5 tips for touring Hansen’s Dairy farm

The trolley takes hands-on tourists around the farm.

As the calendar turns from April to May, families naturally seek out activities to do outside. Maybe one of those activities is touring Hansen’s Dairy farm?

We aim to make your tour a fun, educational and possibly surprising experience. Here are 5 things you need to know before your visit.

The hands-on tour allows you to get up close and personal with our tame kangaroos!

1. The Hands-On tour is the best (if we may brag).

The best tour experience we offer is our Hands-On Tour. This guided tour takes you through the process of getting milk from the cow to your table. You’ll take a trolley ride around the farm, then take a walking tour to see all the cows and the facilities up close. Along the way, you’ll get to feed a calf, milk a cow by hand, and pet the kangaroos and goats. Then we’ll hop on the trolley to go back to the Tour Center, where you’ll make and eat your own butter, sample milk and cheese curds, and get your own serving of ice cream. Children 3 and younger are free; all other participants are $15. Tours begin at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and you must have a reservation. Tours start at 3:30 because of the cows’ schedule — that’s when they’re being milked and the calves are being fed. This tour will take about 2 hours.

If you can’t get into this popular tour, you could take the Animal Petting Tour at 12:30. That tour includes everything in the Hands-On Tour EXCEPT feeding a calf and milking a cow by hand. But you still get to pet all the animals, including the kangaroos!

Adults have fun on the hands-on tours, too.

We always make tours by reservation, so dropping in is not allowed. Also, if you can’t make your reservation, please let us know not to expect you. There likely are other groups scheduled at the same time, so we like to avoid making the whole tour wait.

By the way, the hands-on tour is not just fun for kids. Adults will have a blast too, I promise!

Call 319-242-1074 to make your reservation, or book online here.

Hands-on tourists get to try milk, cheese curds and ice cream, plus make their own butter.

2. Bring spending money and a cooler.

You may want to bring some extra spending money in case you would like to buy products after the tour. We do a good job of teasing your taste buds, just sayin’! Plus, most of our products are perishable, so you’ll want a cooler to keep them cold on the way home. Cash is preferred for payment, but we can take credit/debit cards.

3. Don’t bring a stroller unless it’s an “off-road” or jogging-type stroller.

The farm is mostly gravel and has few concrete areas where it’s smooth to push a stroller. Trying to navigate with an umbrella stroller or travel-system stroller can be very difficult. Either plan to carry the little ones or use a baby carrier. We also have a nice jogging stroller for your use if you would like it, no charge.

The calves get a little slobbery when they’re drinking their bottle.

4. Don’t dress as if you’re going to a party or a concert.

At harvest time, feed may be blowing around the farm as it’s being stored.

This is a working farm. The ground may be muddy, the wind might be blowing feed around, a calf could slobber on you, you’ll see cows “relieving” themselves … you get the idea. Dress in old shoes or boots and clothes that can get dirty. I’ve seen open-toed heels, flip-flops, white pants and the like. That’s a recipe for disaster! While we do take a trolley ride to the farm, most of the tour is by foot so you need to be comfortable walking.

By the end of the tour, you will most likely be smelly, too. You may not want to plan to go out to eat afterward if you don’t want to offend other restaurant patrons. Besides, we’ll feed you so many dairy products at the end of the tour, we’ll probably ruin your supper. 🙂

5. (Over)dress for the weather.

Wearing a hat and gloves, especially for kids, makes your tour more comfortable in the spring.

The weather can be unpredictable. We generally don’t cancel our tours because of weather; we let the tourists decide if they want to brave the rain, wind or snow. However, if you decide to come, know this: a farm is more extreme than the city! If it’s windy in town, it’s twice as bad in the wide open country. We tell people to overdress in the spring and fall because it’s much nicer to have a hat and gloves, even in May, than be cold and uncomfortable. Especially for kids! Remember that about half of the tour is outside, and the trolley has a covered top but open-air sides.

Above all, we want you to have a great experience at the farm. These tips should help you make the best of your trip. Hope to see you soon!