Bottle-feed a piglet. Pet a pony. Tickle some sheep. Whichever you like best, you can do – and there’s lots more options at petting farms in Michigan – southeast and beyond.
Families can get up close and personal with these animals – plus, you can learn a thing or two. And who knows, you may even make a furry friend before you leave!
Of course, there’s more than just animal fun. You can go on a hayride, take a farm tour and even sample homemade ice cream.
Whatever moves you, metro Detroit offers seasonal fun for the family at these local petting farms.
Know of more petting farms in Michigan that you think should be on our list? Tell us about them in the comments.
Calder Dairy and Farm
- Address: 9334 Finzel Road, Carleton
- Phone: 734-654-2622
- Hours: 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily
- Cost: Free
Schedule a tour for groups of 15 or more at this working farm, which is open year-round. Visitors can milk a cow, feed a baby calf with a bottle, go on a wagon ride and eat ice cream made with the farm’s own milk.
Carousel Acres
- Address: 12749 Nine Mile Road, South Lyon
- Phone: 248-437-PONY (7669)
- Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. May-September. Check website for exact times
- Cost: $6/person, $4/pony ride
Ride a pony, visit a zonkey and much more. There are seasonal events, too. Call to schedule your visit.
Children’s Pony Ranch
- Address: Elizabeth Park, 4651 Elizabeth Drive, Trenton
- Phone: 734-512-7950
- Hours: noon-7 p.m. weekends Memorial Day-June 15 and Labor Day-Oct. 31, noon-7 p.m. daily June 16-Labor Day, closed Nov 1-Memorial Day
- Cost: $15/buggy rides, $10/horse rides, $7/pony rides, $1.50-$2/hay rides, $1/animal feed
Horses and ponies are the highlight at this petting farm inside of Elizabeth Park.
Cook’s Farm Dairy
- Address: 2950 E. Seymour Lake Road, Ortonville
- Phone: 248-627-3329
- Hours: winter: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. on Sunday; extended hours in the spring and summer
- Cost: free; $5/person groups of 20-plus for tours (select times, by appointment).
Meet, pet and feed its cows and piglets – and sample some farm made ice cream.
Grandpa Tiny’s Farm
- Address: 7775 Weiss St., Frankenmuth
- Phone: 989-652-5437
- Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (May-October), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday (November), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (April)
- Cost: $5/person, free/under 2
No need to stick to southeast Michigan – travel a little farther to visit some other petting farms in Michigan, just like this one. Bottle-feed a calf, bond with a bunny and peek at colorful peacocks. Then, take a wagon ride over the historical Black Bridge.
Heritage Park Petting Farm
- Address: 12803 Pardee Road, Taylor
- Phone: 734-374-5946
- Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday in the spring/summer; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday in the winter
- Cost: $3-$4/person, free/age 1 and under, fees/events
Pet animals in a heated barn or visit the nature pond and see the turtles. Open year round.
Hess-Hathaway Farm Park
- Address: 825 S. Williams Lake Road, Waterford
- Phone: 248-674-5441
- Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. April 15-Oct. 15; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. except Wednesday-Thursday and holidays Oct. 16-April 14.
- Cost: free/admission, fees/events and hayrides
Visit a working farm with 100-plus animals. The park hosts free concerts in June, hayrides, trails, horseshoes and a community garden.
Jenny’s Farm Stand
- Address: 8366 Island Lake Road, Dexter
- Phone: 734-424-3431
- Hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday
- Cost: Free; $6/person for farm tours (includes a horse drawn hayride, access to the straw maze and cider and doughnut)
Play with baby farm animals. Then, plan a picnic or bonfire with family at this 200-year-old farm.
Kensington Metropark Farm Center
- Address: 4570 Huron River Parkway, Milford
- Phone: 248-684-8632
- Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
- Cost: $10/parking; hayrides: $3-$5, free/2 and under, fees/events
Take a ride to Kensington petting farm to tour the barn, which is more than 150 years old, pet farm animals and enjoy loads of events.
Lewis Farm Market
- Address: 4180 West M-20, New Era
- Phone: 231-861-5730
- Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday (May-Oct.)
- Cost: $9.95/person, free/2 and under (through Aug. 30); call for season pass and fall admission information
Feed the Parakeets, pet a zebu nose, feel soft alpaca fur or spot a fallow deer. Other rare animals grace this farm.
Maybury Farm
- Address: 50165 Eight Mile Road, Northville Township
- Phone: 248-916-3033
- Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday (April-Oct.)
- Cost: $3/person, free/2 and under, fees/events.
Meet dozens of farm animals, enjoy a playground/picnic area and pick your own produce. Watch for maple sugaring events in March.
The Petting Farm at Domino’s Farm Office Park
- Address: 3001 Earhart Road, Ann Arbor (GPS address)
- Phone: 734-998-0182
- Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (Easter-Memorial Day); 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday (Memorial Day-Labor Day); 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (Labor Day-week before Halloween); 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (Halloween week-Easter)
- Cost: $6/general, free/under 2, fees/pony and tractor rides
Visit with an alpaca, barn cat, ducks, goats, pea fowl, pigs and other traditional farm animals. Watch for animal presentations and story times throughout the year.
Pingree Farms
- Address: 301 Grixdale, Detroit
- Phone: 313-564-1500
- Hours: Call for 2019 hours
- Cost: free; donations welcome, fees/events
This non-profit urban farm offers goat yoga, educational programming for kids and tours.
The Wild Pumpkin
- Address: 5799 Beaverton Road, Beaverton
- Phone: 989-941-9562
- Hours: Call for 2019 hours
- Cost: $5/person, free/1 and under, fees/events
Pet and feed the animals, plus try out the giant corn maze.
Tollgate Farm/Education Center
- Address: 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi
- Phone: 248-347-3860
- Hours: 8 a.m.-dusk Monday-Saturday
- Cost: free; fees/programs
Children’s stories, workshops, camps and seasonal events from a pumpkin fest to maple syrup fun are in store on these 160 acres of farm and forest.
Upland Hills Farm
- Address: 481 Lake George Road, Oxford
- Phone: 248-628-1611
- Hours: Call for 2019 hours
- Cost: fees/programs, events
Stroll down the storybook trail, go on a hayride, ride a pony and even watch a magic show!
Wolcott Mill Farm Center
- Address: 65775 Wolcott Road, Ray Township
- Phone: 586-752-5932
- Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- Cost: $10/park, fees/events
Meet and greet mini horses and rabbits on a 250-acre farm. Maple tapping in March; wagon rides and farm trick-or-treat in fall.
This post is updated regularly.
