Our last outing before school starts was a trip to the Mahaffie Farm and Stagecoach Stop.  I had heard about this place over the years but never really felt interested enough to go.  Last week, we drove by a statue of horses and a stagecoach and Noah suddenly developed an interest in traveling by stagecoach so I figured this would be a great place to finally try.  It was actually super cool and we all really enjoyed it.  A lot of the original farm is still there, and there are people roaming around who actually run the place like a real farm.  No one lives in the house, but they have a large garden and they raise animals, which they then actually use to cook food in an old cast iron stove to serve to the people who visit the farm.

When we got there, we explored a little museum about the family who built the farm in 1865 and what life was like for them.

On the actual farm, the first thing we did was go for a ride in a stagecoach that was actually built in 1850.  We rode around for a a bit, which was relaxing enough that I thought I could fall asleep, except for the scary thought that I would have toppled out the side.

The kitchen was in the basement, and there were fresh cookies waiting for us that had just come out of the old stove.  The lady there explained that, not only did the mother have to cook for her own family of ten in the tiny little kitchen with no running water or electricity, she also cooked for strangers who were stopping through on the stagecoach.  Their family also had a garden the size of a football field and lots of animals, so I'm guessing her children were a lot more helpful than mine are!

This lady works there and brings her darling little toddler every day, dressed like a baby from the 1800's.  What a sweet job situation!

I didn't intend to stop for ice cream, but we passed a Cold Stone on the way home and couldn't resist.  Cold Stone is our favorite, but all the ones close to us have closed so we couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit one!