Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm
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For more information select from these links: Things you should know Directions Programs Self Guided Tour Reservations Cow Milking Wagon Ride Educational Chicken Program Glossary Visitor Barn History Brief History Buildings Crops Machines Animals HOME |
Oxon Hill Farm is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25. Admission and all activities are free. Reservations are required for special programs and for popular activities such as milking cows, gathering eggs, and the wagon rides. At the white farmhouse you will find exhibits and information about activities. The visitor barn, restrooms and some buildings are accessible for visitors with disabilities. To make reservations, plan a group visit, or obtain information about educational and volunteer programs, call 301-839-1176 or for TDD, 301-839-1783. For a recorded message call 301-839-1177. Oxon Hill Farm is truly a historical resource, just minutes from our Nations
Capital. Here you and your family can visit a working farm with a garden, farm
house, animals and crops as they grow each year. Preservation of this lifestyle
is an important part of our heritage. Oxon Hill Farm is operated by the
National Park Service, Department of the Interior and there is no admission
charge. Bring your eyes, nose, ears, and hands when you come to visit. You just
might see something new and exciting, while taking a step back into history. On
this web site, you will find pictures of our animals and buildings, learn about
the history of the farm, and of course rules for a safe visit. Reservations are needed for some special events. Please
browse through the information presented here, and contact the farm with any
questions. We believe that you will want to help preserve this historical
resource for your children and grandchildren. |
Here are just some of the activities at the farm.
You can explore on your own to see the antique farm machinery, the dairy barn and silo, the 19th century brick stable, the feed and tool sheds, and the barnyard. The animals are not always out of doors, or they may be in different locations.
Hiking and biking
Venture beyond the hilltop and explore part of Oxon Cove Park's 512 acres by strolling along the lower fields or riding the bike path along Oxon Cove. Please walk your bike in the area from the parking lot to the farm house and in the area of a tractor or horse drawn wagon. Horses have been frightened by sudden bike movements.The Woodlot Trail
Take this steep 1/2-mile trail, marked with yellow blazes on trees, from just below the farm house to the parking lot and find out how this wooded ravine benefited early farmers.Picnicking
You may picnic at designated areas. There is no food sold in the park.Special events
Each month offers a variety of programs, such as crafts, walks to observe plants and wildlife, wagon rides, and talks about farm life and the animals. Call ahead for reservations.Seasonal Activities
Farming is a year-round business directed by the seasons.Spring
This is the time of the year to see how plowing and planting were done before tractors became common. You can watch the horses help prepare the fields as they pull old-fashioned plows and discs. In May the horse team is hitched to corn-planting machinery that deposits corn kernels in rows at just the right soil depth. May also highlights "wool days" with demonstrations of sheep shearing, wool spinning, and natural dyeing.Summer
In June we celebrate "dairy month" with a day of dairy activities, such as milking cows.Autum
Join us in harvesting corn and other crops, pressing apple cider, and boiling sorghum canes to make a sweet syrup.Winter
The farm may seem quieter now, but many seasonal activities abound. In January and February you can watch birds, identify animal tracks, learn about farm traditions, and take a hayride. Soon Spring and new animal babies arrive, and green sprouts push through the warming soil. The busy time begins anew.