Places to Go - Clark's Elioak Farm (Ellicott City, MD)

Upon arriving at Clark's Elioak Farm, my first reaction was along the lines of "????" As one of my friends phrased it, "it's sort of like an old mini-golf course but with no golf." Or, as my other friend phrased it, "this is truly bizarre." Not that our reactions matter. F (my oldest daughter) leaped out of her booster seat and immediately started hugging me while declaring "thank you, thank you so much mom, it's beautiful. the most beautiful place i've ever seen." P (my almost-4 year old daughter) asked, "mom, are we at Disney World?" When I told her no, she declared, "but how could Disney World ever be more beautiful than this?" Keep in mind, this whole exchange occurred in the parking lot.

As soon as we entered and started exploring, the kids became even more excited (if that's possible). The farm has a petting zoo, a HUGE rainbow slide, a whole "toddler" section with lots of push toys, a cow train (which costs extra), a mini wood playtrain, and more. The whole place is more or less stroller friendly, though prepare for some bumpy terrain. And I really think kids of all ages would love it.

Plus, the farm sells its own grass-fed beef (and I am a BIG fan of grass fed beef) and has a huge pumpkin patch. On weekends (we went on a weekday), the farm hosts a ton of special activities - click here for more information - http://www.clarklandfarm.com/2010%20Fall%20Events.htm

In addition to all of the above activities, the farm also has an "Enchanted Forest Maze" with gingerbread houses and various other fairy tale structures along the way. Much fun (though prepare to duck under tree branches, some of the paths are quite narrow, which really does give the feeling of being in a maze).



So where does all this stuff come from? According to the website, "Once upon a time, there was a wonderful storybook park in Ellicott City, Maryland called The Enchanted Forest. Opened in August 1955, it thrilled and delighted generations of families from far and wide throughout the next 30 years. The Harrison family created this magical land to delight children of all ages and it was an important part of many families' lives for years . . . Sadly, it closed to the
public in the early 1990s, leaving a void for all of us. In the summer of 2004, the owner of the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center,Kimco Realty Corporation, very graciously agreed to give us the items as long as we made every effort to remove all of the items from the park. So we started the process of moving the items to the petting farm and restoring them to their former glory . . . . Many Clark's Elioak Farm staff and a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers work in the cold of winter and the terrible heat of summer to restore these items. It is a massive job that has taken the talents of staff and volunteers and monetary donations."



Holding hands with boys? Seriously? They grow up so fast. At least the baby's still chasing chickens.