This is a real jewel in Carlisle, MA. The Great Brook State Farm is comprised of 1,000 acres. A working Dairy Farm, open lands and over 20 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing make up this pastoral treasure. The Dairy Farm itself is a great place to take a family if you want to get up close and personal with how your ice cream originates. Inside one portion of the Barn structure is an Ice Cream Shop where the tables abut a glass or plexiglass wall for viewing the numerous Holstein Cows. This is a compelling sight for child and adult alike and most kids will sit happily enjoying their ice cream with there eyes glued to these very large black and white beauties.

This time of year wildflowers dot the landscape and the bright sun and long shadows only add to the magic of this place. I brought my now, 14 week old Labrador puppy for a walk up here, or rather I should say he brought me. Determined to catch all scents that abound in the air we zigzagged throughout the fields and toward the animals at a frantic pace only to screech to a dead stop when a strong breeze caught his attention with a new bundle of scents.

The ice cream stand is open through the end of October and if you’d like to see a Dairy Farm in action there are Barn tours that run daily by appointment or public tours on Sunday through the end of October. I hope to come back for a winter visit and suggest it as a stop on any outdoorsman/women’s travels during the cold months to experience night-time cross-country skiing on a lantern lit trail!