FARM TOURS
Where does your milk come from? We'd like to show you! Enjoy a two hour behind-the-scenes farm tour of all aspects of our local, working dairy. You don't have to be into anything agriculture to appreciate all you'll learn in one of these tours. These guided tours are chock-full of educational information we feel is best suited for older elementary students and up, however the hands-on side of things is pretty neat for kids 1-100. We can accommodate school field trips, clubs, church groups, garden clubs, other organizations, and families. We are available for farm tours in the Fall and Spring only. See TOUR SCHEDULE below; dates are subject to change.
WHAT TO EXPECT
• Arrive at the Milk Plant and Farm Office to meet your tour guide who will provide you with instructions and our Farm Etiquette Rules
• Visitors will drive their own vehicles to the various parts of the farm, all within a 1/4-mile from each other
• Pet calves and get close to 1,800lb cows
• Learn more than you'd ever imagine about calves, cows, and dairy farming
• Watch cows milk themselves in our robotic milking barn
• See tractors and equipment (the guys love that)
• Learn about the different methods of milk processing and what sets ours apart from the rest
• Enjoy samples of our milk
COST IS $10 CASH PER PERSON
Pay upon arrival; we do not accept credit card or checks. Kids 2-years old and younger are free.
HOW TO SCHEDULE A TOUR
Tour Seasons are Spring and Fall only; mid-March through mid-May then again mid-September through mid-November. We ONLY offer tours on Fridays and select Saturdays during our Tour Seasons. Reservations are required for all tours. No one is allowed at the barns or on the property without a guide. PLAN AHEAD as our tour dates fill up fast! TOUR POLICY: We require a MINIMUM of 20 GUESTS PER TOUR or they will be canceled 24-hours in advance.
Small Groups / Home School Field Trips: These tours consist of several families and/or homeschool groups. We do have picnic tables if you want to bring a bag lunch.
School Field Trips: Fridays in October are designated for large groups of 60-200 people only (example: public school field trips). Plan ahead as these dates fill up fast; PLEASE reserve these dates before September 1st.
Contact Jamie Pearson for more information and to schedule your tour at (803) 480-3312 or email at hhmfarmtours@gmail.com.
WHERE TO FIND US
Hickory Hill is located near scenic Sumter National Forest and we are confident that, if the gorgeous scenery doesn’t bring you back, the chocolate milk will. Enter the address below into your GPS and enjoy the country roads:
Milk Plant & Office
150 Faulkner Mountain Road
Edgefield, SC 29824
PARKING
All tours meet at the Milk Plant and Office parking lot (two red metal buildings with porches that share a parking lot). Additional parking is in the grass behind the milk plant/warehouse. Please do not block the driveway as we do have trucks picking up milk. Be prepared to ride in your vehicles and follow the guide to the various tour destinations; you will return to the Milk Plant/Office.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
• Closed toe shoes are required for all individuals participating in farm tours.
• Strollers are welcome.
• Most places are accessible by wheelchair; please let us know when you make reservations so we can assist with great parking etc.
• Be prepared to ride in your vehicles and follow the guide to the various tour destinations; you will return to the Milk Plant/Office.
• We also HIGHLY RECOMMEND you bring a cooler to transport our products safely home.
FALL FARM NIGHTS
Every Tuesday night there's a big cloud of dust
That leads back to a field filled with cars and pickup trucks,
Got a band playing music way up loud
Got coolers filled with milk and wagons loaded down,
There's a big crowd of people but don't be alarmed
It's just family and new friends enjoying life on the farm.
Join us for our 14th Annual Fall Farm Nights at Hickory Hill on select Tuesday evenings in October from 6-9pm. Each week we will feature a different band playing country or bluegrass so grab your partner (doe-see-doe), your youngins, and a lawn chair for a family fun "down on the farm" event. For ten bucks (cash) a person you can kick back and enjoy the band, get lost in our corn maze, love on some calves, take a guided wagon ride around the dairy, check out some antique tractors, and chug a pint of your favorite milk. Bring extra cash to stuff your gut at one of the food trucks selling award-winning bar-b-que with the fixings, a hot dog combo, or dipped ice cream. See our schedule below and we look forward to seeing y'all this Fall.
• NO RESERVATIONS NEEDED •
A NOTE FOR YOU EARLY BIRDS
Farm Nights start immediately after a day of farm chores so please be patient as you wait for everything and everyone to get into gear. Gates open no sooner than 5:30pm, the wagons start loading passengers at 6pm, and the food trucks are ready by 6pm as well.
ACCESSIBLE PARKING
We like to make sure visitors who need assistance have the best parking. Parking attendants will try their best to spot your hanging placard but please tell them anyway if you need a convenient parking spot.
*NO PETS ALLOWED unless they are "fur real" service animals.