Avery Family Farm
Rating
Family of 4
Roughly $60 to $90 for a family of four at one class, working from the goat-snuggle tickets the farm has listed around $20 per person.
Duration
1-1.5 hours
Best Ages
2-11
About
Avery Family Farm is a small woman-owned homestead on Shaw Road in rural north Durham, and it holds a perfect 5.0 rating across roughly 160 Google reviews. That number is not an accident. This is not a petting zoo with a ticket booth. It is a working homestead where the goats and sheep have been trained to cuddle, and where every visit happens as a booked session with a small group.
Understanding that structure is the thing that saves you a wasted drive. You do not show up and pay at a gate. Instead you pick an event and register in advance through the links at linktr.
ee/averyfamilyfarm. The rotating lineup includes goat and sheep snuggle classes, Storytime and Craft on the Farm, Art on the Farm sessions where kids paint ceramics or try watercolor and cross-stitch with animals wandering through, Goat Yoga, seasonal Farm Day and Fall Farm Day gatherings, and kids programs, field trips, and private events on request. Snuggle-only tickets have been listed around $20, and the craft and yoga sessions run higher because materials are included.
What kids get out of it is different from a big farm attraction. There is no crowd to compete with and no line for a turn. A four-year-old can sit down in the grass and have a goat deliberately climb into their lap.
Chickens, ducks, and a goose round out the animals, and there are farm dogs who are very much part of the experience. Families who have been consistently describe it as calmer and more personal than they expected, which is exactly what the farm is going for since much of its programming is built around stress relief and animal-assisted calm.
Fit and logistics. This works best for toddlers through elementary-age kids, roughly two through eleven, and Storytime and Craft skews toward the youngest end while Art on the Farm holds tweens. Sessions typically run about an hour to an hour and a half, so plan it as a morning activity with lunch after, not a full day.
It is entirely outdoors on farm ground, so wear shoes you do not mind sacrificing, skip the stroller in favor of walking or a carrier, and treat rain as a reason to check the event page rather than a challenge to overcome. There is no cafe, and food options are a fifteen-minute drive back toward the Roxboro Road corridor.
Book early. Small caps are the reason it feels this good, and they are also the reason weekend sessions disappear.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
A morning class in spring or fall. The animals are more social before the heat, and the small class sizes mean the earliest sessions get claimed first
Wait Times
None. Everything runs on registered, timed sessions with small caps, so the only real wait is between when you find an event and when it is next offered
Nearby Food
Nothing walkable. The farm sits on Shaw Road in rural north Durham, so plan to drive back toward the Roxboro Road and Guess Road corridors, roughly 15 minutes south, for family restaurants and coffee. Downtown Durham and the RTP-area spots, including Farmside Kitchen, are a longer drive of about 25 to 30 minutes. Bring a snack and water for the car so nobody melts down between the farm and lunch.
Why Kids Love It
The goats and sheep here are trained to cuddle, which means a kid can sit down in the grass and have a goat climb straight into their lap on purpose. It is a small homestead, not a crowded petting zoo, so nobody is competing for a turn and the animals actually come to them. Between the goats, the chickens and ducks to feed, and the farm dogs, most kids do not want to leave when the session ends.
Pro Tips from Parents
- This is not a drop-in farm. Avery Family Farm runs on registered events, so you pick a session such as a goat and sheep snuggle class, Storytime and Craft on the Farm, Goat Yoga, or a seasonal Farm Day, and book a ticket in advance. Start from linktr.ee/averyfamilyfarm, which links to the current ticketed events.
- Match the session to the kid. Storytime and Craft skews toward the two-to-six crowd. Art on the Farm, where kids paint ceramics or try watercolor with goats underfoot, holds older kids and tweens much longer. Goat Yoga is really an adult activity with animal access.
- Class caps are small, which is the whole appeal and also the constraint. Popular weekend sessions sell out, so book as soon as a date works rather than waiting for the week of.
- Wear farm shoes and clothes that can take a hoof print. Goats and sheep here are hands-on by design, and a curious goat will absolutely stand on your kid's sneakers.
- Confirm what is included when you book. Some sessions cover craft materials or a snack and some do not, and the farm also sells goods from its farm store on event days, which is worth knowing before your kid discovers it.
What to Bring
- Closed shoes and clothes that can get muddy or stepped on
- Hand sanitizer or wipes for after handling animals
- Water and a snack, since food is not part of most sessions
- Sunscreen and a hat, because sessions run outdoors with limited shade
- A camera or phone, since the lap-goat photos are the reason most families book
Cost Info
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Roughly $60 to $90 for a family of four at one class, working from the goat-snuggle tickets the farm has listed around $20 per person.
Art, storytime, and yoga sessions that include materials generally price higher, and some events price adults and children differently or let a lap-age sibling in free.
Check the specific event listing linked from linktr.
ee/averyfamilyfarm before you budget, because each session is ticketed on its own.
Tips to Save
- Pick the snuggle-only session instead of a full art or yoga class if you just want the animals.
- Those tickets have been listed around $20 and deliver the part kids actually came for.
- Watch for seasonal Farm Day and Fall Farm Day events, which bundle several activities into one ticket and are usually the best value per hour for a whole family.
- Read each event listing for a child rate or a free-for-under-2 line before you buy four adult tickets.
- And if you have a group, ask about a private session or a field trip booking, which can be cheaper per head than four individual tickets to a public class.
Hours & Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
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