Planning to Visit Farm Sanctuary? Read This First!

I love animal-centric experiences. Anytime I spy a good opportunity for a petting zoo, animal sanctuary, or wildlife hike, it’s one of the first things on my list. So when we were planning our trip to Watkins Glen, NY, one of my first Google searches was for animal experiences in the area, which is how I stumbled upon Farm Sanctuary.

Now, at first glance, I thought Farm Sanctuary would be a cozy, feel-good day filled with lots of farm-animal snuggles. And while we did get a bit of that, our actual experience was very different from what I expected.

Goats grazing in a pasture at Farm Sanctuary

So, if you’re thinking about visiting this farm-animal sanctuary in the Finger Lakes region of New York, keep reading to find out what it’s like!

Farm Sanctuary’s Mission

Pigs grazing with a barn in the background at Farm Sanctuary

As we quickly learned, Farm Sanctuary isn’t just a peaceful place to cozy up with farm animals. It’s a haven for animals rescued from terrible conditions in the food and textile industries to recover and live out their days happily. Every animal here has a story, and most of them are pretty terrible. Except for a few animals that were born on-location, every creature here was saved from slaughterhouses, factory farms, and laboratories, where they were subjected to cruel conditions.

For decades, Farm Sanctuary has sought out these abused farm animals and brought them here to give them a second chance at life. As people come to see these sweet creatures, Farm Sanctuary also has the opportunity to enlighten visitors about the reality of these industries and educate them on how to make more compassionate choices.

An Educational Tour of Farm Sanctuary

Every tour of Farm Sanctuary includes a guide who will lead you around the farm and tell you about Farm Sanctuary’s history and those of the animals.

Our guide had so many stories about the creatures they’d rescued, many of which were heartbreaking. While this was sad, it’s an essential part of raising awareness, and the stories hit much closer to home when you’re right next to one of the rescued animals.

During this portion of the tour, our guide let us into several paddocks and enclosures so we could get closer to the animals. As we entered each one, she told us about the kinds of animals inside, where they were rescued from, and a little bit more about some of the specific ones, particularly those with bigger personalities, which was really cute.

Goat enjoying some snuggles at Farm Sanctuary

They’ve rescued a wide range of animals, including cows, chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, sheep, and even a couple of turkeys! Due to some health issues, we weren’t able to visit all of them up close (some of the pigs were recovering from heartworms, and they were keeping everyone away from all birds to stop the spread of avian flu), but our guide made sure we got to at least see them from a distance and learn about them.

It was also fascinating to see some animals in what I never realized was their “natural element.” For example, our guide pointed out that pigs love to root and graze, but we rarely see it because they’re often kept in muddy pens. So, to see them happily chilling out in a field was pretty cute. I also noticed that the goats and birds had special little habitats with jungle gyms, ponds, playhouses, etc., to keep them entertained.

Pigs grazing in a field in Watkins Glen, NY

Expectations of Farm Sanctuary vs. Reality

Goats grazing on a farm with red barns and blue sky

Before entering the main sanctuary, you’ll be required to dip your shoes in a disinfecting solution to prevent foreign substances from getting to the animals and empty your bags and pockets of food items. This helps keep the animals safe and healthy!

As we explored with our guide, we had the chance to interact with several animals, particularly the goats and cows. However, they have a special policy that guests do not approach the animals without consent. Because so many of these animals began their lives under abusive conditions, they can be skittish and shy around people. To help them recover and feel safe, guests must wait for the animals to approach them before giving them love.

Because of this policy, our experience was much less like a “petting farm” than we’d initially anticipated. We met many cute and snuggly animals, but there were a few that we could not approach because they weren’t feeling it. However, I do think this helped drive home the message of the sanctuary and its important place for animals like this!

And despite this, we were still able to get lots of sweet snuggles, particularly from the goats and a couple of the cows. I would have loved to love on a cute little pig, but I’ll just have to save that for another time.

Eye-Opening Moments

Before entering the main sanctuary, our group gathered in the visitor’s center to watch a video about Farm Sanctuary and the creatures it rescues. This main area has several informational signs and displays that tell about some of the horrors of the food and textile industry, but the video dives into this a little bit further, sharing more about the awful conditions these animals are rescued from.

I had no idea before this that conditions were still so cruel in many industries. Even brands marked as “cage-free” or “free-range,” etc., often still put chickens through brutal conditions like de-beaking or being so tightly packed into coops that they can’t even access the tiny outdoor area they have. Many female pigs live their entire lives in cages so small that they can’t turn around and are continuously bred, while male calves are often slaughtered at birth because they don’t have food value.

These are the animals that Farm Sanctuary is trying to save and advocate for!

As we went around the farm, I had more of these eye-opening moments as we met the animals and heard their stories. Our guide told us that many of their chickens were scared to go outside when they arrived because they’d never had the opportunity. Now, they have a nice big yard with a little playground! The same thing happened with the sheep, who were all too shy to come see us. But when our guide explained that their human contact in the past had almost entirely been rough and painful shearing that often left them cut and bleeding, it wasn’t hard to understand why they wanted their space.

FAQs About Farm Sanctuary

Is the tour guided? Yes, the initial portion of the tour is taken with a guide, who will introduce you to the animals, share their stories, and tell you where you’re allowed to go. However, you will have time after the tour to explore the approved sections of the sanctuary on your own. You just cannot enter any enclosures without a guide.
How much can I interact with the animals? Due to Farm Sanctuary’s animal consent policy, your visit may be very different from mine! But the important thing is you can only interact with the animals as much as they allow. While you can meet a lot of them up close, this isn’t a petting zoo, and you won’t be enticing them to come over with food pellets because they are on strict diets. But as I mentioned above, many of them are friendly, so you should be able to get some good pets in.
What should I wear? This tour is entirely outside (we never entered a barn), so be sure to wear weather-appropriate clothing and sunscreen if necessary. I also recommend tennis shoes because you will be required to walk up some gravel driveways on mild inclines and likely go into some animal enclosures where there will be animal droppings. So this is not the place for sandals.
What should I bring? You don’t need much for this farm visit beyond appropriate clothing. However, you may want some water to stay hydrated, your phone to take pics, and extra money for the sanctuary gift shop. You could also bring a camera but just know that you run the risk of a friendly goat “kissing” your lens.
Can I bring food? As mentioned, you will be asked to leave all food behind during your sanctuary tour. They told us that even if we had a cough drop in our pockets, the animals would find it and try to eat it! However, there are some picnic areas where you can enjoy food outside the main sanctuary. They also recently opened a vegan cafe where you can grab a quick bite. Whatever you decide to do, please keep in mind that Farm Sanctuary is a vegan location, so it’s not an appropriate place to bring animal products.

Learn More About Our Adventure on YouTube!

Closing Thoughts on Farm Sanctuary

Obviously, Farm Sanctuary was not what I expected, but I would say it was still a good experience. I learned so much about the food and textile industry and how my choices can impact it. Unfortunately, Farm Sanctuary can’t save every animal out there, but it can help spread the word about practical decisions that can improve the industry and prevent animals from undergoing unnecessary cruelty.

Just for reference, here are a few easy ways you and I can help reduce factory farming and the cruelty that happens there:

Buy from certified humane farms with labels like Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, or Global Animal Partnership, or shop locally from farms where you can see how they treat their animals first-hand.
Reduce your meat consumption with Meatless Mondays, and consider incorporating some plant-based alternatives into your lifestyle.
Stay informed—As I mentioned, I was entirely in the dark about the bad conditions. But now I know I can stay up to date on this, and I support local or national legislation that advocates for better conditions.
Choose restaurants and brands with ethical, humane sourcing for food and textiles.

All it takes is a few conscious decisions to reduce the demand for factory farming and ensure these beautiful creatures don’t suffer needlessly!

Thanks so much for stopping by to read this post! I hope it helped you decide whether or not Farm Sanctuary is a good stop for your Watkins Glen visit! If you have any questions I didn’t answer, please feel free to drop them in the comment section below, and I’ll answer as best I can!

If you enjoyed this post, please like, save, and share it to help more people access this information. I also encourage you to check out my other posts about the Watkins Glen area for more fun things to do!

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