Spring/Summer 2011

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure in Fair Oaks, Indiana, may be the only upscale, bovine-themed tourist experience anywhere in the U.S. A collection of working farms pair cheese- and ice-cream-making facilities with a bevy of fun activities for all ages. Fair Oaks Farms offers an up-close look at sustainable dairy farming while celebrating things that go moo.

Past the entrance where a sign encourages visitors to have an “Udderly Good Time” (note: puns are rampant here), cow enthusiasts can board one of the Dairy Adventure buses embossed with, of course, cows. The buses provide transportation to the nearby farms with a stop at one of the maternity centers. 

With 80 cows born daily at Fair Oaks Farms, the chances of seeing a birth are high. Other cow-centric activities include milking demos and visits to the cows’ naturally ventilated and tunnel-cooled barns.

At the visitor’s center, fiberglass cows wait to be milked, children play cow-themed video games and guests enjoy educational displays, including one that
illustrates how cow manure is transformed into odorless topsoil though an anaerobic process. This green power produces enough energy to keep the Fair Oaks dairy farms, visitor center and the Cheese Factory and Café next door humming. The visitor’s center also features a Dairy Adventure 4-D movie, where you can expect to get shaken up and misted with water.

At the Cheese Factory and Café, watch cheese making behind large glass windows and then order a grilled cheese sandwich, made with one of the farms’ award-
winning varieties, or a scoop of homemade ice cream. And though Fair Oaks may exemplify life on a dairy farm, there’s a touch of sophistication here, too. The cafe serves Starbucks coffee.

- State - Indiana

- Type - Family Vacations

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