11 farms to visit near Manchester this Spring [2026]

Last Updated on 20 July 2026 by Colette

Nothing screams spring like a visit to a farm to see all the new life!  With that in mind, here’s ten of the best farms to visit near Manchester this spring:

If you’ve found yourself searching for the best farms to visit near me, check out this list of the best farms around Greater Manchester:

• Smithills Open Farm, Bolton
• Reddish Vale Farm, Stockport
• Heaton Park Animal Centre, Heaton Park
• Tatton Park Farm, Knutsford
• Cockfields Farm, Ashton-under-Lyne
• Lancaster Park & Animal Farm, Oldham 
• Wythenshawe Community Farm, Wythenshawe
• The Donkey Sanctuary, Abbey Hey
• The Garden House Community Farm, Stockport
• Mrs Dowsons Farm Park, Blackburn
• Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley

Scroll down for more information on each of these venues!

[Please note that the information in this post is accurate to the best of my knowledge but do check with individual venues before turning up to and remember that most visits will need to be pre-booked!]

Smithills Open Farm, Smithills Dean Rd, Bolton BL1 7NS

Smithills Open Farm near Bolton, a real working farm, is a family run business with over 25 different types of animals – from cows, pigs and sheep to owls, llamas and pythons and is absolutely our favourite farm to visit in the Manchester area.

One of the main attractions of Smithills Open Farm for us is “Pet’s Corner” where you can feed and handle a variety of animals including the lambs and baby chicks! But, for Amy, the highlight of a visit to Smithills Open Farm is being able to watch her beloved dairy cows be milked.  Amy has been known to stand for a full 45 minutes watching a milking session!  (You can even treat yourself to a Smithills Farm ice cream made on site!)

Smithills Open Farm have a cafe on site but you are welcome to take a picnic if you wish – there’s a number of picnic tables out near the play area and we’ve never struggled to find somewhere to sit.  There’s an indoor area filled with bouncy castles and inflatables but we’ve always been too busy to use it!  It’s also worth mentioning that there are are donkey rides and tractor rides on offer – you do need to buy tickets for these at the kiosk but from memory they’re only a pound or so.

Adults: £13.50
Children: £11.50 (2 – 16 years, children under 2 are free)

Visits to Smithills Farm must be pre-booked online.

You can read more about Smithills Open Farm here:

13 things to do at Smithills Farm

Reddish Vale Farm, Country Park, Reddish Vale Rd, Stockport SK5 7HE

It’s ages since we’ve been to Reddish Vale Farm, near Stockport so it’s definitely time for us to plan a return this spring.  One of the things we loved most about Reddish Vale Farm is that it isn’t huge making it perfect for little legs to explore.  You can buy a bucket of animal feed on your way in and feed many of the animals as well as petting them during small animal handling sessions.  Once you’ve seen all the animals, there’s an outdoor play area as well as a covered soft play area with a bouncy castle to burn off some of that extra energy!

The Reddish Vale Tea Rooms are perfectly placed next door for a hot drink and a snack or even for a full lunch.

Adults- £10

Children- £10

Under 2s – FREE (Proof of age may be required)

OAPS- £9 

Book your visit to Reddish Vale Farm.

You can read more about Reddish Vale Farm here:

Reddish Vale Farm – Perfect for Under 5s

Reddish Vale Farm – An Adventure

Heaton Park Animal Centre, Heaton Park, M25 2SW

Heaton Park Animal Centre isn’t huge – but it is free and a lovely place to visit if you’re at Heaton Park anyway.

Tucked away in the old stables, near the cafe and the recently refurbished toilets, in theory you’ll find a range of common farmyard animals including chickens, goats, geese, pigs, turkeys, ducks, rabbits as well as more exotic species such as alpacas and Sulcata tortoise however on our most recent visit (September 2024) the Animal Centre was looking seriously depleted and a bit sad!

If you explore Heaton Park further, you might well find Highland cattle and Short-horned cattle in the fields as well as horses and donkeys. (We tend to see donkeys with reasonable regularity but find the cows are harder to spot – perhaps we’re just looking in the wrong places!)

You are not allowed to feed or pet the animals at Heaton Park Animal Centre.

Heaton Park Animal Centre is free to visit and you don’t have to book.

You can read more about visiting Heaton Park here:

10 reasons to visit Heaton Park with kids

Tatton Park Farm, Knutsford WA16 6SG

Tatton Park Farm is a 40 acre working farm set in a corner of Tatton Park known as Tatton Dale – I remember the first time we ever visited, it felt like such a long walk down to the farm. I know there used to be a train ride down to the farm but I can’t find any information about that now – if you know anything, let me know and I’ll update this!

There is plenty to do at Tatton Park Farm including meeting rare-breed animals (The farm is one of only 17 farm parks in the UK to have received the Rare Breeds Accreditation award which recognises their commitment to the conservation, breeding and promotion of rare or endangered breeds of farm animals), explore the seasonal maize maze (closed during low season!), enjoy the woodland trail and all-weather tractor play areas and learn about the historic machinery in the 18th Century Mill as well as food demonstrations such as cheese making and seasonal events – do check what’s on before visiting!

Tatton Park Farm host a special lambing event during the Easter holidays too!

Don’t forget to visit the adventure playground up near the main house and gardens while you’re there.

Entrance to Tatton Park Farm is charged at £9 for adults and £7.20 for children if booked online. There is also a standard £8 parking charge. National Trust members no longer receive discounted entry to Tatton Park Farm.

Cockfields Farm, Lees Rd, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 8AR

Cockfields Farm on Lees Road, Ashton Under Lyne near Oldham is well known locally for their fantastic Christmas Experience but there is more to Cockfields than Santa!

Cockfields Farm Park is a family run business which started life as a farm shop (amongst other things) and has grown year on year to become a farm park with variety of animals and both indoor and outdoor play areas including a jumping pillow and beach area.

Cockfields Farm is open 7 days a week with a large free car park, café, picnic area and gift shops.

Book your tickets for Cockfields Farm. (Entrance fees are quite erratic with lots of special events that are more expensive or cheaper weekday tickets – you’re looking at paying upwards of £13 per person though)

You can read more about Cockfields Farm here:

Cockfields Farm – Review & Tips

Cockfields Christmas Experience

Lancaster Park & Animal Farm, Middleton Road West, Chadderton, Oldham OL1 2TG

Lancaster Park is a family run petting farm in Chadderton near Oldham which is home to over fifty species of farm and domesticated animals to pet and feed, along with activities for all the family. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to Lancaster Park & Animal farm and are asked to ensure you use the specific picnic areas for eating. Lancaster Park & Animal Farm also host seasonal events.

Entrance to Lancaster Park & Animal Farm is charged at £8.50 per person with children under 12 months going free.

You will require cash if you would like to purchase or use the following – Animal Feed Bags £1.50, Rooster Rally £1, Caterpillar Ride £2, Digger Corner £1, Pirate Shootout £1.

Wythenshawe Community Farm, Wythenshawe Park and Gardens, Wythenshawe Rd, Wythenshawe, Manchester M23 0AB

Wythenshawe Community Farm is a community farm based in Wythenshawe Park. The farm is free to visit and I believe is open every day from 11.30am however the website hasn’t been updated in a while so it would be worth popping them a message if you’re going to make a special trip to the farm.

Wythenshawe Community Farm is a working farm, home to a small number of farm animals including pigs, sheep, goats, cows and horses; and it often has baby animals on site due to its breeding programme. The farm’s walled garden grows fruit and vegetables which are available in the farm shop along with fresh meat and eggs.

Wythenshawe Community Farm is a charity – you can help to support this by buying animal feed at £1 a bag in the farm shop.

Keep an eye on the Wythenshawe Community Farm Facebook page for updates.

You can read more about Wythenshawe Community Farm here:

Visiting Wythenshawe Community Farm with kids

The Donkey Sanctuary, Green Fold, Abbey Hey, Manchester M18 8RJ

The Donkey Sanctuary in Manchester is one of six public-facing sanctuaries across the UK. The donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary, Manchester are given freedom to roam and the choice to interact with visitors. This means that during your visit, the donkeys may be grazing in their paddocks, relaxing in a barn, or taking part in an enrichment activity offered to donkeys to help keep them stimulated and engaged.

The Donkey Sanctuary, Manchester is open to the public every Saturday and the on first Sunday of each month – you must pre-book your visit online to help manage the number of visitors on site.

It is free to visit The Donkey Sanctuary however you are encouraged to make a donation to The Donkey Sanctuary which contributes to expert care for neglected and abandoned donkeys, as well as veterinary treatment and global education to improve donkey welfare.

Book your visit to The Donkey Sanctuary, Manchester.

The Garden House Community Farm, Lakes Rd, Marple, Marple Bridge, Stockport SK6 7DH

The Garden House is a charitable organisation and community farm based in Marple Bridge, providing an outdoor space for families, groups and organisations.

The Garden House is home to a variety of animals including; pigs, alpacas, rabbits, goats, Shetland ponies and more. There is a sensory garden and riverside walk providing a calm, tranquil space to enjoy the natural environment.

There is no need to book for individuals and families wishing to visit The Garden House Farm however, you do need to contact them directly to make group bookings. There is a suggested £3 per person donation for visiting The Garden House Farm.

Mrs Dowsons Farm Park, Hawkshaw Fold, Longsight Rd, Blackburn BB2 7JA

Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park is a working farm and during term time is only open on weekends but does open through the school holidays and on bank holidays. There are various special activities through the year including lambing and calf feeding.

Animal feed is available to buy at £1.50 a bag.

There’s a large indoor play area filled with wooden climbing frames, slides and sand as well as outdoor play areas and climbing frames

Book tickets to visit Mrs Dowsons Farm Park

You can read more about visiting Mrs Dowsons here:

Mrs Dowsons Farm Park – Review & Tips

Cannon Hall Farm, Bark House Ln, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4AT

Cannon Hall Farm is definitely not near Manchester however it is by far one of my favourite places to visit in the spring and well worth the drive so I’m leaving it on the list!

It’s the biggest but also the most expensive of the farms in this post.  My friend Hannah isn’t a fan of Canon Hall Farm as she says it’s “too sanitised” and not a “real farm” which I totally get, however I think most of us are quite happy to keep our feet clean!  We’ve visited Canon Hall Farm a couple of times now, both visits have been in the spring and as such we’ve been lucky enough to witness several births (one of which I even caught on camera last year!)

There’s so much to do at Cannon Hall Farm with a number of outdoor play areas aimed at different ages of children (this is the first thing Ben mentions whenever we talk about Cannon Hall Farm).  The fairly recent addition of a soft play area was a big hit for us last year when it was really cold the day we visited – a chance to warm up with a hot drink while the kids ran around for a bit was a joy!  You can watch milking demonstrations – though this is usually just a couple of cows rather than a herd like at Smithills, take a tractor ride, pet some of the smaller animals and see all manner of baby animals at various stages from raised viewing platforms.  For me, the raised viewing platforms are a game changer as it means that even the smallest visitor to Cannon Hall Farm has a good chance of being able to see what’s going on!

Cannon Hall Farm visits must be pre-booked online. Tickets are priced from £8.95

You can read more about Cannon Hall Farm here:

11 Reasons to visit Cannon Hall Farm this spring

Will you be visiting a farm this spring?  I’d love to know your favourites too!

If you’re looking for more ideas of what do this spring, check out these posts next:

Cow experience days in the UK

The best farms to see cows near Manchester

Open Farm Sunday events near Manchester

Alpaca walking experiences near Manchester

Where to see Llamas near Manchester

Things to do in the Manchester area this Easter

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Easter here!

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