Back from the Farm

We are back from Watkins Glen, New York, where we spent a few days visiting the Farm Sanctuary and the State Park. The Farm Sanctuary in NY is the home of 700 rescued animals, all adorable. There is another Farm Sanctuary shelter in California with 400 rescued animals. The New York 175-acre farm is in the charming Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York, just west of Watkins Glen. It is a 4 hours drive northwest of Verona. When the shelter is full, rescued animals are placed for adoption. Since 1986, over 1,500 farm animals had been adopted through the Farm Sanctuary’s network. We stayed in one of the cabins of the farm's bed and breakfast. At the entrance there is a beautiful visitors center called "People Barn" with plenty of information, guided tours of the shelter, a "kids corner" and a gift shop. Volunteers must be over 12 years of age but our kids insisted and joined a group of children collecting apples to feed the pigs. The staff at the farm is very knowledgeable and the animals are highly huggable and fun to be around. We also visited Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen State Park, the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. I highly recommend to visit Watkins Glen and spend some time at this wonderful "farm animal paradise".