Fun at the Farmhouse

For a family get away this fall we booked a stay at a farmhouse in the NC mountains. It wasn't far from my favorite creek to fish and hiking spot. While we were unloading our stuff at the farmhouse we were welcomed right away by this kitty.

My kids spent a good majority of this trip trying to let the cat come in the house with us and asking if we could keep it. The cat was a sweetheart but I tried to explain that cat was going to be more happy on the property than at our house. The cat did its best to try to change my mind.

The farm was previously a working dairy farm converted into a rental property. The owners still run cattle on the property. The scenery was amazing and the house we stayed in was very comfortable.

There were donkeys and a horse you could pet and feed treats to. 

This miniature donkey was cute but it could be really ornery and every once in awhile it would try to nip you.

We spent the majority of our time hiking at Grayson Highlands.

This is a great place for kids. The hiking trails meet up with the Appalachian Trail. There's plenty of places to climb rocks and if you're lucky you'll see wild horses.

The trees were still showing some of their fall color but I think we were late to see their true splendor.

The wild horses here are smaller than your average horse. most people call them ponies and some of them have hair that has a shaggy look to it.

They aren't afraid of people but you're discouraged to try to pet or feed them. They are really wild animals. 

My kids love climbing rocks here.

There's plenty to mess around on most aren't that dangerous to climb. There's some that have a easy trail that leads to the top of one side.

The views were pretty even with the clouds.

It's not uncommon to see Appalachian Trail hikers lumbering 50lb packs looking exhausted. The elevation difference can be a little extreme in places.

This is a great place to get 3-5 hiking miles in and not feel spent. The weather was perfect and a nice breeze kept us from getting over heated.

It's always neat to see the horses and I like seeing the variety of their coats.

If you're ever near Grayson Highlands it's worth checking out. You can camp here and there are some decent sized towns that aren't far. There's West Jefferson on the NC side and it's not far from the 81 in VA.