oliver h. kelley farm

A nice gem in the suburbs were you can learn some very interesting history. Lots of hands one activities for kids and adults. I made ketchup when I was there. And they have all these cute farm animals running around.

We live in the Twin Cities and have driven by the farm many times. My husband and I took our 3yr old and 12yr old and they both loved it! The kids got to try chores they would have had to do in the 1860's. Washing laundry, kneading dough, pitch forking hay (not sure what that's called), play Town Ball, similar to baseball and pump water from the well to bring to the horses and a few other fun activities. The sheep were roaming the grounds and were friendly so they got to pet them. Good for a few hours of fun with the family.

We visited the Oliver Kelley Farm twice last summer- Father's Day and 4th of July. We spent hours with each visit. We planned on staying just a couple hours, but our children (ages 4 & 6) couldn't get enough! We found if you ask the staff to help with chores, you get much more out of the experience. The kids had fun gathering eggs from the chicken coop, baking pies in the kitchen, watering the garden, pitching hay from the fields, and so much more. It's a great learning experience for all. The staff is happy to answer questions and they are very knowledgable. I also recommend checking out their special activity days. On the Fourth of July they had horse drawn carriage rides and field games. Bring a picnic lunch, walking shoes, hats, and bottles of water. Dress for the weather as much of the experience is outside.

Have gone here for many field trips with elementary school. The Kelley Farm staff do a great job every time. Fun place to go as a family too!

This is a wonderful place to take the family/friends for the day to learn about what farm life was like prior to modern technology. Plan to spend at least 3 hours here. Enjoy the animals- petting or bringing well water to the animals, help with gardening, in the kitchen, or on the farm. Walk the trails along the Mississippi River or through the woods (make sure to bring bug repellent). At the visitors center, plan to spend an hour reading through the history or buy something at the gift shop (lots of cool items). Our favorite time of the year is the Prairie Sugar weekend. Look for the events- such as pickling, Prairie Sugar harvesting, or Yankee Thanksgiving, as they are lots of fun! It is a farm with a dirt road so difficult to navigate through if you are in a wheelchair, but it can be done. Handicap accessible for the farm house (which is awesome to check out). Side note/recommendation: if you do not have a MN historical society membership, it is highly recommended you buy a yearly membership, it is worth the price as you would be able to come to the Kelley Farm for free!

The Kelley Farm is a great place to get outside, see and touch farm animals, help to cook in the kitchen, and do farm chores (if you wish). They also have a picnic area off of the parking lot if you wish to have a picnic (there are also small picnic tables for kids). They always have some kind of activity to be involved with during the week and on weekends. September is "Paint the Farm" so you can buy original paintings and color books for the kids in addition to the regular activities. This is a great place to go yourself or bring out-of-town guests. They have a gravel road leading out to the barn area and since animals move around outside of their pens, there are also "road apples" so you might want to wear closed-toed shoes. There is a fee for this attraction. However, you get in free if you are members of the Minnesota Historical Society.

I remember being here on numerous class trips. It is an old farm, and the workers teach you about what farming was like in the old days. They provide hands on experiences (or at least they did for our class trips) and they have a gift shop. It is a wonderful place to go to learn about farming!

The whole family has a blast! Fun to go in the spring they have lots of baby animals! My daughter got to feed a baby lamb just like they would have done in the olden days! We also helped in the kitchen and out in the garden!

I took my son here for the day. It was a lot of fun for him to see how life was in the 1800's in America. I enjoyed walking through the house since I grew up in one very similar. The smell of the root caller reminded me of home. This is a good place to go when you are looking for a kid friendly activity that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

The kids had a field trip here and the history of the working farm is neat, but maybe for an older child. My kids didn't think helping with the farm work was all that fun.

This is a great field trip for history buffs, but more so for the younger kids as a history field trip. I would recommend it, but go in season of when they are planting, or harvest, lots more going on here then and becomes a hands on experience

Went to Kelley Farm with my family not knowing much about it. As it turns out it is a late 1800s old farm where the workers, dressed according to the era, run day to day chores-cooking, gardening, caring for animals, etc. My daughter was helping making the pie and then her and I helped loading the hey. They have quite a few animals from chickens to Ox's. The staff (workers) are knowledgeable, love kids and answer any questions. You truly feel like you've time traveled. Even those all the staff are hired, don't live there and not from the original Kelly family that doesn't take away from the experience. Would definably recommend it, especially with kids who i think should know that microwave, TV and refrigerator weren't always there and what simple life is about.