We hosted my daughter's 8th birthday party at Sweet Meadow Farm after reading about how amazing…read moretheir birthday parties were and we were absolutely blown away by our experience. From the ease of the booking process to the day-of execution, the entire process was 10 stars. Hannah and her team went above and beyond (which I now understand is their standard MO.) They effortlessly managed all of our decor, seemlessly and joyfully wrangled 12+ children (and twice as many extremely excited adults.) The experience was educational and extremely interactive (We decorated mini horses! We held/pet so many incredible animals! The kids rode unicorns!) Even the coloring pages had our daughter's name printed on them. There was not one aspect of the day that felt like an after thought. The attention to detail and the care they show is so amazing. I really can't thank Hannah and her crew enough for hosting (far and away) the best birthday party my daughter has ever had. Core memories were made by all of us.

Beautiful barn, highly recommended. amazing service, very nice people there. love it.read more

Tldr: didn't like the random dust clouds, apples were good, pears were smaller than expected but…read morealright, also didn't like the slope, it's not very flat or smooth except for on the grass in between the rows of apples but depending on if there were lots of rotten fruit on the ground there were also lots of bees. Went with my husband and 10month old to pick some asian pears and honeycrisps. There was organized and ample parking. The main paths have large gravel rocks that were loose and uneven and a grass strip in the middle. It was a bit hard to push through even with our stroller with large wheels. The tractors that occasioned through blew the dust up around the paths too. There were plenty of porta potties and I also liked they have a hand washing station too. We didn't try any of the food trucks but appreciated the option. Farm stand was small, there were some picnic tables but could have been more (potentially near the food trucks) There were some chicks, bunnies, a goat, and donkey? to look at. The kids play area has a 2-5 & 5-12 play structures and water play but they were very close together, not much room to run around between the structures.

Review is as a non-apple picker. My friends and I swung by here for lunch in the mid-point of a…read morebike ride, lured in by the promise of apple cider donuts. From what I could tell, there are larger orchards in the area but Shelburne seemed to have everything you need - a food truck (with an excellent burger and pulled pork sandwich), a hard cider place, the aforementioned apple cider donuts, and a little general store selling jams and whatnot. At first glance, there didn't appear to be a ton of seating but if you walk a bit further up the hill, past the grassy patch, there's a good amount of benches and tables. Apple cider donuts review: 4/5? Not as fresh or as warm as I've sampled at other orchards but these had a healthy dusting of cinnamon sugar and a great chew. Downing two of these bad boys was not a great decision for the ride back (plus I had a cheeseburger). Cheeseburger: 4.5/5. Just a bun, patty, cheese, ketchup but listen, this was one of the best cheeseburgers I've had in a while. The bun was perfectly buttered and toasted and there was just the right ratio of meat to bread to condiments. I felt really, really food-drugged after eating this and the donuts. All the burger needed was some pickles. The only thing I didn't love about the layout is the area with the food truck had only three or four tables (no chairs) and faced the row of Porta Potties but I get that space is at a premium. There was also a sizable hill to get from the food truck to the area with tables/benches/donuts, which made walking in cycling shoes an enormous pain, though that's a me-problem.

This is a wonderful place for riding lessons. Really fantastic lesson horses/ponies. It's a very…read moresafe and fun place to ride and learn. Beautiful barn and property, I can't say enough great things about this family friendly facility. The lesson program is super. I highly recommend Liberty Tree Farm.

My five year old, Ruby, is a natural horse kid. She doesn't clean her room, she mucks out her…read morestall. When I'm making dinner she doesn't play with dolls she practices her jumping on her hobby horse. She was given a hand me down bouncy horse and spends hours 'riding'. Trouble is, no one wants to actually put a five year old on a live animal. Five year olds, especially girls, are really still very little. Their legs are too short to reach the stirrups, they don't have muscle strength in their thighs to grip, and if the horse bolts they will go flying, because they simply aren't strong enough to control the big animals. I spent a lot of time asking and googling, and trying to find anyone who does riding classes for kids under 7, and finally I came to the end of my long journey at Clarion Farms. Carly, the sweet owner of the school, works with as many as 15 of these little budding equestrians at any time, as well as running a summer camp for young riders. She keeps some very mellow ponies and undersized helmets on site, and she really understands how to work with very young kids. A one hour class consists of saddling, including grooming the pony, leading it to the ring, 15 minutes of riding on a long lead, then brushing the horse down and cleaning tack. Perfect! I do highly recommend Carly to any parent who has a little kid who wants nothing but to get onto a horse. I wish she wasn't so far away from us, and the drive does make it impossible to get there more than a few times this summer, but it is so worth it for the happiness I can see on Ruby's face when she is on the pony!

I purchased a Living Social deal for two riding lessons at North Gate Farm back in May. I just used…read moremy two lessons and I'm planning on taking more! I hadn't ridden a horse in years and it felt great to get back into riding. I had no trouble setting up my lessons and the farm responded quickly when I emailed them. My instructor for both lessons was Andrea. She was very knowledgeable and patient. I really enjoyed learning from her.

We did the one hour Horseback riding lesson and were very disappointed.... out of the one hour…read morelesson, we barely got to ride.... it was less than 15minutes with only one round of trotting. It might have been good to clarify that before hand when we booked it. It might have been better to reduce the setup time and include a little more riding time. For the price we paid($140) for two people, this was really not good value:(

Came here for a company outing and this place was so much fun. It's so quiet, pretty, you feel like…read moreyou're really out there, especially with the fall views and all (recommend coming here during Fall like I did). We picked string beans, cherry tomatoes & flowers and it was so much fun. Staff were super friendly. I do recommend wearing boots or shoes that can get muddy though (some people wore white sneakers I was like yeah no). There's definitely lots to do!

First of all, this a butcher farm that has a few animals they rehabilitate so they call the whole…read morefarm a "wildlife sanctuary." This is misleading at best. There is no fruit to buy and just a few vegetables near the fresh pork for sale of the slaughtered pigs. There are several areas to view of different animals on the kill list... basically a place that promotes the Mass Audubon Society. I would never go back!

I am no longer at Orchard Hill but I just saw a bad review on this site which compelled me to write…read moremy own review. Orchard Hill is a fabulous equestrian facility for horse owners and non owners alike. They are very professional and take excellent care of the horses. There is something for everyone and no pressure to take lessons or conform to anyone's style of riding. The people are great. Adults and kids alike. They have wonderful school horses and trainers and the property can't be beat for turnout, trails and jumping, etc. They have a fantastic summer camp which I always enjoyed being around to see children enjoying and learning all about horses. Please don't let any negative reviews influence your opinion of this farm. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Beautiful and beautifully run facility! It caters to all levels of riding from beginner to very…read moreadvanced. There are several great instructors to choose from to work with. I only get the privilege of riding once a week for lessons up there. Everyone I've met is friendly and supportive.

I want to give a huge shout-out to an amazing employee at Southwick Zoo…read more Late Sunday afternoon, I got a flat tire near the zoo. My hybrid doesn't have a spare, and the tire inflator that came with the car wouldn't work. I was stuck and wasn't sure what I was going to do. A man named Ryan pulled over and offered to help. He told me he works at Southwick Zoo. He grabbed the jack and tools from his truck, took my tire off, plugged the hole, and put everything back together. When I offered to pay him for his time and kindness, he politely refused. In a world where we often hear about the negative, I think it's important to recognize people who go out of their way to help complete strangers. Ryan's generosity, skill, and willingness to stop and help made a stressful situation so much easier. Southwick Zoo should be proud to have someone like Ryan representing them. Thank you, Ryan, for reminding me that there are still genuinely good people in this world.

Again, one can always debate the ethics of a zoo, but putting that aside for a minute, Soutwicks…read morewas/is a great experience. Friendly people, a variety of exhibits and just an overall good time. I sprung for the combo ticket that gave me access to the train and skylift. The train was very 'meh' and defiantly more for the kids. I enjoyed the skylift, its just high enough for you to get a Birdseye view above the park, but not so high to make you unconformable, and it goes at a great speed so that you can enjoy the ride. I was little surprised as there were a few exhibits that didn't seem enclosed like the flamingos, a couple of the birds, and the prairie dogs, I don't know how they keep them in the enclosers. Taking my time I was able to do the whole zoo in about 3 hours. Like most attractions, the concession options are grossly overpriced. Everything was outside, there were no inside exhibits except for one small building. Again, a great day overall and a return trip will be in order.