Farms with animals for kids around Chicago

Most farms around Chicago are living-history farms kept by park districts and forest preserves: staff in century-old clothes really milk the cows, shear the sheep and work the forge, the animals are right there in the barn, and almost none of them charge admission.

Closest is Kline Creek in West Chicago, an 1890s farmhouse and sheep, open Thursday through Monday; Volkening in Schaumburg sits inside Spring Valley Nature Center, so the farm leads straight to the trails. Up north, Wagner Farm in Glenview has the most cows, and Primrose in St. Charles has the spring piglets and lambs. For one ticket that does everything, Blackberry Farm in Aurora combines a farm, a train, a wagon ride, a carousel and pony rides, the west-suburban summer for kids 2–7.

• 5 places
• 4 free
• 5 stroller-friendly
• closest is 20 min away