Nelson Alves and Destiny Weston love animals and the outdoors.
After operating a hobby farm east of the Sault for the past year, the couple is now looking forward to opening their property – known as Wild Ones Homestead – to the public as a petting farm.
“We’ll offer hands-on interaction with goats, pigs and horses. It’s a friendly and safe place to visit with your family,” Alves told SooToday.
“There'll be food to purchase but the admission is free on opening day if you just want to walk around and check out the animals.
"You can grab a hot dog, a hamburger, and stay until close to hang out with the animals,” Weston said.
The 13-acre Wild Ones Homestead petting farm includes 17 goats, one horse, one mini colt, one goose, four ducks, 13 pigs and four piglets.
Alves and Weston also have 40 chickens on the farm to produce eggs.
The couple puts in long days taking care of their animals and maintaining the property – but they love it.
“I bought this property four years ago. Destiny and I have always wanted a little farm. We didn’t want it to this extent originally but animals are addicting. You get one, then you get two, then you get 20,” Alves said.
Seeing that the animals brought joy to family members and friends, Alves and Weston decided to open the property as a petting farm for visitors.
“We just figured let's open it up to the public. There's really nowhere else in this area where you can go with your kids and have that interaction with animals. Pony rides are available as well,” Alves said.
Wild Ones Homestead will include birthday parties for children.
“There’ll be different packages available. We’ll also have a sweets trailer, a cotton candy machine, popcorn machine, snow cone machine, and a slushy machine.
"We want to offer something because there's not a lot of places for parents to take their kids anymore and we want to give them this opportunity,” Weston said.
The couple is also considering a haunted theme trail on the property in the days leading up to Halloween and a snowshoe trail for visitors in the winter.
“I think a petting farm like this is important because it gives people a peaceful place to go. It's quiet, it's tranquil.
"You can take a walk through the trail. You can pet the animals or sit and watch the animals as they roam around,” Alves said.
“It's very therapeutic. It really helps with mental health. Animals can play a huge part in therapy,” Weston said.
Their new adventure begins on Saturday, Aug. 2 with free admission. It will open at 2 and run until 6 p.m.
After the free admission opener Saturday, Wild Ones Homestead will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday beginning Friday, Aug. 8.
Admission will be $5 per person or $20 for a family of five. Children under three can visit for free.
Wild Ones Homestead can be reached through its Facebook page or by email.
“I don't really hear of petting farms that much anymore. We’re offering something different. We're animal people. We love animals and we just want other people to enjoy them too,” Alves said.
The farm also offers an opportunity to shut out urban noise.
“You can just come out here and listen and hear animals. It's peaceful,” Weston said.
Wild Ones Homestead is located at 177 Neebish Rd. E. off Highway 17 in Echo Bay, 45 km east of the Sault.