Fox Hollow Equestrian Center and Farm4516

As a parent, equestrian, and animal-lover some things about this place just don't sit right with me. The lack of organization and consistancy in staff are bothersome, how do we know where these people come from or if they're trustworthy to be working around children? Also, the care of their animals seems mediocre. The cats appear to be constantly pregnant and surrounded by filth and the horses look depressed and are always inside. I guess if you're someone who doesn't know anything about animals or is ok with strangers dealing with their kids go ahead and go here

Our family loves this place! We attended once during a Drop-In-Playdate last month and once during a private event for our mother's club and think it is the most special farm we have ever been to. There have been a number of new items added this year....my son's favorite is the new train station. He loves riding the train and playing with the miniature trains inside the old-fashioned station. My daughter loves holding all of the baby animals and riding the miniature ponies.

Fox Hollow is a great place to hang out with friends and family alike and we are looking forward to sending our children to camp there this summer (where our daughter's friend goes every year).

Fox Hollow Farm was perfect and delightful! There were animals galore for the kids to pet and feed. There is a fun hay maze for little kids and a rope swing! They even have recently added a train ride. And, unlike most other farms, it was not just a field of mud. The facilities are picturesque with photo opportunities galore. It is well hidden from the main road, and driving up to it was like unveiling a little bit of fall magic. We will definitely return!

Fox Hollow Farm was perfect and delightful! There were animals galore for the kids to pet and feed. There is a fun hay maze for little kids and a rope swing! They even have recently added a train ride. And, unlike most other farms, it was not just a field of mud. The facilities are picturesque with photo opportunities galore. It is well hidden from the main road, and driving up to it was like unveiling a little bit of fall magic. We will definitely return!

Is it just me or are some of the staff (and owner?) a little unfriendly? Sometimes when we've been there and they are supposed to be open we have felt downright unwelcome. On the other hand, some of the staff are absolutely charming, so it's a little confusing and we end up feeling a little stressed when we are there because it seems like some of the people don't want us there at all. Some staff will say we can be there, and others say we can't, so in the end it is just a little uncomfortable. I wish they would just make very clear when you can and can't be there. It's a beautiful site and the animals are so wonderful, but I think we probably won't join again just because we don't feel that welcome on the property, even when there during posted hours, and after we've paid to join the Family Club.

I discovered Fox Hollow a few months ago, and it's been a godsend for my family! Especially now that they've introduced their Family Club ($100/month gets the whole family in five days a week). My five-year-old son loves playing in the creek and riding the tractors, my 9 year-old daughter is obsessed with petting and feeding the animals (and jumping in the big bouncy castle, when it's available), and my young teenage son doesn't even mind going, because he can shoot baskets or wander off and read. Having one place I can take all three kids twice a week without at least one of them complaining is a big relief, especially now that school's out. The fact that it doesn't break the bank is even better! I've gotten to know some of the staff there a bit, and they've all been very friendly. The owner walked me through her new organic garden area yesterday because I love gardening, and one of her teenage daughters showed my daughter the new piglets that have just been born (needless to say, my daughter was over the moon about the babies - that's all I've been hearing about for the last day). As for the parking, I've never seen anything like what the reviewer below described (and now that I'm in the Family Club, I don't have to worry about parking because we're usually there when the farm isn't open to the public), but it's true there isn't enough parking for all the visitors at their public events. If you go to one of their more popular events, like the saturday night bonfires or wednesday morning playdates, you should definitely go early if you want to make sure you can find parking.

I would love to be able to give the farm multiple stars, but unfortunately, we never got inside. Went there for an open playdate at the farm and were supposed to meet some friends and celebrate a friend's little girl's 2nd birthday. My daughter (also 2) loves Farrel-McWhirter Park and I thought this would be a great experience. It definitely looks beautiful on the website. Parking is . . . well, unbelievable. There is one small sign out on the side of the road (the road with a speed limit of 45 mph, so it's reeeeeeally easy to miss if you're trying not to make the cars behind you mad). The sign had an arrow that said "parking" that seemed to be pointing to an adjacent property. So we started going there until the "no trespassing" sign caught our eye. We must have driven past at least half a dozen times, only to find out that the parking lot (behind the sign) was closed and we couldn't go to the farm after all. There is no one stationed there to help people figure out what to do and we saw multiple cars trying to figure out if and how to get in. We even thought about parking further away and walking there. We found a lot down the road a bit (not connected with the farm at all) and attempted to start walking up but with cars going 50 mph right past us, it was totally unsafe and we went back to the car. There was no place to walk except on the shoulder, which was not large. But wait! There's more! We found a nearby park and played there for a bit until a friend called (she'd gotten in) and told us some people were leaving and we should come back and try again. So we did. The parking attendant was a joke. Cars were lined up every which way with no room to come in or go out. People were being blocked in all over the place. Apparently the "pay at the door" that they put on their website means you pay when you park - and only in cash. When I told her I had only a card she was irritated with me. She then made me pull up behind another truck so she could "help" people behind me move out. I was in the "lot" (really more of a driveway) for 10 minutes. No one could move in front or beside me (keep in mind, I was where she told me to go), and I couldn't back out because she was moving cars behind me. When she finally got back to my car, she asked me to pay again, to which I told her I couldn't. I received no more help getting out, and I felt terrible that other people couldn't get out, so I made my way backwards as soon as I could and pulled off to the side so people could pass me. I was in a van and turning around to be able to go out was incredibly difficult, especially with no help. The turning radius is not good and there are a lot of bushes and trees growing right up against the driveway. I made my way out as best I could (trying to hurry), only to have her run after me and accuse me of purposely running over her plants! I told her I'd done the best I could, trying to get out of there, and she said "yeah, right." I will never be back. I was in tears all the way home. What a frustrating experience for me, and for my daughter who never got to see any animals after all that. :(

Don't bother contacting these people, you won't get a call back. My 3 year-old son is an animal lover and when we saw this farm online, he was so excited to potentially have a birthday party there but after contacting them twice, the first time two months before the event, I never heard a peep back. Perhaps they are too busy to write back? One can only assume this is the case, but regardless, they won't ever get my business.

A picture is worth a thousand words; the beauty of Fox Hollow is conveyed through the web site photos. What can't be fully communicated is the incredible inner beauty of the family running this first class establishment. If you think top quality horsemanship means snooty, pay-to-play attitudes, think again! The young people that ride at Fox Hollow are certainly an elite group--but elite for their characters, their hard work, their sense of community, their grit and determination, and their passionate love of horses. All of these wonderful qualities are nurtured by Susan Grey, a consummate horse woman and treasure in the sometimes difficult-to-navigate horse world. There are no instructors talking on their cell phones during lessons at this barn--instead, you will find generosity and humor, combined with a perfectionist's seasoned approach to training young people and adults at every level. Equally competent to introduce a new rider to the basics of horsemanship and take an advanced rider and get her ready to place among the toughest competition at the Evergreen Classic (Lizzy Craven, 2010), Susan provides an unbelievable opportunity to anyone who shares her excitement and love of horses. She greets my 2 young children with hugs every time she sees them--as she does with all the children--and yet she inspires her riders to push themselves to their personal bests. As someone who has ridden in North Shore Chicago and at a big jumper barn, I have seen great riders and instructors. I am so thankful that Susan is patient enough to put up with me! Fox Hollow is my "laughin' place" and I am delighted to think that, because of Susan and the wonderful family environment at the barn, I may be able to give my children the lifelong gift of horseman/womanship. Thank you, Fox Hollow!!!! I'll add my opinion that you can't find a better destination for your family in the Seattle area. For example, my girls don't look at bunnies through cages--instead, they sit down for 30 minutes in a stall filled with bunnies, holding them on their laps and feeding them carrots. They don't peer through fences at ponies--instead, they play in the pasture with adorable miniature horses, ponies, lambs, etc, feeding and patting them. The trust and joy of sharing beautiful animals and nature with children in a gorgeous setting are truly the highlights of the family farm.

We had the most wonderful time at this hidden gem! It took us a long time to even get a booking for our daughter's birthday because they are booked about 6 months out but we were so glad that we got in because it was the most unique birthday experience we have ever had. Our guests were thrilled with the friendly farm animals... Chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, peacocks...and so many beautiful horses! We booked a Jump For Joy inflatable party so our kids were pretty busy bouncing on huge castles and going down enormous slides but we found out that they can do pony rides too so we added that at the last minute. Oh, and the cotton candy and kettle corn was the best!!! All of our guests agreed that it was the best party this year!

Fabulous and magical! My youngest daughter ended up spending 4 weeks at Foxhollow this summer and loved every minute of it. She started riding lessons with Susan last February and is now riding in horse shows. My eldest daughter was a counselor at Foxhollow and she too loves the place. If you've got kids that love horses and other types of farm animals: this is the best place in the world. The camp also offers water slides, river rafting, campfires every night, etc. It's paradise for kids and the folks who run the place could not be nicer.

My daughter was one of the sleepover campers, and she LOVED it! She can't stop talking about tubing in the river, the friends she made, and the Snack Shack, and she's finally over her timidity around horses. We'll definitely be sending her back again next year, she had a fantastic week!

My daughter could not stop talking about this camp all weekend. She especially liked the Snack Shack (with cotton candy machine!), the waterslide, and having the best counselor at camp. She said the food was great, too, and liked cooking over a fire. With the tents and the campfire cooking she actually did more "camping" than she's ever done in four years of Girl Scout Camp! I could see a difference in her when we came to pick her up - she had a confidence, was standing a little taller, seemed to be a little more grown up, than she had been a week earlier. I could tell that she was proud of herself, for what she had accomplished. Fox Hollow is a gorgeous facility. With such beautiful, friendly horses. I know my daughter will remember this week for the rest of her life. We will definitely be signing up for another session!!

Don't spend your time or money here!! My daughter was taking riding lessons and we had only paid for a month, yet it took two months to complete! The trainer was not good at scheduling. Today was our last day with them because we showed up only to have the trainer tell us we did not have a lesson that day! She told me she sent me an email which i somehow never received, that it was canceled. And last month, we showed up and she wasn't even there! She said she "forgot"! Try telling a 7 year old girl that she can't ride a horse today, even though she had been looking forward to it all day!

We had a terrible experience with this camp. We had contacted them back in March to confirm that they could accommodate our girls level of riding and they reassured us they could. They had only 4 horses that were healthy enough to ride for 29 kids during the day. Their website advertises that the kids will spend an average of 4 hours per day, our girls maybe got 1 hour tops. There were no shower facilities for overnight campers and only 1 toilet located in the tack room for an average of 30 kids per day.Not at all sanitary. Instead of sleeping in the hay loft that was advertised on their website the girls slept in a tent in their backyard. One night our girls did not get dinner until 8:50 in the evening and the camp director was not aware of it until the girls had to ask. She was very defensive on the phone when asked about these issues and even hung up on me. Instead of trying to work out the issues she instead chose to blame our girls and attack their character and our as parents. Not professional at all. One of the girls had a cell phone that was admittedly against camp rules but thank god they did. We pulled the girls out early and demanded a refund and they refused. I would not recommend this camp at all.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this fantastic farm. We celebrated our daughter's 5th birthday there with 20 kids from her preschool class, and everyone had a fantastic time! The farm setting is spectacular (we had beautiful weather, but there is plenty of indoor space for a rainy day), the hosts Autumn and Tony incredibly kind and accomodating, and the animals were such fun to interact with. None of the kids wanted to go home! Though we had a craft activity, there was plenty to do between visiting and handling animals, running around the farm grounds, and jumping in the hayloft. My daughter is already asking to go back next year.