No yelling or sticking your fingers in the baby goats’ mouths!
The Lil’ Wranglers at Brush Creek Ranch near Saratoga, Wyoming, have been invited to play with the ranch’s herd of baby goats.
“This is my favorite thing we’ve done so far,” declares Joshua, 8, who is from Florida.
This morning, they played in the creek and collected rocks they then painted. There are scavenger hunts, horseback rides, treasure hunts, tours of the greenhouse and special kids cookouts, complete with s’mores while their parents and grandparents enjoy a five-course farm-to-table meal at the Cheyenne Club. Dinner might start with a Caesar salad made tableside, and a ranch-bred Wagyu steak with vegetables from the greenhouses (heirloom tomatoes served with goat feta, perhaps?) Desserts are made in-house by the pastry chef, who is among those doing cooking lessons. There is a weekly creekside-barbecue, complete with local crooners and games.
“For such a high-end place, it is very kid-friendly,” said Albert Angelo III, here from Vancouver, Washington, with his extended family of 17, including his pregnant wife, Jessica, and their three kids.
“I like how you can be with a big family and there are places to be romantic,” Angelo said.
His stepmother, Linda Angelo, couldn’t say enough about the staff—some 400 strong. This ranch can serve 150 or so guests at its cabins and lodges. Angelo explained the grandchildren range from 23 to a baby. “And from the time we got here, they have been very savvy about all the different ages. Everyone is happy.”
Less than a four-hour drive from Denver and spread out over 30,000 acres, Brush Creek is adjacent to Medicine Bow National Forest.
(Standard pricing begins at $1,550 per person, plus a $29.95 ranch fee, which includes tips. Guests also receive a complimentary night when staying four or more nights.)
Ready to hike with llamas? We did in the National Forest and they happily carried our packs and lunch as we climbed to a pristine alpine lake where my husband fly-fished. Our guide, Austin Griffith, noted that the ranch had just added llama hikes this summer and they’ve proved a big hit. (Griffith and a partner recently started 307 Llama Company, where you can rent the creatures for camping trips or special events.)
Maybe you’d rather take a stroll through the meadow with the goat herd, learn to make cheese, or enjoy a wine tasting. The ranch boasts a 35,000-bottle wine cellar, one of the largest in the world.
