We certainly added a new camping experience to our trip with tonight’s stay at a fainting goat farm in Florida! And to be completely honest, we loved absolutely every second of it!
When Mary happened to find the Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, Florida on the list of Harvest Hosts sites, we knew we had to make it a stop!
After all, we have already stayed at alpaca, horse, and cattle ranch farms. So why not spend the evening with some fainting goats too!
But we were definitely surprised at just how much fun we would have. Not only did we get a personal tour of the farm, we even had the chance to bottle feed one of the baby goats! (You can see it on our Facebook page here : Feeding Baby Goats)
A Little Like Home…
As soon as we pulled in, we knew we it was going to be a memorable stay. Just driving down the long driveway, we encountered honey bee hives, chickens, guinea hens, goats, sheep – and some amazing Pyrenees dogs on duty protecting all of the above.
In a lot of ways, it felt like home to us with the chickens and bees and wide open space. And as we parked our camper between two large trees overlooking the property, we knew it was going to be a good night’s stay.
The Golden Acres Ranch
Bobbie Golden and her husband started the artisan ranch back in the early 2000’s, and as she toured us around the farm, you could tell in a heartbeat just how much she enjoys it all.
Together, the couple raises naturally Myatonic goats (Fainting Goats). Not only are they fascinating goats, but they are absolutely adorable. They also raise sheep, chickens, guinea hens, and even board animals as well. But beyond the animals, there is also their small grove of fascinating Mayhaw fruit trees.
Mayhaw trees grow only in a small swath of parallel land that runs along Florida, Louisiana and a small portion of Texas. It was a fruit neither Mary or myself knew about prior to staying at the farm.
But do they ever make delicious jam and syrup! We ended up with a jar of the pepper jelly, and I am fairly sure it won’t make it out of the state. They sell the jam and jelly, along with all kinds of other locally made products in the small farm store right on the property.
One Amazing Night On A Fainting Goat Farm
It was truly a magical evening. With our windows open and the screens in place on a perfect Florida night, we could hear the sounds of the farm. And to us, it was heaven!
It’s just one more reason we love using the Harvest Hosts program to find unique stays all over the Unites States! For more on Golden Acres Ranch, check out their website at goldenacresranchflorida.com
For us, it is on through Florida as we head towards Gainesville and an overnight stay at another farm. Who knows what we will find there! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary
CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:
- Day 163 of 365
- States : 21/50
- National Parks / Monuments : 20
- Stayed In : Monticello, Florida
- Miles Driven : 186.2
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,486.2
- Total Gallons Used : 1258.0
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
- Hiking Miles : 2.1
- Hiking Miles To Date : 371.4
OH I forgot to tell you. At market or roadside stand, find some scuppernong jelly/jam and some muscadine jelly/jam.
Hmmmm sounds interesting! We will keep our eyes open for both!