Just an hour north of Mason in Yellow Springs, Ohio, lies a historic family-run farm, Young’s Jersey Dairy. Besides being a working dairy farm that attracts more than 1.2 million guests annually, it houses an abundance of fun fall activities, perfect for the whole family.
The farm was founded in 1869 by relatives of the Young family and later purchased by the grandfather of current CEO Dan Young in 1948 following World War II.
“It’s a family tradition,” Dan says. “We’ve changed a lot…It’s been exciting moving from just an agricultural enterprise and adding entertainment to create all the family memories that we’re able to provide to the public.”
Dan has been working for his family’s farm for more than 52 years and now jokingly prefers the title “chief ice cream dipper.”
Fresh cheese from their Jersey cows, homemade ice cream and home cooking are huge at the farm. Guests can dine at their two on-site restaurants and find fan-favorites such as grandma’s chicken and dumplings, meatloaf and beef and noodles.
But a major attraction is the homemade ice cream. In October, weekly seasonal flavors like pumpkin, caramel chocolate toffee, mint chocolate chip and chocolate will be available.
“It’s a fairly high butterfat ice cream, so it’s pretty creamy,” Dan says. “The flavors are put in by hand or as it’s coming out of the machine…One of our most popular season flavors is pumpkin. If you like pumpkin pie, you’ll love it.”
Guests can easily spend the majority of a day at Young’s Jersey Dairy, as there are so many activities for the whole family. These include: taking a wagon ride to a multi-acre pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, a giant 3.5-acre corn maze, two miniature golf courses, batting cages, a kids’ barrel ride around the farm, a giant slide, a kiddie corral and haunted wagon rides (on weekends).
“This year we’ve added GPS to [Cowvin’s Corny Maze] with some QR codes scanning,” Dan says. “You can answer quizzes and questions, and if you get it right, it will tell you what way to go and save you some time. If you get a certain number correct, you get various prizes and rewards.”
The weekend of Oct. 6 -7 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. is the 42nd Annual Fall Farm Pumpkin Festival, their biggest event of the year. Guests can taste freshly made pumpkin cinnamon sugar doughnut holes, go on tours of the dairy facility, watch a pumpkin launcher, eat fried cheese curds from the food trucks, try the new pumpkin bowling game, paint pumpkins, sample the cheeses, watch workers milk the cows several times throughout the day and much more.
It's easy to spend at least half a day at the farm with all of the activities offered. And for an extended trip, the scenic and vibrant town of Yellow Springs lies just down the road. For bike lovers looking for an enjoyable excursion, the Loveland Bike Trail in Mason connects to the Little Miami Scenic Trail, and that extends into Yellow Springs. Go for the day, or easily stay for a weekend getaway. Young’s Jersey Dairy is perfect for your next weekend family road trip.
6880 Springfield-Xenia Road, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 937.325.0629, YoungsDairy.com
