maplewood farm

Maplewood farm is one of those places that I just go and walk around while the kids explore all the animals and outdoor space. It's not a thrilling experience. It's not even that much "fun" for me at all really. I enjoy seeing my children laugh and point and ask questions. The kids can wander around for about an hour petting the goats and bunnies and feeding the ducks. Bring lunch and you may be able to squeeze out even more time. I find it a bit pricey for what it is but I'm pretty cheap!

Having a farm of this size and scope in such an urban area is clearly a treat. The place is run very professionally and everything is in good shape. The animals look pretty contented and the space is nicely laid out so you can get away from the crowd a bit by walking along the trails... lots of bridges and waterways and ponds for Pooh Sticks and duck watching. The little tikes just love being able to run around. There are picnic tables if you want to bring a lunch. The Sicilian goats are a particular treat as they like to hang around with the little ones and don't mind being petted and pushed up against. Would definitely recommend at least one visit. Kids and over 55 get in for just over half price! Regular fee is $7.50 No point trying to park nearby on a Saturday or Sunday... if you find a space within 100-200 meters take it.

We had a Groupon, so the cost was lower than normally.I was surprised to see they sell a bag of bird seeds for $3 each, but we bought several. We all enjoyed feeding the ducks, including at the half frozen pond. It is hilarious to see them land sliding on the ice and slide when they chase the seeds thrown for them. The milking at 1:15 pm was educational and interesting. The petting bunnies were hiding and the kids lost interest quickly. Other than this, most farm animals seemed too cold to move around, and we couldn't prevent ourselves from comparing to the much much bigger and more diverse "petting zoo" we've been to not too long ago (at Bandon, OR: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g51758-d278504-r225816309-West_Coast_Game_Park_Safari-Bandon_Oregon.html#REVIEWS).Overall, we enjoyed feeding the ducks and the milking, but there was not much more than this.

I think this attraction is great for taking young kids to. There are many different areas with a wide variety of farm animals. Bring some lettuce, carrots and kale to feed the chickens and rabbits. They love greens!

The new themed birthday party packages seem like great value in their new function room- can't wait to book it for my niece's 7th birthday. I've been there on sunny days and rainy days and it's always fun- great all weather venue. You can get up close & personal with the animals, feed the ducks chickens geese & birds, pat the cows, pigs, ponies, goats, etc and they even offer pony rides, behind the scene days & cow milking demos. I just find the place adorable & can't stop taking photos when I go there. Highly recommend it-the annual membership is fantastic value.....includes all children, parents and even grandparents......I don't know of any other place that offers this?!

My wife and I recently took my 11-month old son to Maplewood Farm. Visiting the Greater Vancouver Zoo or the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is actually on our family's future agenda, but we wanted to test things out to see if our son would enjoy the animals, and whether he can sustain himself for sufficient time to make a visit worthwhile. Location-wise, Maplewood Farm is fantastically located. It is practically a five-minute drive from the Second Narrows Bridge when you drive from Vancouver to North Vancouver. For a child who does not enjoy car rides, this was a great asset for us.Make no mistake, Maplewood Farm is NOT big at all. It is a very compact-sized patting zoo, in essence. The animals were well-kept, the staff there was friendly, and there were enough for young kids to see. It has the usual farm animals that children would like to watch, touch, and feed - chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, horses and donkeys - they are all there. There is a daily demonstration of milking a cow, which was fantastic. The staff who conducted the demonstration was interactive, friendly, and explained the process of milking quite well to little kids. Our visit lasted about two hours, and though my son has grown sleepy by the end of our visit, he appeared to have lots of fun observing, and even touching a few animals. We will definitely visit again when he is a tad older.

Love coming to Maplewood Farm with kids! It's fun to pet the animals and to walk around the grounds. Pack a picnic and enjoy the sunshine!

I hadn't been to the farm since last summer. I was very impressed by several upgrades.They've built a new washroom and party room, several little shelters that offer more shade, and more picnic tables. They've also unlocked the little ride-on tractors for everyone to share and enjoy. BIG hit with my 2 boys!

We went during March Spring break from Calgary, AB. I called and pre-paid for "behind the scenes" program. They emailed and called right back and confirmed everything and even told us little tips and tricks before we go, so we can be prepared. And boy, aren't we glad we prepared, it was pouring rain and cold. But totally didn't diminish the fun, the staffs were very enthusiastic the whole time even standing out in the rain, explained everything (all the fun stuffs) to the kids, we didn't do any less just because it was bad weather. In fact, when the staffs found out we came from a different province, she made sure my girls had the chance to groom the ponies (that's what we went there for), so we had a prolonged session of the program just for my kids ! It was such a special treat and made an unforgettable memories for the girls to share when they got back to school. A huge thank you to Maplewood farm and the staffs-----You Rock !

The place is terrific, wide selection of farm animals and some extra guests. Walking paths well planned. Facilities for kids and toddlers. Very pleasant stay for 2/3 hours. And lovely talking parrot!

This was a nice, hands-on experience. Our 13 month old daughter love petting the animals and feeding the birds.Fun and cheap!

Maplewood Farm was a side trip meant for the kids. After paying admission they each got a bag of chicken scratch/birdseed for the free-range birds. As you would expect, there are a lot of very healthy sized animals on the farm. There is a bunny and guinea pig enclosure where you can bring your own treats (carrots, etc.) and feed the animals. This was the highlight for the kids. We even had enough that we shared with half a dozen or so other kids and went back before leaving. The animals are fed by a lot of people, so they are not always in the mood to have a snack. The milking demonstration with Farmer Courtney was fun. The walking path along the creek in the back was nice too. Overall I am happy to have visited. Any organization that helps kids make the connection with nature or our food system is wonderful.

This is a lovely farm, where some of the animals roam free (chickens mostly), which thrilled our little toddler. She also loved petting the goats, sheep and donkeys, who were all very good natured and seemed used to children touching them (although i would advise to teach little ones to be gentle & mind where they stick their fingers!). There are several picnic areas dotted around the farm and good hand-washing facilities to keep your little ones clean. All in all, this is a good place for young ones to see, touch and learn about farm animals. We had a lovely day out and will definitely go back!

...just be careful getting there, we witnessed some "almost accidents" given the location of a directional sign, it's the "next" left. Another cashier to move the line along would be helpful, lots of little ones getting very impatient waiting in line, hard on the "big ones" too trying to amuse them.Parking is a challenge, get there early! Kids seems to have a wonderful time here, lots of "hands on" experiences to be had!

No doubt the feeding and maintenance of the animals is expensive, but admission charges are much too high for what is presented. All displays are static and only feature bored animals in small pens.The facility is run down, neglected and tired. Many displays need renovations. The animals, however are well cared for and groomed.The 'helpful' staff were nowhere to be found for information about the animals or the farm.Apart from a few small signs describing the various animals, there is no effort to make the experience interesting to the visitors.Riding a child on a pony around is very expensive and this is not the place to try this if you are looking for a good price.