Hillcrest Apple Orchards!!

We recently took a few families from the homeschool group to Hillcrest Apple Orchards in Ellijay, GA!

http://www.hillcrestorchards.net/

We had a great time and the kids got to experience some really cool things!

They learned SO much, and the weather was perfect!

We bought 4 apple ciders in tiny little apple cups, and Ashlyn Belle took mine! Here she is drinking it all up!The kids were going to be milking Daisy the Cow, so they first needed to practice on this pretend one!
Courtney was originally on the other side, and when I went to practice, she squirted the water in my face!
Avi gave it a try...
Here we are in the "time warp." We got to see what farm life was like many years ago! This was a school house that doubled as a church!

This is the talking bull. He told us all kinds of facts about farm animals and the orchard.
Here is a diagram of a cow that I felt the need to take a picture of!


We rode on the covered wagon to the petting zoo and play ground! The woods along the way were decorated like the Wizard of Oz!

This is the "Man Eating Catfish." I suppose it would look a little more realistic if we were not in a draught! The water level was so low, it looked like a giant flying fish!!!

The kids were all getting ready to enter the petting zoo. Alex is in a state of panic, because he saw that one of their chickens had escaped the fence. Apparently, that particular chicken makes frequent rendezvous.

Of all the rare little farm animals be seen, Avery runs straight for the puppy.

Here we are being attacked by goats. One kept trying to eat Ashlyn Belle's shoes, and she thought it was hilarious.

Pot bellied pigs! Look how cute they are!!! I can't figure out why my husband doesn't want one for a pet...

There were directions specifically not to chase the farm animals. That's why, in this picture, Avery is chasing the farm animals. By the way, when they gave those directions, Courtney burst out laughing, and everyone just kind of looked blankly at her. Later, she told me she thought they had said, "Please do not taste the farm animals."

HAHA, no wonder she was laughing!!!

AWWW! Look at the poor little emaciated baby cow!! I need to take him with us on a few trips through Chic-fil-A.OK, this is prodigy goat. He uses the pulley to get to a can that's hanging at the bottom, full of treats. He was amazing!And here he is receiving his reward!There was an incubator with baby chicks, some hatched, and some getting ready to hatch! The kids were so excited when they got to hold the fuzzy little things.I'm glad this picture turned out so cute. I was actually terrified Avery would "love" it a little too much. The only chick Alex will be holding for a long time!!!! haDo you see the little babies trying to break their way out? HOW CUTE!!!First, notice the sign that says, "slide at your own risk!" Then, notice who is the first to go down... Yep, that's my 3 year old, Avery.And here she is running back up the hill for another go!Ashi was playing peek-a-boo with Courtney over a tire wall.Courtney waits in line for the zip line. Everybody watch out!!Avery got a turn at milking the REAL Daisy!Courtney takes a turn...Alex takes a turn...And me and Ashi take a turn... ew. I did not like it. Those things feel like dried up leather!

BLAH.Notice the sign that says, "Please don't touch cow's head." Well, Avery can't read yet. We found out that touching Daisy's head makes her moo REALLY loud and continuously. Here she is mooing. Avery was jumping back, and shortly thereafter, Ashlyn started bawling!