As the fall colors start to fade and the leaves fall, our campground hosts its last campers of the season, the Farm Café and Farm Store close their doors, and the animals come off the pastures. But that doesn’t mean it’s still not a great time to come visit! The shoulder seasons are some of the quietest and most serene times here at Wolfe’s Neck Center. Follow along below to see how you can spend a great day here in these upcoming weeks before it’s time to dust off the skis and snowshoes.
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Bring a meal or snack with you on your visit! With the Farm Café is closed, you’ll have to snag some breakfast before getting here. Our staff loves stopping in at Bow Street for a quick grab and go breakfast sandwich or pastry, along with a nice hot coffee (be sure to remember your reusable cup!). They always have plenty of sandwiches and soup for a picnic lunch as well.
Visit the Livestock Education Barn: Once you’ve arrived, you might be able to catch our farmers finishing morning chores in the Wishcamper Education Barn. This barn houses our chickens, rabbits, sheep, and goats over the winter where they spend their time munching hay, growing their thick winter coats, and staying comfy and dry. These animals are accustomed to hundreds of visitors during the summer, so they’ll be very excited to see you. Be sure to give them lots of head scratches!
Farmer Kaiti next to the new rabbit hutch!
The leaves may be gone, but the marsh is still full of color: While we all wish peak leaf peeping season would last forever, there’s still a chance to get the last splashes of yellow, orange, and red this time of year! Head out to the Little River Loop trail behind the Education Barn to explore the estuary and salt marsh on the property. The ferns, marsh hay, and other grasses still hold the last bits of fall color after the maples and oaks have lost their leaves. This loop trail winds through the forest for just under a mile with only one or two hills.
Walk through the quiet and closed campground: The end of our campground season is fast approaching, which means quiet and calm roads on our campus. It’s a perfect time of year to go for a walk around the property. Although the road to West Bay is closed for through traffic, it is still teaming with activity. You can watch our farmers putting the fields to bed, get beautiful glimpses of Casco Bay, or if you’ve got some little ones (or still feeling young at heart) play on our brand-new playground installed this Spring! From there you can walk the trails through Middle Bay which loop back to the center of campus or our Dairy Barn.
Dogs are always welcome on the trails at Wolfe’s Neck Center!
Meet our milking cows in the Dairy Barn. While we love to see our cows out munching thick green grasses all summer long, one advantage to end of grazing season, is our milking cows move back into the dairy barn. You’ll be able to see them most of the day, either in their bedded pack barn, or in the milking parlor. Once the ground is frozen, our dairy team will roll out round bales where the cows can ‘graze’ hay, but until then, the cows will stay in the comfort of the barn. Be sure to check out their name tags – you’ll see their name, birthday, and who their mother (dam) and father (sire) are!
Early Sunsets aren’t all bad! One thing we all deal with in Maine is early sunsets – especially after daylights savings on November 6th. But no reason to fret, there is always a silver lining! Those early sunsets mean your evening walk could be filled with some of the best sunset colors of the year. With the leaves gone, the skies purples, pinks, and oranges are even more dramatic than in the summer. Plus, when you’re feeling a bit chilly after watching the show, head over to Maine Beer Company for a Wolfe’s Neck IPA and a hot wood fired pizza.
One of the countless stunning sunsets over Casco Bay.
These are just a few of the ways you could spend time here at the farm while the seasons come and go around us. Be sure to look at our calendar to catch our programs and workshops.
And for our members, keep an eye out for an email from Farmer Tom to get a freezer stocked with our delicious pasture-raised pork, beef and lamb!
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