Paid $195 for a family of 3. Were asked to add 20% tips, but decided that we can do it after the tour. We read the description of a farm tour on the website, that was supported by multitudes of very positive reviews. We were very disappointed in the downgrade or our actual experience from what was promised. Here is a list of things that were written in reviews, and on the website itself, that did not happen as described, or at all: What was promised: "Play With the Happiest Goats in California. "Interactions with the goats/viewing of the goat herd's various pastures". "Wear closed-toed shoes since we will be with the goats out in the pasture." Some reviews were sharing excitement about holding baby goats. None of this happened. Baby goats were in one pen, milking goats were near the milking station in the second pen, we were outside those pens. We didn't see or walk past various pastures. We stayed in one spot near the red barn and the two pens were like 10 steps away. We could pet baby goats, if they were near the fence. That's it. "Endless selfie and photo opps. "We got to hold the goats and they were so soft and cuddly/curious." A picture on their web shows a happy person with a phone surrounded by baby goats. That was our understanding of photo opps. We were not offered to hold the goats and it's impossible to take any picture WITH them in the pen as they are moving constantly. You could take pictures of the goats, but that's not a rare opportunity, as goats are everywhere along the road. "Learn the Art of Cheesemaking". We were told about the process and allowed only to peek through the reflective glass into the almost empty room. Nothing was suggesting that it's a cheese making facility. We were told that behind "that closed door" are all the cheeses and they smell amazing. Sounded a bit like a joke. For context, we visited several creameries before, everywhere you could really see the process behind the glass. For free! "Experience 150 Years of California History. Discover the rustic charm of our ancient barn." We saw a nice red barn from the outside, that's it. "Tasting of 3-4 goat's and cow's milk cheeses". From review: " loved the Chevre. It was so fresh and bright, extremely delicious 100% fresh goat milk cheese that had so much great flavor". We tasted only cow's milk cheese. But that wasn't the biggest disappointment. The three of us were given one plate to share. Ok. The hard cheeses had one small piece each. Then a tiny amount of honey was dropped on our plate and then literally 1/2 teaspoon soft cheese. For the three of us. Two friends sitting at our table were also sharing a plate and received the same ridiculously small sample. We looked at each other in total disbelief. And then we had the option to buy cheese and donate/support the creamery. We bought the cheeses and honey and they were really good, but the experience of the tour was really disappointing. read more

We booked a tour of the ranch for a "cheese tour weekend" in Northern California and then got confused about the time and arrived a bit early. Due to ensuing events which are probably not worth going into, we elected not to return for the tour. The property is very charming but be forewarned it is a 45 minute round trip on a one-lane road into the hills from a rather desolate stretch of Route 1, so plan for meals and bathroom breaks accordingly. Owners seem a bit frazzled, however their staff was kind and professional and provided a generous sampling of their cheeses to take with us. One point for the attractive property, one point for nice staff and one point for their Big Sur cheese which was the best cheese we tasted all weekend. read more

A great place to visit! Loved their cheeses so much that we joined their cheese club! Had a great time with the goats!

About 15 minutes away from the California coastline, exists this tucked away, magical, wonderful world that offers a glimpse at a modern working farm & ranch, and, for those of us who aren't lucky enough to live on a farm, a reconnection to the natural world. I could't recommend the Stepladder experience highly enough, and for so many reasons. There is the lush, fertile land full of avocado trees and (in some places!) exotic tropical fruit; there is the hardworking and down-to-earth staff who provides a genuinely warm welcome upon your arrival; and then, of course, there are goats! Goats that are happy to nuzzle, sniff, and gaze at you to your heart's content. And the cheese! You can taste the love. Being here forces you to put down your cell phone and just exist, outdoors, in the bountiful agricultural cradle of the California coast. And then, it gets better! You can stay here, in one of two properties on site. I just found out you can get married here at a beautiful private vista overlooking the rolling hills ocean, which also includes a charming Quonset hut for a reception, and two vacation homes that house 20+ guests. Whether you come for the day or a weekend, you will leave with a sense of peace and reconnection to the natural world, that can be so elusive to find these days. I recommend Stepladder Ranch with my whole heart! read more

I went here with my family at the end of March and we could not have had more fun. It was an amazing experience. The property is beautiful and the staff was so, so friendly. We go to Cambria every year and this was definatly a repeat activity. In fact, after seeing this farm, I want to quit my job and become a farmer. The tour was facinating and provided many great photo opportunities. We got to see the dairy and the goat areas. We even got to sample some cheeses and honeys at the end. There was a bot of a drive up to the ranch from the main highway and you have to bool your tour over the phone vs email or website but those were only slight issues that were easily outweighed by all of the adorable goats. read more

See all

If you just want to have just a fun time, toss a stick for a dog to chase, see some friendly, well cared for animals, toss a stick for a dog to chase, learn about the dairy process, toss a stick for a dog to chase, stroll through an orchard, buy cheese, and did I say toss a stick for a dog to chase? Whitney is a great host and the dogs are the best. I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy this. read more

I will give 6 stars if I can!! A friend of mine who lives in Paso Robles brought the Ragged point cheese from Stepladder to our picnic at a winery. Once we all had the first bite of this cheese, it did not last much longer! I checked their website for other type of cheese, and found that they have Spanish style Cabrillo cheese. I am a huge fan of spanish cheese, so can't wait to go back to try different type of cheese they offer! read more

Steppladder Creamery is a small farmstead artisan goat dairy & creamy locale: JLQ farmers market (2/12) samples of 3 cheese available for sampling and purchase. small wrapped packages, weights 4-8 ounces, cost $26.00/ib. aged between a few weeks and 7 months buys: Moonstone, alpine style -aged 7 months, tasted very sharp. $6 for less than 4 ounces. -liked the sharpness, not sure about good deal, Great taste! posts on net: (Palm Beacj) -Trump mistakes Dakota Pipeline protesters as supports, texts about "Fake News"-i.e. lack of coverage of his supporters. read more

Stepladder is a magical place with a mind boggling amount of beauty. The people there obviously care about treating the land and animals well, going out of there way to name all the goats and make sure they wean the babies at appropriate times. The tour was very informative, and finished with an awesome tasting of all the cheeses. In short, I would definitely go back, and for sure want to stay in one of the homes on the property next time! They looked amazing! read more

This place is fantastic! We were visiting Cambria for a few days and normally we wine taste but I am 6 months pregnant so my husband found this farm on yelp. We weren't really sure what to expect but we were so pleasantly surprised by the whole tour. When we arrived we were met by Whitney who was our tour guide and she was very friendly as well as her pup Frank! This place is great for all animal lovers! There are dogs all around the property and they're all so friendly! Frank was our favorite because he was just so sweet and wanted to play with everyone!! We then headed up to see all the goats and that was such a treat because they're all friendly. During this time you can take photos with all the goats and just play with them, they will chew on clothes, shoes and hair!! so expect some saliva! They don't ruin your clothes or anything like that but I wouldn't wear any fancy clothes to visit the farm. After that you get to see how their cheese is made and they take you to the tasting room to sample about 6 cheeses! We loved this! Whitney was so informative about all of the cheeses and all the tastings are very generous! We ended up buying two of the cheeses plus their delicious honey! We even got a free tote with our purchase! We highly recommend this place! You won't regret your visit to this adorable farm. Huge thanks to Whitney for being such a great host and for letting us love on your cute doggie Frank. read more

See all

I had an AMAZING time at Stepladder Ranch + Creamery! Even the drive up was beautiful. Once we got there, the first step was meeting the goats - I pretended like I wasn't scared at first (because let's be honest, I was terrified GOATS HIT THINGS WITH THEIR HEADS, WHO DOES THAT?!) But the second we went through the gate I felt 100 times better. These are the friendliest, most dog-like goats ever. They were gentle with our little 3-year-old guest and were so fun to learn about! K but enough about my irrational goat fear conquering - the cheese. Both learning about the process and tasting the cheeses were AMAZING. We bought way more than we were planning on but I don't regret it for a second, because it's amazing and has ruined supermarket cheese for me forever. Also they have avocado honey. Just... ugh. SO SUMMARY this was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone in the area or even just driving through. read more

I loved my visit! The baby goats were so adorable! We did the 1hr for $20 and it was enough. I highly recommend it! read more

See all

Absolutely fantastic experience, thoroughly enjoyed! Loved every bit of it - from the hospitality to the goat and baby goat play time to showing us around the ranch! And the cheese tasting was delicious and amazing! An perfect intimate setting ideal for both couples and families - will definitely go again! read more

Amazing tour and wonderful products! We took a trip to Morro Bay and I wanted to visit a farm on our vacation. We have two kiddos ages five and two, so this was such a treat for them. The goats were so friendly and our tour guide was awesome! Can't say enough about this place. The tour was definitely the highlight of our trip! If you are in the Cambria area and interested in an epic goat farm tour I highly recommend you visit Stepladder Ranch. The baby goats are cuteness overload! I hope this helps. read more

Wow, If you love goats, ranch dogs, secluded 2 way 1 lane country roads, creameries, and working historical ranches, Stepladder Ranch is a must visit! The tour was much more than we expected, stop by every time you're on the Central Coast! ! Last but not least the cheese tasting was a great way to say see you next time! read more

Stepladder Ranch & Creamery - Hanging with the Goats! - Ranches Near Me - Cambria, California

My family and I were in town for Labor Day weekend and were able to experience the Ranch. We had such a wonderful time. We had the last tour of the day, so were lucky enough to get to see the milking process in action. The kids (ages 4-6) had so much fun playing with the goats, throwing balls and sticks with the ranch dogs and swinging on the tire swing. We ended up being at the ranch for almost two hours. Since we were the last tour of the day, we were able to take our time and enjoy the surroundings. The cheese tasting was amazing. Big Sur and Ragged Point were our favorites and the Avocado Honey was a perfect accent to all the cheeses they offer. Definitely a place we will come back and visit next time we are in town. read more

See all

We booked a tour with friends and visited stepladder on Friday. We had Whitney as our tour guide and she was so friendly and informative. The tour is fun for all ages and we loved meeting the goats. We also enjoyed the cheese and honey tasting at the end! We will definitely be back when you guys have your baby goats in the springtime. read more

See all

Excellent tour and cheese tasting. I highly recommend the farm tour where one can not only learn about dairy goats but also about good farming practices. read more

We had a great tour today with Whitney. We loved meeting the goats and getting to pet them and learn all about how the wonderful cheese is made there. Beautiful drive up to the ranch and we really enjoyed our time there. Recomend it! read more

Stepladder Ranch & Creamery - Ranches Near Me - Cambria, California

See all

I spent $20 on about a pound of steak. This was a super splurge for me (weeee student loans!), but I wanted to do something sweet to surprise my love. My partner, who is an incredible cook and has many steak flawlessly many, many times, prepared the steak. The meat, cooked medium, was extremely tough to the point that it was nearly impossible to chew. We didn't want to waste it but literally couldn't chew it, so we minced it and used it for taco meat (for which we could have used ground beef at half the price). Won't be buying again. Two stars inside of one because the employee at the farmers market stand was super kind and thoughtful. read more

This was our second tour of the ranch. Always fun to hold the kids and a very informative tour with Catelyn. The cheese tasting is great too! Will go back again next year. read more

Stepladder Ranch & Creamery - Ranches Near Me - Cambria, California

See all

Family had a blast. Easy going staff, great cheese and my daughter could play with the baby goats all day! Will be coming back for sure! read more

Stepladder Ranch & Creamery - Ranches Near Me - Cambria, California

If you are an animal lover this is a must tour. Stepladder Creamery takes excellent care of there goats and gives you the ability to touch and handle baby goats, young momma goats in the making, and the fun you have is worth the trip! You are given the ability to go into a "goat zone" that few people get to experience. At the end of the tour you have an opportunity to see how the cheese is made and tastings are a must. Take home some fresh made cheese or soap and wish you had another visit scheduled for the next day is what I felt!! Cathy, Los Osos read more

First package arrived late and was warm (UPS delay). I emailed Amanda who immediately reordered - and followed up both after the order and to see if it arrived. Great service and great product. read more

Stepladder Ranch & Creamery is a fantasy land ~ a working farm, filled with goats, pigs, bees & more ~ all enjoying a natural & sustainable life with an amazing view of the surrounding hills and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the incredible ranch/barn ~ the accommodations are lovely and absolutely modern/beautiful/spacious (not rustic in the slightest). And if this weren't enough to make you fall in love ~ the staff are kind, knowledgable and hard working. This is a Central Coast gem ~ a retreat just a bit off the beaten path...well, literally on the beaten path...and an experience waiting to happen :) read more

This place is magical!! The goats are instant best friends, as long as you don't mind some shirt nibbles. I loved seeing the milking process and hear about how the ranch has grown and evolved. The cheese is incredible and I can't wait to buy it (and passion fruit when in season!) at my local farmers market in Oakland. And don't forget about Frank, the sweetest ranch dog. He's happy to pose for pics and the happiest when playing fetch. I highly recommend a visit! read more

What an awesome place! We took a 1 hr tour that includes a chance to hang out with goats, tour the area where they milk the goats, and taste some delicious cheeses. Our tour guide, Whitney, was very knowledgeable and super sweet. And the dogs, Frank and Gus are adorable!! read more

Once is not enough when it comes to visiting the Stepladder Ranch and Creamery! We'll be getting married here this fall and love visiting and doing the tour with our friends and family whenever we're in the area. We've already done the tour twice and it never gets old. Hanging out with the sweet goats, tasting the most delicious cheeses and honey, hanging out with the seriously cool staff and enjoying the STUNNING coastal views -- doesn't get much better than Stepladder. We don't live nearby but love that we can find their cheeses at a few farmer's markets in LA or have them delivered to our home. You can bet we'll be joining the cheese club soon! read more

Working on this property was a great experience. Jill met with us and gave us a wonderful site visit of the goats, vacation rentals, along with the ceremony/reception spaces. She even surprised us with a lovely charcuterie to snack on while we discussed our event. Throughout the planning process she guided us with helpful information and tips to ensure everything ran smoothly. The day of the event, she was available to answer questions and helped when we needed assistance. I would highly recommend Stepladder Ranch to anyone looking for a gorgeous and unique setting for their special event. read more

See all

We loved this experience! We came up for the weekend, and my aunt surprised us with this visit to Stepladder Ranch! The drive in is so relaxing and beautiful. Sophie was so friendly and knowledgable, and we loved visiting with the goats. The cheese is amazing, of course. We tried the Brie style and manchego style cheeses. I recommend this for anyone who loves cheese, unique experiences, and goats! Great for kids who love animals too. read more

Loved the tour and our tour guide was the sweetest! Tasting all the cheeses and honey was a great ending. The ranch was beautiful! Definitely worth the trip! read more

We had an amazing visit on September 7th.  For several years I have been wanting to visit.  I had the opportunity to bring 7 family members with me.  Your ranch was our first stop on my mother's 75th birthday celebration trip. She was raised on a farm, so loves animals.  Your tour did not disappoint!! What an amazing location, who would have ever known such a fabulous place was nestled in the beautiful Cambria/San Simeon mountains. Everyone in our party had a wonderful time learning about the animals, the cheese making process and history of the farm.  Whitney was so knowledgeable, what a great personality, and the cheese... yum!!  We all left with our favorites.  I will recommend the Creamery tour to everyone I know traveling to or through the area. Thanks again, Tamara Gavilan read more

Love the passion these guys have. One of our favorite stops in the Paso Robles - Cambria area. Great break from wine tasting. You get to pet baby goats and taste the best cheese. read more

Whitney was extremely friendly, helpful and most importantly informative on all aspects of your farms history and especially the cheese making process. Thank you for an unexpectedly wonderful afternoon read more

We had a charming visit at Stepladder Creamery this weekend. My BFF who is struggling with cancer, and my daughter who was visiting from college and I had a fun time. Whitney, our tour guide, was terrific. Knowledgeable, engaging, welcoming and fun. We loved playing with the goats, it was interesting learning about the milking process, and super-yummy tasting 8 fantastic cheese samples. We came home with lots of photos, memories, cheese, souvenirs, avocado-fed sausage, and a great day of family bonding. I will be bringing more guests on this tour! Great 'hidden' local attraction. See you soon! read more

Stepladder Ranch what an absolutely amazing venue! My husband and I attended to a fantastic wedding celebration at Stepladder Ranch that started with the rehearsal dinner that took place at the stunning Barn on a beautiful afternoon with blue California skies and perfect weather that lasted until dusk. We stayed overnight at The Vista House. A fabulous, comfortable beautiful house conveniently located adjacent to the venue. The ceremony took place outdoors with panoramic views of rolling hills; surrounded by majestic oaks trees, very serene atmosphere, blue skies and a fresh breeze coming from the ocean. There is a lot of fantastic places to take great pictures. The reception was indoors and outdoors. The place it's incredibly beautiful that it really doesn't take to much decor for the wedding to look spectacular. I enjoyed this wedding very much and the fantastic place. The venue is a Dream! It's a beautiful place to get married and have a wonderful celebration. read more

Yesterday, my husband and I took a tour of the Stepladder Ranch and Creamery and had the best time! Whitney was an amazing guide and super knowledgeable. The goats were so sweet and curious and they loved all of the attention. The ranch also has 3 dogs that hung out with our group, so if you are an animal lover, you have to check this place out. The tour ended with cheese tasting, which was all delicious. I'd highly recommend taking a tour and we will definitely return when the babies arrive in April! read more

It's a can't miss. From the creamery to the farm to the staff. It's a treasure, a little off the beaten path. A slice of California paradise. We're excited to re-visit with the whole family next month and stay in the big house. Available to rent via VRBO. During our last stay we were so taken with the surroundings and the cheese, we joined the cheese club! Now we get regular shipments straight from the farm as a great reminder of our stay. Looking forward to our next trip and tour! read more

What a beautiful and happy place to be a goat! This is a small family farm with a wonderful creamery. Whitney gave us an amazing tour - she is very knowledgeable about the lives of the goats and the making of the cheeses. It was fun and delicious. This venue would be spectacular for a wedding - the views toward the ocean and Rocky Butte are breathtaking. A real California coast experience all around! Thank you!! Oh, and don't forget the avocados - they will ruin you for life. read more

As a wedding venue, Stepladder is seriously epic. The views are outstanding, the ceremony space is lovely, and the accommodations are seriously epic. read more