Have you heard of Famoda Farm in Tigerville, SC? We just had the most amazing afternoon visiting the farm, enjoying delicious ice cream, and hanging out with baby goats! The cows, donkeys, bunnies, and sheep joined us at the fence to visit, and we even picked up some fresh milk to bring home. This is a special place, I mean like turn a “grumpy preteen” day into a “sunshine-filled happy day” kind of place. Do you know how rare that is? It’s awesome, which means we’re telling you all about Famoda Farm so you can plan your visit.
Arriving at Famoda Farm
The entrance to Famoda Farms is a gravel driveway with pasture on either side. Just plug the address into your GPS and look for the signs. Even my preteens and teenage kids were stoked to see the cows in the pasture as we drove in. You think it’s cute when little kids love animals. Well, hearing “Aw, there are cows! Hi Cows!” will melt your heart when it comes out of the mouth of a fourteen-year-old boy, too.
Ice Cream at Famoda Farm
Amazing Grazin’ Hand Dipped Ice Cream is the newest addition to Famoda Farm. You’ll find their cute ice cream truck beside the farm store with a wide array of seating options in the shade.
There are quite a few ice cream flavors to choose from, plus toppings that can be added. Choose a cup or cone variety My kids always go with the “ice cream in a cup and a cone on top option”, having been raised from tots to enjoy the cone without the stress of racing to polish off a melting, dripping cone. But, you know, you do you.
There was one dairy-free option – a lime daiquiri sorbet- that I enjoyed.
Things to Do at Famoda Farm
Animals!
The ice cream is good, but the animals are the best part, in my humble opinion. Where else can you go enjoy some ice cream and then wander around hanging out with adorable farm animals? Nowhere! There is no admission fee to the farm, so checking out the animals is totally free and you definitely don’t want to skip this part.
Visit with cows, donkeys, bunnies, a sheep, and goats. Most of the animals are in pastures, but a few of the older goats roamed with supervision. They aren’t allowed over by the ice cream though, so don’t worry, you won’t have any goats trying to steal your dessert.
Some wonderful people at the farm told us about the animals and even walked us over to the baby goats in the barn. Yes, there were baby goats in the barn and yes, we got to pet them.
In the barn, depending on the day, you also may find any of Famoda Farm’s other younger cows, Twinkles the sheep, the other goats, and the newest baby cow, Rusty.
The babies in the barn were 2-3 months old and full of energy. Of the older goats that roamed outside the pasture, the youngest is Billy. He’s 6 months old and super sweet. The other two goats are Fancie and Mama Goat. Fancie is the tan goat and she was not into pets, preferring to meander to a new patch of grass to munch when approached. Mama Goat is the largest goat and she spent most of her time relaxing in the shade.
Feed Rusty, the Baby Cow
If you visit when it’s time for Rusty to have a bottle, you can have a turn giving him the bottle! When we visited at the end of August Rusty was just 6 days old and super enthusiastic about his bottle. There’s no cost to interact with the animals or feed Rusty. In the future, the farm plans to bring in more bottle-fed babies, giving families a chance to participate in the work that goes into raising animals on the farm by feeding them.
And just because this is seriously cool, and Rusty and his little “moos” for his bottle are so stinking cute, here’s another Rusty bottle photo.
Playground
There is an outdoor play space with climbing equipment, a see-saw, and more fun things for younger kids. All of the equipment is spread out across a shaded lawn, perfectly inviting even in the summer heat. This is a great spot for the kids to run off some of that ice cream before popping them back in the car.
Grazers: Farm Store at Famoda Farm
The farm store, called Grazers has lots of local items like raw milk, Happy Cow milk, local cheese, and local meats. You’ll also find pottery, candles, and other locally made items that would make excellent gifts.
Event Space
Famoda Farm also has a beautiful barn event space that can be rented for weddings, baby showers, really any large gathering.
Beef Shares
Famoda Farms offers full or half shares of beef, either 400 or 800 pounds. They process five or six per month and you can even pick out your cow if you want and meat cuts. The price is $8.50/pound and the farm uses zero additives or hormones.
Famoda Farm: Our Review
I’m trying to figure out if I can justify taking the kids out for ice cream again tomorrow, too. Or, maybe we’ll finish that whole gallon of milk I just bought tomorrow morning so we can go back and buy some more.
Truly, it was one of the best summer afternoons I’ve had with the kids this year.
The farm is perfectly set up for families to enjoy. If you like ice cream, if you like animals, if you just need a gallon of milk, go visit. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Things to Know
It’s a farm. There are animals and that means poo, insects, and even those pesky fire ants. Closed-toed shoes would be a good choice if you plan to walk around by the animals.
You can pet all the animals that come to the fence, just be mindful of the wire on the inside of the fences. They are electric, they are on, and they will hurt if you touch them.
Hours:
Ice cream is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 4 pm to 9 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 12 pm to 9 pm.
Grazers (farm store) is open Wednesday -Friday 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday 9 am to 1 pm
Please note that when the farm has festivals like their Fall Festival in October, the animals will be moved to the festival grounds (3 Camp Creek Rd). Admission is charged for these festivals.
Famoda Farm
7410 Mountain View Road, Taylors