like to walk to the farmers market across the street. When my kids were younger, they used to go on field trips where they learned how to churn butter and milk a cow. I am so glad to have a historic working farm right in my neighborhood. read more

What a great park option! We had a great time. We pet cows, talked to chickens and horses. My kids loved the playground. There was stuff for my 4 year old and my 1 year old to play with. read more

Wagner Farm is a great place to take kids to kill a couple hours. It's an actual working farm that was purchased by the Glenview Park District (I THINK I read somewhere that it's the last working farm in Cook County, but I'm not positive). They have a couple of horses (Sue and Bob), chickens, geese, a pig, some sheep, a herd of cows and a couple farm cats. It's great to get out and stroll around the grounds and check out the animals. Inside they have a cute play area for kids. You can pretend to candle eggs or milk a cow. I wish the "general store" allowed for more playing but as it's set up, it's mostly decoration. In the summer they have an ice cream shop that is hard to resist. The best part... it's FREE. Free parking, free admission. Can't beat that. There's really not much to do indoors so it doesn't make for a good rainy day destination. The workers/volunteers on the farm are there to do a job and are not always the friendliest bunch. You can take your time and do and see everything in an hour or two so it's not an all day thing unless you're attending a program. All in all... it's a fun place to visit! read more

My kids love this place. It's a great place to take the kids if you want to get them out of the house and not spend any money (admission is free). They sell cheap pumpkins during Halloween and cheap trees during Christmas. They also do a bonfire/s'mores in the Fall. There are other activities during the year that I haven't experienced first-hand, as well. There's something especially charming about a real, working farm in the middle of a busy suburban street. read more

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This working-farm is a treasure for children and adults alike. There's so much to love at Wagner Farm: a chicken coop where one can feed the chickens; antique farm equipment; freshly-churned butter and ice cream; sit-on tractors; kittens peeking out of the hay in the barn; an interactive, indoor, education center; cows grazing; special events for the public; a new, themed playground; the list goes on and on. Simply walking around the farm's perimeter restores one's spirit. Plenty of parking daily. read more

Not Senior or handicap friendly..The walk to the farm from the parking lot is horrendous..tired out by the time you make it there..and once there, can only go to the closest venders..Go back to the Church lot..wayyyy easier to shop read more

I knew going there today I would come home disgusted but my daughter absolutely loves farm animals. From people closing the door in face while I was trying to enter he farmhouse with my daughter and her wagon to the staff in the gift store demonstrating no warmth or kindness. Most of the people are friendly except for the few that think because they live in Glenview they are exempt from showing any kindness. Although I enjoy the farm grounds, I could never ever live in a community that is so unkind and snobby. What any ugly community truly. BTW Glenview is not an upscale community, just a miserable bunch of uneducated snobs. I feel so sorry for these people. Absolutely disgusting. read more

I have only been here one time. The first thing I see is muddy teenage girls walking sheep like dogs, good sign. Music, good mix of shop and non-shop vendors, I.e. get your Foodstuff goods and also buy from Farmer Harold. Good looking veges and produce. Prices are reasonable but no steal deals that I noticed. Fair deal on summer sausage to be had. Bring your trash shoes or rubbers because it can be pretty muddy to walk around. There is parking for the market, and spill over parking at the Greek Orthodox church lot. The street the market is on can be pretty busy so be careful. They do provide a crossing guard for safety. read more

The farm has been closed and an abandoned place every time I visited during the last year. I don't know why they don't update the info on their website and let people know there is no active farm anymore. read more

Be warned: this is not a petting zoo. It is an 18.6 acre working dairy farm that's been restored to approximate what an American dairy farm would look like circa 1920. It's owned and operated by the Glenview Park District, since the last of the Wagner family died in 1997. The farm has free public visitation hours (M-Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3). You can see cows in the pasture, chickens, draft horses, sheep and pigs along with a barn and a restored farmhouse. A separate building, the Heritage Center, has interactive exhibits for kids to learn about early 20th century farming. Kids can simulate milking a cow (the teats squirt water instead of milk), hoist heavy hay bales by pulling a rope, gather up fake hen eggs. There's a 1930s-era grocery store to see. And a gift shop - try a bottle of sasparilla (it's like root beer) while sitting in a rocker on the front porch. Wagner Farm also offers educational programs you can register for through the park district (i.e. learn about the milking parlor - participate in a milking demo with actual cows, sign up to do farm chores). We went one Sunday afternoon to see the farm and while it was interesting to check out, we got through everything in about an hour. I was kinda expecting a petting zoo, and my daughter was more or less done after petting a lamb through the wires of the pen. Frankly, I think kids would get a lot more out of the experience by signing up for one of the programs. Wagner Farm also has special events throughout the year such as an egg hunt, a dairy breakfast, a barnyard dance/ice cream social. During summer, it also hosts the Glenview farmers market on Saturday mornings. I think it's definitely worth checking out, but I'd try to do it in conjunction with an event or the farmers market. read more

I really, really like this place. I don't really have much to say, because they're all pros! Free admission/parking...great! Not busy most during the days! But my favorite part was that me and the baby got to walk right up to the pigs/lambs and just observe them! My son was enamored with these creatures! And it's great because he got a lot of personal time with these animals and an upfront and personal experience with them, which I don't feel like you get at the zoo. Great place! We'll be back! read more

Today was a perfect spring day. Mid/late April, sun shining, low wind, temps around 70. Doesn't get much better than that! We had driven by Wagner Farms many times before but always on our way somewhere or going home from something. Today, we made it our priority to stop and walk around. Our little girl loves animals (what little kid doesn't?), however, she got pretty scared from the cows! Not sure what it was, maybe she wasn't ready for how loud it would "moo!" She was able to get pretty close to pigs, lambs, cows, and chickens. The horses were off in the distance in their fields but she still liked pointing at them! Inside Wagner Farms is a teacher's dream...all of the information about farms you can dream of! Kids can pick "eggs" out of a chicken coop and organize them into egg cartons. They can climb a mini silo and learn about about silage. But best of all, they can "milk" a fake cow. There is a little gift shop inside the main barn too which has souvenirs and snacks. Overall, this was good for a one time visit. I don't think we will come back, but it was great to visit and see a lot of those animals close up. For the basic information: there is parking right across the street, it's at the corner of Wagner and Lake on the edge of Glenview/Wilmette, and you can't go into the fields where the animals are grazing (for obvious reasons). So, you just have to hope that the animals are somewhat close to the fences if you want to see how big they really are! read more

For our first visit ever, we came here on a warm and pleasant October afternoon for Corn Fest. Wagner Farm is just that - a farm, though it is a touristy one. Upon entering through the parking lot in front, it didn't really seem like a lot to do. There was a tilled-over field with soil turned up in large chunks. To the kids, climbing over the mini-boulders of hardened soil seemed like the whole purpose of our visit, but after a few minutes we were able to steer them elsewhere. Wagner Farm, while it is still a working farm with some livestock and a corn field, is an educational place for kids to see what old-time farms looked like. A row of rusting old farm implements sat on the edge of a field. The kids got to climb and pose on a dilapidated tractor too. In the main building, there are numerous exhibits on farming, demonstrating how to lift a bale of hay, milk a plastic cow's fake udders, or pour slop to a fake pig waiting for its meal. There's also an old-fashioned store, complete with a non-digital cash register that my kids were fascinated with, as numbers popped up on top with the punch of a button. My kids especially enjoyed scraping little seeds off of the brush-like ends of broom corn to make little whisk brooms. We got to take those home too. There's a little gift shop and snack bar alongside in the main building. Outside, there's a small barn with geese, chickens and some goats. It's not a petting zoo, but the animals were eager to see the many visitors stopping by. Finally, they sold apples and pumpkins. The apples looked really good, and there were varieties I had never heard of. At $1 a pound, they were even better than farmer's market prices. I got me a suncrisp apple, which was sweeter than a honeycrisp and a little softer inside. A pleasant fall day is the perfect time to see an old-fashioned farm like Wagner and escape to an earlier time without leaving the suburban realm. read more

My family and I have been coming to Wagner Farm for about 10 years. Weekly I purchase eggs from them. After today I will never be returning and recommending people find other farms to enjoy their farm experience at. I brought my 1.5 year old daughter today and while playing in the barn play house made for CHILDREN the receptionist showed extreme interest in my daughter playing with the toy eggs they have. My daughter was given a basket of 7 toy eggs from another little boy and was walking around carrying it with her. I ensured no other child was waiting to play with any, even though there was about 20 or so more eggs to be played with an additional baskets. Yet the receptionist, and older woman with short dark brown hair took it upon herself to follow my daughter around for about twenty minutes making comments about her having the toy eggs, making myself and several other family members extremely uncomfortable. She even went as far as to ignore the phone calls coming through just to watch my daughter. Absolutely disgusted with her anxiousness about what might happen to these toy eggs I took them from my daughter and brought them to her, where she acted stunned that I was paying attention to what she had been doing. So utterly disappointed with how she made my family and I feel and will never be returning and will absolutely look elsewhere for eggs. read more

4 Stars to the farm. It is well kept and my children enjoyed it. They have cows, 2 horses, pigs, chickens, and a wandering cat. 1 Star to the lady selling souvenirs. Went in and wanted to buy a candystick for my daughter and it cost .12. She would not take my 10 dollar bill and credit card. My daughter was really sad. The lady could have just given it to her. .12 cents! read more

I can't imagine how anyone would give Wagner Farm less than five stars. It is true that it is not an all day activity, more like two or three hours at most, but that is perfect when you are trying to entertain little kids that need naps. My kids love everything here. We say hi to the animals, eat our lunch from home at the picnic tables, sit on the big tractors, go to the kid's museum in the Heritage Center to play for a little while, and then end the day with some ice-cream from the old fashioned ice cream parlor. My kids hang up a picture there every time. There is also a really interesting farm house museum that is decorated to be like it was one hundred years ago. This is right up my alley, and I like to go in when I can, but my children are still too young to appreciate this exhibit. They will be ready in a couple of years. Thanks Wagner Farm. We will visit you often! read more

Love this place as a Farm. We recently had a birthday party here for my daughter and the staff was ok but very strict with everything. They said they couldn't bring in a few extra chairs into the room because it wasn't in our contract. Very by the book which was a bit frustrating. Overall, room was fine, party went well which is all that matters. Kids LOVE this place. Well maintained. read more

Had a birthday party there for my two sons, five and seven. The indoor facilities (described in great detail in another review) were clean and engaging. My five year old had fun milking the cow, playing with the eggs and running around. The floors were very clean and it is a pleasant space to be in. What we particularly enjoyed was the horse-drawn hay ride (an additional $125) that seated about 20 people. For thirty minutes two teamsters (no, not those teamsters, that's what they call the farm hands) directed two beautiful horses around the farm (the horses looked like Clydesdales). At one point the horses took to a gallop, adding some excitement. Both birthday boys had the opportunity to take the horses' reins. Unfortunately, the two college girls that directed the party did a poor job of time management. The first 20 minutes we waited for the horses to be ready. As a result, there wasn't enough time on the back end to do the craft activity, the building of the bird houses. That was a real bummer and an inexcusable lack of planning. Had the workers been prepared, I certainly would have given an additional star. For those of you who don't know, a cow is a female, a bull is a male. A steer is a castrated bull. Most meat you eat comes from a steer. Don't ask about how a bull becomes a steer, you don't want to know. The farm has no males, only cows. Once they park district took it over they deemed it to high risk to have a bull roaming around. It is very nice to have a farm preserved on the north shore. I would recommend coming here, especially to those who have limited experience with nature. read more