Riverdale Farm: Toronto’s Urban Farm

Trying to keep a large family entertained while sticking to a budget is HARD. This year we are scoping out fun free (or cheap) activities that still provide great entertainment value–like Riverdale Farm in downtown Toronto. 

This is not an all day excursion and I would for sure not be driving for hours just to visit the urban farm but if you are near the city and looking for something cute and free to do with the kids for an hour consider visiting.

An idea would be to bring your bike or stroller and continue the fun on the Don River Valley Trails which can be directly accessed from the farm. We have biked these trails many times prior to kids and they are on our list of things to do once we get a good bike trailer.

Riverdale Farm

There is lots of street parking around Riverdale Farm. We went on a weekend and found a spot right away near the entrance. A quick stroll through a park brought us to the front gates of the farm although in the Summer heat I could smell it the moment we entered the neighbourhood.

Located on three hectares of land the farm is actually a very quick walk around. We did it in 45 minutes and that was only because E tried to feed every single animal that was there even though the signs said not too. She literally read the sign out loud and proceeded to pick grass to give to all the animals. I may have used swear words.

Animals available for your viewing pleasure are pioneer breeds of cows, horses, pigs, nubian goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys and bunnies. There were cute signs around the farm that let us parents know some facts so that the kids thought we were geniuses.

The grounds were neatly kept with lots of wild flowers and I saw at least half a dozen birthday parties happening at the park adjacent to the zoo where they did little tours into the zoo. As a free option I think these parents are geniuses and I may try and do this myself.

Also on site was washrooms and a farm store that sells produce and baked goods ( I didn’t make it in the store this visit but it was open. If you want/need other goodies you can also visit the convenience store located at the north west corner of the park for drinks and snacks.

For being free and highly entertaining with an option to actually explore more of the area if wanted I would highly recommend Riverdale Farm and you can find more info here. We have already decided that it will be our launch point for when we start biking with the kids.

Have you been to an urban farm?

Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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