charmingfare farm

We took at sleigh pulled by horses through the snowy woods. The sights on the way were beautiful landscapes, animal tracks in snow, decorations, and real animals on the farm! Once we reached the sugar shack, we enjoyed hot pancakes with newly made maple syrup, hot cocoa and coffee by the fire pit. The kids loved playing in the snow, looking for "dripping" trees in the woods along a path, and learning about making maple syrup while the process was in action. Fun for all ages! Better to go when the temperatures are closer to 40 degrees to really see the sap dripping from the trees.

We couldn't have asked for a better visit! We had 4 little ones, visiting from Virginia... This wonderful outing was a win-win, from feeding llamas to a great sleigh ride on a sunny warm Ssturday afternoon- to a great visit to the sugar shack- complete with learning the sugaring process to tasting the syrup on some delicious pancakes! We finished our rude- fed the sheep and they all wanted to go back for a 2nd ride! Next time... Egg Hunt!Many thanks, Susan Drinker-Exeter,NH

This was a wonderful holiday experience for our family! We loved warming by the bonfire and seeing all the beautiful displays. This is definitely something we look forward to making a holiday tradition.

My 3 year old daughter and I recently visited Charmingfare farm for the lighted wonderland. It was great. We waited only a couple of minutes for a horse drawn hayride around the farm... There were many beautifully lit areas, penguins, polar bears, soldiers etc... She was so excited to see the grinch running around. The hayride was about 20-30 minutes and we ended at Santas Village. We took pictures and danced to music with frosty, a penguin, a soldier a reindeer and a couple of other dressed up characters. My daughter said "Mom, I think that was the real Santa!" We came back to a nice bonfire (dress warm- it was freezing).We also visited the farm in the summer. Again, a great experience. Great, friendly staff. Very clean. Animals seemed happy and very well taken care of. Donkey and tractor rides were fun! Will definitely be back next year, and will also try the Halloween activity they put on.

We have gone 2 years to Santa's Big Party - Best Santa experience ever, way better than going to the mall - so bring a camera. There is something for everyone to enjoy at the farm. We had kids from 8 to 2 with us that loved the petting zoo and the party. The wagon ride just is magic as it is step back in time!

We have been making our annual family trip to Charmingfare Farm to visit with Santa for over 10 years. It is still the best experience. You just know this is the real Santa and not one of the "mall helpers". Wonderful time!

Brought our kids here for the lighted winter wonderland tour. We had a promo code so we did not pay full price per head, but for 4 people it was still $60, without it would have been a $100 evening. The hayride was nice, thru the woods, lots of lighted displays to check out. Kids enjoyed meeting Santa & Mrs Claus and seeing the reindeer. Picked up a bag of food for the animals for an extra $6, it was plenty for my 2 boys to feed to the goats, sheep, alpacas and a couple of cool little cows. The only suggestion I would make to them is to provide more direction to guests. Initially we didn't know where to find the hayride and then after we got off the cart and visited Santa, people started walking back to the main entrance only to get chased down by staff to tell them they had to wait for the wagons to come back. This was a safety issue since the road was dark and various horse drawn carts were traveling these roads so they should have either had a "wait here" sign or been more proactive with directions for guests. It was fun and my boys enjoyed it but I would not rush back.

We are big fans of Charmingfare Farm. We usually visit at least once during the summer and then again at Christmastime. In the past we've done the evening lighted Winter Wonderland ride, but last year we tried Santa's Big Party instead (daytime visit) and it was a huge hit with the kids and our new favorite Christmas activity. We went back again this year.We got a nice deal on tickets during a Cyber Monday online special, and visited on a Sunday afternoon. Parking was easy and they had folks in the lot directing us where to go. We checked in for our ride, got a bag of food to feed the animals, and headed down to the barn to board. There was no wait and a wagon pulled up within a few minutes. There was no snow this year but the scenery was still pretty. Not sure how long the ride was to see Santa, but it was long enough. We arrived at the party and the characters were great. They really interacted with the kids and were fun to watch dance. I like how they just mingle about instead of having a line to meet them. My almost-8-year-old is convinced that the Santa at the farm is the only "real" Santa she sees all season. He's totally authentic. Mrs. Claus served us hot chocolate and sugar cookies, and then we said goodbye and boarded the tractor back to the barn. We then fed the animals and visited with the little kitty that I love.The way they have you choose a boarding time when purchasing your ticket works out great. The crowd is always manageable that way and there's little waiting. The staff is always friendly here. Can't wait until next year!

$75 for a family of 3 plus another $4 for animal feed. By the way that fee does not include hot cocoa or smores. I know some things are what you make of it and believe me we did go into this with an open mind hoping our 2.5 year old would enjoy it. We were put on a hay wagon with no hay bails to sit on, instead you are expected to sit on the floor with a bunch of hay scattered about. The ride takes you by a few scattered Christmas decorations and lights but most of the ride is in the pitch dark. When you get to "Santa's barn" he is there to greet you but his reindeer is hiding far into the woods where you cannot see them. Given that was the whole reason our daughter wanted to go it was pretty disappointing. The Santa told us the reindeer were new and hardly ever came out. We were then brought back to the main entrance on a tractor and that was basically it. We were there a total of an hour.

Thank you for your comments regarding Lighted Winter Wonderland. I'm sincerely sorry that your visit didn't live up to your expectations, and I am hoping that I can at least give you a better understanding of some of the challenges we face here at the farm when creating events like Lighted Winter Wonderland. I will address some of your points specifically.Our trail ride has twelve holiday displays set up, and yes there are indeed thousands of lights. Unfortunately, due to logistics, it would be almost impossible to light the entire trail (as it seems you were expecting). We are also regulated as to how close animals can be near lights, etc. But generally, I'm sure you would agree that each display is lovely. However, we are now addressing our verbiage on the website so that becomes more clear.We use traditional horse drawn hay ride wagons where the hay is spread around and everyone climbs aboard. Recently we have added a few bales of hay behind the driver making for a more comfortable ride for our senior guests. If you are a regular guest of the farm throughout the year, no doubt you have noticed that we very much try and create an experience as traditional and “country” as we can! This is why we don't have bench seating. But your comments are well taken, and we will be discussing different ride options as well in the future.With that said, I also want to comment on your expectations of Santa. I personally made the decision to have him in Christmas red overalls. My reasoning for this is simple. Kids see Santa everywhere in his traditional suit. As our Santa is at the “reindeer barn”, it seems like a cute departure to have him “working” in his casual overalls, rather than his official Christmas work suit. I do receive many compliments about this, and he is depicted in his overalls on our website! I'm sorry you didn't catch that.Regarding the S'mores Kits, I have no idea why your marshmallows would have been hard. Being a farm, we sell the freshest ingredients that we can. I do know that the marshmallows tend to harden up when brought outside into the freezing temperatures (after sitting in a warm gift shop). Perhaps this was the case? Regardless, once on a stick they melt as intended to create a great campfire treat and experience.Overall, we try and create a homey, traditional, family friendly Christmas experience on the farm. You would be amazed at the expense. Just consider our horses alone. They work 26 nights per year, yet we have to feed and house them year round. Food costs, heating, vet bills...the list is endless. And we are known for creating a great living experience for all of our animals. They are treated with love and respect. This is reflected (fortunately for the animals!) in our ticket prices.I hope this gives you a better understanding of why we do the things the way we do. Your comments are taken very seriously, and as I mentioned above, we are specifically addressing a few of your concerns. We are constantly thinking and rethinking our events to make the experience better for our guests. And please, feel free to contact me at any time with issues you may have.

We planned a family sleigh ride for 16 to 18 family members. The morning of the family outing our father was rushed to the ER by ambulance and was scheduled for emergency surgery at the same time as our afternoon sleigh ride. I called Charmingfare early in the morning and asked to reschedule our family event, as many key members would be at the Hospital. I was NOT asking for any money back, just to reschedule to another week. Charmingfare refused to do anything. I understand business schedules and they deal with many attempts to reschedule for many reasons. So, I offered to bring in the emergency room, proof ambulance and surgery to the owner assure him that this was real. The owner refused to bend from the business rules. ALL BUSINESS NO HEART.

My teenage daughter and her friends told me the hayride to the bonfire was a fun and relaxing time. She loved seeing all the animals that were pointed out to her and thought the bonfire with the roasted marshmallows was really fun. And even though most of the leaves were off the trees she still thought it was a beautiful time to be at the farm. The length of the hayride with the bonfire was perfect. Would absolutely do it again. It's not easy these days finding activities for the teenagers but they really enjoyed this.

The staff of Charmingfare farm were so welcoming for my groups of children that we brought. We brought children ages 18 months through 4 years old, and all of the children had a great time! They keep asking when we get to go back! The tractor ride was the favorite of both groups! Thank you for having such a wonderful place for children of all ages!

Our first trip was when my daughter was a baby.The past two years we have visited for the day trick or treating. The staff is friendly and the hay and wagon rides are great. For the little ones, it has just the right amount of time riding around the farm.I am looking forward to my Christmas trip!!

My friend and I were looking for a fun haunted hayride and Charmingfare Farm came up on line. After looking at the description andreviews, we decided to do it. We couldn't have been more pleased. It was well timed and the staff was wonderful from start to finish in full costume and ghoulish roles. It was a nice blend of suspense and surprise and the course was so much fun! We recommended it to anyone looking for such an event and would definitely do it again. As a matter of fact, we both agreed we would come back and do a winter sleigh ride!Nicely done! Thank you!