This half term has been wonderful, not only was I lucky enough to have a full week off with my boys but we were also blessed with the most amazing weather, making it the perfect time to explore new outdoor places. As most parents will agree, with school holidays comes the added expense of entertaining the children, so free days out are always welcome. I did some research into free days out in Liverpool and surrounding areas and we discovered the Rice Lane City Farm in Liverpool.
Our review of Rice Lance City Farm
Having visited Liverpool numerous times I have never heard of, or come across, Rice Lane City Farm and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t either as it is tucked away behind a built up housing area away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Rice Lane City Farm has a variety of animals for to meet. You can expect to see everything from pigs to bunnies, and chickens to donkeys. It was great to be able to get up close to so many farm animals and we found that the staff who were working with the animals were on hand and ready to talk to my boys all about them and answer their many questions, even though they were clearly busy.
The main area of the farm is relatively small and depending on the level of interest your children have in watching animals you could spend anything from half an hour to a couple of hours going from one pen to the next. In addition to the animals there is a lovely new play area for children too that my boys loved. It has a climbing area and swings which kept them entertained for ages.
This farm really is like no other as smack bang in the middle is a really, really, old run down church building and ridiculously over grown grave yard which makes for a great place to go exploring. We uncovered a field with two friendly donkeys in that were happy to come and pose for pictures at the gate and a second field with baby lambs in that were jumping around and enjoying the sun. We are unsure if these are owned by Rice Lane City Farm or not but they are accessible from there and everyone else seemed to be walking round them too.
This is easily one of the most bizarrely set out farms I have ever visited but it all added to the adventure as we really had no idea what we would find around the next bend.
Overall we spent half a day at Rice Lane City Farm and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a fantastic, free (minus our donation) day out where our boys could be boys and run, climb, discover and learn in a safe environment that felt wild and new. We will definitely be visiting again in summer.
Opening Hours for Rice Lance City Farm
Rice Lane City Farm is open to the public seven days a week from 10am till 3.30pm.
Parking
Parking is free and on the main street that leads up to the main entrance.
Top Tips for Visiting
- Take some change with you for the donation box f you can afford to. It all helps.
- If the weather is nice take a picnic, there are lots of lovely spots where you can stop and enjoy your lunch.
- Where wellies, it’s a working farm after all.
- Take your camera.
If you are looking for more inspiration for days out in the North West then check out our A-Z of days out post.