Family day out at Hardy’s Animal Farm – review

3rd September 2023 0 By Rachael Stray

We recently enjoyed a family day out at Hardy’s Animal Farm in Skegness so thought I’d share an honest review.

While visiting Steve’s family in Skegness we wanted a family day out suitable for a 4-year-old, parents and grandparents and changeable weather so Hardy’s Animal Farm was a natural choice.

We’ve previously enjoyed a visit to Skegness Aquarium and Skegness Natureland.

About Hardy’s Animal Farm

Hardy’s Animal Farm is a great day out for all ages set in more than 7 acres of Lincolnshire countryside.

We offer a unique experience which allows your child to learn about modern farming and interact with animals in a safe and fun environment,.

There’s lambs, calves, foals and chicks being born throughout the year.

A competitive game of Pitch Fork and Putt, followed by a race around our Pony Cycle track will give everybody a laugh.

Or take a relaxing Cart Ride around the farm with Fergie the Tractor.

We pride ourselves on being able to cater for children of all ages, with our 3 outdoor play areas designed for toddlers through to teenagers.

Haystacks Playbarn also includes a separate soft play facility especially for younger guests indoors.

The café provides the ideal spot where you can sit down and enjoy a hot drink and bite to eat.

Tickets can be purchased via the Hardy’s Animal Farm website.

Our visit to Hardy’s Animal Farm

With the weather forecast looking changeable we decided to hedge our bets with a day out that offered some cover if needed and I managed to secure a 10am slot on the Saturday we wanted to visit.

We had a 10% discount code thanks to the little Skegness magazine my in-laws had which was a bonus!

It only took us about 20 minutes to drive from their home in Skegness to Hardy’s Animal Farm (we took a wrong turn) but were soon pulling up to the car park.

We were warmly welcomed upon our arrival, where you walk through the gift shop to the rest of the attractions.

Elsie was excited to see the large play area when we first walked out but we promised her we’d play later – we wanted to explore first.

We clocked the tractor and trailer parked up with a sign saying the first ride would be at 11 o’clock so we decided to check out the animals first and then enjoy a ride!

Elsie was thrilled to see baby goats running about and we headed inside to see the adult goats and stroke some of the babies.

Of course we had to see the chickens and Elsie was excited to be given permission to go inside their coop to collect freshly laid eggs, they are on sale in the gift shop we were told by the kind man.

Elsie was very excited to see the smelly pigs.

There weren’t as many as there are normally due to the usual breeder ceasing trade, but we saw some piglets and really large adult pigs!

We enjoyed watching the ducks lark about in the pond.

And then we spotted these small ride-on vehicles so let Elsie play on these with a few other children for a little while before making our way back to the tractor to queue up for our ride.

As we were first in the queue, the lady kindly let us sit on the front much to Elsie’s delight and even took a few pictures of us which was really kind.

The ride lasted for about 10 minutes or so and we got to see more of the farm and the rolling countryside views.

After the tractor ride, it was time for Elsie to explore the play park area which has a castle type play area, a large climbing area with big slides and a smaller play area.

With the support of Steve she was climbing the largest structure and enjoyed the biggest slide, but I’m not so sure Steve did!

After a good while playing in the park we decided it was time for lunch.

There’s lots of picnic tables outside and masses of tables inside the café as well as in Haystacks Playbarn.

With our tummies rumbling Steve and I headed back to the car for the cooler while Nanny, Pops and Elsie secured a picnic table in one of the huts which provided some shelter from the wind which was picking up.

While Elsie tucked into her picnic, Steve and I ordered some fries and garlic bread to share from the on-site café.

The prices are reasonable and there’s lots on offer including snack boxes for kids and full meals for adults as well as hot drinks, slushies and milk shakes.

After a short wait our fries and garlic bread were ready and I took them back to the table.

We were very lucky to have nabbed the table in the little hut as while we were tucking into our food a storm broke out – thunder and lashings of rain.

Thankfully we were under cover and we waited it out before heading into the Haystacks Playbarn.

Inside the Playbarn there was lots of tables and seats and a soft play for older children and a dedicated toddler soft play section.

There’s also a separate toddler play area which has books and drawing materials which is ideal for children who may not like the noise and hustle and bustle of the soft play area.