Paris Barns

This place was amazing. We went this past weekend for their «Sheep and Goat Hike» and were really treated like family. The couple that runs the farm were incredibly nice, welcoming us in with some delicious cider and muffins, and then let us play with their new baby goats for a bit until the rest of the group arrived. Once they did, we were taken out back where we got to pet more than 50 goat and sheep for well over an hour, and were guided all over the farm, shown the Emus, Cows, and all of their birds. We got a tour of the old farm house, and got to take home some fresh herbs and eggs. It was just such an enjoyable experience. We can’t wait to go back and see them again.

We loved Paris Barns. The animal sanctuary was wonderful. And the soaps we purchased in the shop are so nice. We also fell in love with one of the baby emus that was ready to hop in the car with us. We hope to return again very soon!

It was cool that it had a wildlife habitat and that there are emus, llamas and alpacas wandering around. I can’t wait for another weekend trip out there with my family. My kids love this stuff!

This place is a must-​go-​to. It’s an animal sanctuary and a non profit, so all proceeds go towards the sanctuary. There are baby goats (today I saw goats born this morning, and held goats 1 week old!) and chickens, roosters, hens, emu, llama, alpaca, and a miniature horse! The owner, Martha, is extremely gracious and welcoming and very eager to educate you on the animals (Emu’s eat 20 lbs a day! and some chickens lay blue eggs, or eggs without shells!) Because it’s a non profit it’s run by volunteers mostly under Martha’s watch. It costs money to feed those animals and run the farm, and it’s amazing that she has dedicated her life to this — her passion is very obvious.
They have tons of activities; a large kitchen for their cooking instruction, as well as classes to make your own candles and soap, spin alpaca and sheep wool (the alpaca wool is SO SOFT) and workshops to make birdhouses. They have a fascinating educational unit on honey, and they create these wooden boxes that they donate to schools so that they can make their own honey and learn! (and you can too on the roof of your house or backyard — she can teach you how!) She even showed me beautiful emu eggs that they have decorated (like those fancy ones you see in stores). So cool.
This is great for any age (I am definitely planning on returning to do a trip in the spring and incorporate her neighbors that are wineries, too). I brought a 3 year old with me and she was ecstatic doing an egg scavenger hunt around the property, and sticking her hands in the coops to collect eggs. Even I didn’t tire of it! So neat. Definitely a must-see…not to mention the drive out there shows you heaven. I drove from Reston and it took about 45 minutes — all of rt. 50 is just gorgeous. The Ashby Inn is next door and a great B&B (so I’ve heard) to stay at over the weekend for a get-​away too.

Wow!!! I should stop there but I won’t. This is a great place to pick up some fresh produce or merely spend the weekend escaping from the city. I don’t see any posts about the animals, but they are a must see attraction. I was a little confused at first to see llamas and emus out in Shenandoah, but I spoke to the owner and he explained that the farm is actually a certified wildlife habitat. I found the staff to be helpful and the produce good, and am already planning a return trip out.

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting.
What a great place!!!
Everyone we talked to and with were super!
If you are heading out that way make sure to put it on your «must see» list.
Great website too!
Thank-​you all for a very very nice time!
Chris and Maggie

If you’re looking for a really unique and relaxing country experience, this is the place to stop by, and don’t be surprised if you end up staying the whole afternoon, we did! Between a few wine tastings at some nearby wineries, some friends and I stopped by here to check out the farm store, we expected a few items, but it was way bigger than any farm stores I’d been to, with farm grown produce and lots of gift type items too. I want to live in that barn too, it’s fantastic!
The owner chatted with us for a while telling us about the animals there (it’s an animal rescue so there are lots of unique animals to see — great for kids too — and it also means all the profits from the farm are going to a great cause), she was really nice and excited to tell us about everything. We browsed the store for a while, I got some goats milk soaps, farm grown vegetables, eggs fresh that day (!) but there was loads of other gift type items including wool scarves and things made from the sheep and alpaca’s on the farm.
We sat outside and enjoyed the view and peaceful atmosphere for several hours, it was quite hard to leave. I would highly recommend this experience for anyone driving around here, there’s nothing like it!

We walked in and the owner was in a fairy costume. She had a friend there pushing her hubby’s new winery. I am so jealous of these women… Why didn’t I marry a lawyer so I could live out my Shenandoah dream?
We bought some of her bread and pies (baked in her Falls Church house), which were average. I bought some heirloom tomatoes that were delicious. Some of the soaps smelled divine and I kept returning to them, but I’m more of a body wash gal and couldn’t plunk down $ 10 for a square of it. I was bitter as I checked in via Unilocal as we we left and saw the «free soap with purchase» announcement – especially since I was chatting with the owner about Unilocal,Living Social, etc. and I thought she could have mentioned it. She hooked me up with a free throwback Pepsi though, so I can’t really be angry.
This place is pretty unique – even quirky. Put it on your to-​do list, but it’s probably not the best pick-​your-​own option. However, if you want to see sheep from biblical times, hear some kooky stories and smell some yummy soap, this is your spot.

We came here with our kids and had a great time! The kids loved seeing the goats, chickens, emu and sheep. We sat outside and had a snack while enjoying the scenery. We bought some delicious tomatoes and fresh eggs.
This is a great place to incorporate as part of a day trip to the area. Maybe explore historic Paris, VA, a nearby winery or Great Meadows National Park. An easy drive off I-​66.

I had been to other pick-​your-​own farms in the area, and after seeing a coupon deal for this one, I decided to give it a try. First, they have limited hours of operation, but it is a working farm (aren’t they all?). Still, I made it there during the two hours they were open on Saturday. Walking in I mentioned that I saw an advertisement for the farm and wanted to do the pick-​your-​own pumpkins. They said that someone would take me out shortly and I could look around at the farm produce they already had. They were very helpful when picking things out and I made several purchases. Some of the volunteers working there didn’t know all the prices, so they would have to go ask the owner or rely on the prices that she had posted throughout the store. After making my purchases I continued to wait for someone to take me out into the pumpkin patch. Eventually the owner came back to talk to me, and commented that I wasn’t charged the correct price for the green beans. I had been charged $ 2.50/pound when the price was $ 3.00/pound. I mentioned that the price was clearly posted as $ 2.50/pound and she said that didn’t matter and she hadn’t posted the price. Well, if the volunteers hadn’t then who posted the price in your hand-​writing? So, she went back and rang up my previously purchased produce at the «correct» price. Clearly the customer is not always right and neither are the store’s signs. After 45 minutes of waiting around to go into the pumpkin patch, the owner came back and said that I would just have to select one of the pre-​picked pumpkins. Clearly, they do not grasp the concept of pick-​your-​own. The whole experience seemed like a big waste of time.

It’s a pretty spot, but my boyfriend and I had an awful experience. We bought a coupon deal for pick-​your-​own pumpkins and other produce. After arriving, they told us we would have to wait to go out to the pumpkin field with a guide to avoid the emus laying eggs. They made us wait around for 40 minutes promising us that someone was on their way to take us out, then told us we couldn’t. They also charged us more money for other produce above the posted price per pound. This place seemed like a major rip-​off and I’m sorry we wasted our afternoon going all the way out there. Try Hollin Farms down the road.