Menagerie Farm
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Menagerie Farm offers a diverse range of farm-based activities including pony/horse rides, train rides, animal feeding (goats, fish), a playground, sand pit, and seasonal attractions like a pumpkin patch and hay rides. It's frequently praised for its beautiful, clean, and spacious grounds, and its highly accommodating staff, especially for birthday parties and field trips. However, parental experiences for birthday parties, particularly with large groups of younger children, can vary significantly, with some reporting excellent service and others experiencing severe understaffing and safety concerns.
Key Highlights
- ✓Wide variety of activities including pony/horse riding, train rides, playground, sand pit, animal feeding (goats, fish), bonfire with smores (for parties), hay rides, and a pumpkin patch (seasonal).
- ✓Beautiful, gorgeous, clean, and spacious grounds.
- ✓Staff is often described as amazing, kind, genuinely caring, and highly accommodating, particularly for birthday parties (helping with unloading, setup, reloading cars, and solving unforeseen issues like forgotten cake utensils).
- ✓Owners are noted as awesome, kind, and genuinely caring people.
- ✓Capable of hosting and managing large school field trips with over 200 children.
- ✓Offers summer camps, generating excitement for an 8-year-old.
- ✓Positive experiences for 7-8 year old birthday parties, where kids and adults had a great time.
Standout Features
- ⭐Extensive variety of interactive activities: pony/horse rides, train rides, animal feeding, playground, sand pit, bonfire/smores.
- ⭐Highly supportive staff for private events, assisting with party setup, teardown, and unforeseen issues.
- ⭐Beautifully maintained, clean, and spacious farm grounds.
- ⭐Ability to accommodate and manage very large groups for school field trips.
- ⭐Offers additional programs like summer camps.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Wear proper clothes and shoes, as your feet will get dirty from farm activities.
- →For birthday parties, especially with younger children (e.g., 5-year-olds) or larger groups, explicitly confirm the staff-to-child ratio beforehand and ensure a clear party plan is in place.
- →If booking a themed party (e.g., 'unicorn'), clarify exactly what is included and provided by the venue to manage expectations.
- →Don't worry about forgetting minor party supplies like cake utensils, as staff are reported to be very resourceful and helpful.
- →Consider Menagerie Farm for summer camps for elementary-aged children.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Severe understaffing for birthday parties, specifically cited for a group of 12 (potentially 26) five-year-olds with only two staff members, one perceived as very young.
- ⚠Inadequate staffing led to safety concerns, with parents feeling they had to supervise their own children to prevent dangerous situations.
- ⚠Activities during parties were reported as very short (e.g., brief goat/fish feeding, two short circles for the train ride, very short pony ride).
- ⚠Themed party elements (e.g., 'unicorn party') were poorly executed or did not meet expectations (e.g., a unicorn pillow on a pony, a short ride, pony taken out of rotation due to staff shortage).
- ⚠Lack of organized activities during waiting times for pony rides or other events during parties.
- ⚠Disappointment over perceived lack of a clear party plan and structure for younger children's parties.
Price & Value
The value is generally perceived as excellent for the range of activities and staff support for successful events and field trips. However, specific themed party elements (like a 'unicorn') incur additional costs. The value can be extremely poor, leading to demands for full refunds, if understaffing results in shortened activities, safety concerns, and a disorganized experience for parties.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accommodations mentioned regarding physical accessibility or sensory-friendly options.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Outside food (e.g., birthday cake) is permitted for birthday parties, and staff are very helpful with its setup and service. No information available for general admission visitors.
🚗Parking Info
- •Implied easy vehicle access for loading and unloading for birthday parties, with staff assistance. No specific details on the quantity or type of parking for general visitors or large events.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Capable of hosting very large groups, evidenced by a field trip with over 200 children, suggesting spacious grounds can accommodate many visitors.
- •For private birthday parties, crowd management (specifically staffing for the number of children) can be a significant issue, leading to perceived chaos and safety concerns if not adequately addressed by the venue.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Staff showed awareness of safety by removing a pony from rotation when they felt understaffed for the activity. However, a major safety concern was raised by a parent due to overall insufficient staff for a large birthday party of young children, where parents felt compelled to personally supervise their children to ensure their safety.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Booking birthday parties for large groups of very young children (e.g., 5-year-olds) without explicit confirmation of adequate, experienced staff-to-child ratios.
- • Expecting elaborate or highly specific themed party elements (e.g., unicorn) without detailed clarification of what is physically provided and how activities will be structured.
- • If a high staff-to-child ratio for safety and engagement is a top priority for your party, especially with younger children, exercise caution or seek assurances.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Summer Day Camp - Full Day
$495/childDuration: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
All Inclusive Camp where campers learn and participate in many fun and exciting farm activities.
Includes:
- •all inclusive camp activities
- •camp counselor (1:5 ratio)
Summer Day Camp - Half Day
$450/childDuration: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
All Inclusive Camp where campers learn and participate in many fun and exciting farm activities.
Includes:
- •all inclusive camp activities
- •camp counselor (1:5 ratio)
Summer Day Camp - 4 Day Week
$450/childDuration: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
All Inclusive Camp for a 4-day week, where campers learn and participate in many fun and exciting farm activities.
Includes:
- •all inclusive camp activities
- •camp counselor (1:5 ratio)
Spring Field Trip
$12.50/child, $5.00/parent (Teachers free)Duration: 1.5 hours
A private, ultimate educational experience session for your school.
Includes:
- •private session
Fall Field Trip
$13.00/child, $5.00/parent (Teachers free)Duration: 1.5 hours
A private, ultimate educational experience session for your school.
Includes:
- •private session
Kid’s Birthday Party - 1.5 hours
$650Duration: 1.5 hours
Includes:
- •up to 15 participating children
- •no charge for attending adults
Kid’s Birthday Party - 2.0 hours
$675Duration: 2.0 hours
Includes:
- •up to 15 participating children
- •no charge for attending adults
Kid’s Birthday Party - 3.0 hours
$775Duration: 3.0 hours
Includes:
- •up to 15 participating children
- •no charge for attending adults
Events & Schedule
🍎Food Policy
- • For Summer Camp, campers need a sack lunch (nonperishable & labeled with camper’s name).
- • For Field Trips, Menagerie Farm does not provide or sell any food.
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Summer Camp maintains a 1 to 5 ratio (one camp counselor to every five children).
- • Closed toe shoes required for Summer Camp.
- • Sunscreen recommended for Summer Camp.
📅Booking Policy
- • Reservations can be made by calling 901-488-0815.
- • For Summer Camp, register by filling out the online Camper Profile and mailing it with payment/deposit.
- • A $100 non-refundable deposit is required to book a Summer Camp spot.
- • A $100 nonrefundable deposit is required for Birthday Parties.
- • Remaining balance for Summer Camp can be paid anytime before the session or on the first day (recommended before).
- • Remaining balance for Birthday Parties is paid the day of the party.
- • Menagerie Farm accepts payment by Venmo and Cash App (QR codes available).
🚗Parking Information
- • A $5 parking fee applies for parents attending Field Trips.
Photos
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 6 reviews)
- Safe environment for children (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 4 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 6 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Liz Crain
a year agoWe had the best time at the Farm! My granddaughter had her birthday party there last night and the kids didn’t want to leave…..neither did the adults. They had pony rides, playground time, fed the fish, rode the train, and made smores by the bon-fire. The adults had just as much fun. There is literally something for everyone. The place is absolutely gorgeous! The staff was amazing! The owners were awesome….so kind and genuinely caring people. We could not have asked for a better time! I found out they also have summer camps and we will definitely be signing up our 8 yr old. She is so excited about it! We just can’t thank Menagerie Farms enough for the most wonderful time. We woke up this morning still talking about it :). See ya this summer!
Julia Tate
5 years agoI had my daughter's 7th birthday party at Menagerie Farms, and I just have to say that everything was amazing. The staff was so great getting the kids through all of the activities! I've never had a party somewhere where they were more eager to help me unload and set up and even reload my car! I'm so used to doing everything by myself that it was hard to let the ladies help! The kids had a blast with the horse riding, goat and fish feeding, and the train ride! They also LOVED the playground and sand pit! Plus we had a special visit from a unicorn that my daughter got to ride the whole time the kids were riding the horses! One of the best parts for me was when I realized I forgot my cake serving utensils and didn't even have a knife with us. 48 forks but no knives! The staff just said "Don't worry about it, we've done this before with just a fork. We'll take care of it." And they did. And it was wonderful! I would definitely throw another party here!
Donna Hollin
a year agoI waited a few days to see if I still felt the same way as I did on the birthday party day. If I could have given it zero stars, I would. If the 26 five year olds would have shown up as the rsvp list indicated, it would have been a total fiasco. Did you really think two staff members, one about twelve years old could handle it? My idea of a birthday party is not giving 12 five years old food to feed a goat followed by giving them food to feed fish. This was followed up by a very short train ride. You had a whole farm to ride around and you make two short circles, bringing the kids back at 2:10 when it was planned to have them back at the tables at 2:30. The only thing that was unicorn was our party decorations that WE provided. It was supposed to be a unicorn party. They slapped a unicorn pillow on top of a pony that gave the birthday girl a very short ride. They took him out of the rotation because they only had two staff members. At least they knew it was a safety issue. There was no activities while they waited for their very short pony ride. Could you have blown up some balloons and let them keep them up in the air while they waited? As a grandmother, I want the extra money back that we paid for a unicorn. As a former educator, I want all my money back. We would never take a field trip without staff to keep them safe. 26 kids needed at a minimum of five staff members with a party plan. If our parents had not stayed to watch over their own child, it could have been a very dangerous situation. I am not sure what we would have gotten if we got the Cinderella party. I guess we would have chased the mice and picked the pumpkins. That is for the farm workers, not the birthday girl and her friends.
E Bills
3 years agoSuch a fun place to take kids!!! So much to see and do :) By far one of the best field trips I've been on with my kids. Should be a required school outing every year. Wear proper clothes and shoes, your feet will get dirty!
Michelle Harrison Turner
a year agoMy son went on a field trip here today. This place is wonderful (although not open to the public). There were over 200 children and many chaperones. The grounds are very clean and spacious. Menagerie Farms is a great place for a field trip! There are many things for the kids to do (hay ride, feeding animals, feeding fish, pumpkin patch, playground area, and train ride). The people managing the farm we friendly and professional as well.