Chantilly Ridge Alpacas

The only reason I heard of this place is because I was reading a list of top 10 things to do in the state of Florida — and this was one of the 10!
Located in the ‘country’ part of Port Orange (just south of Daytona Beach), the farm can be a bit tricky to find. I had to plug the road name into my GPS, and then inch along as I got close. They just have a tiny sign leading into the farm. You actually have to pull into their driveway, get out and unlatch the gate, pull through, then latch the gate behind you.
The farm is run by a great couple, Fran and Vern, and their love for all the animals they raise is easily apparent. We called ahead to see if they were open Thanksgiving weekend, and even though we never heard back, decided to just stop by and see.
Vern greeted us right away when we pulled in. He pointed out a bunch of alpacas in the yard, including a leaping 2-​week old. There is also one ‘guard’ llama, which is bigger than the alpacas, and she apparently would protect them should a predator enter their enclosure.
Then Vern grabbed some feed and walked us over to a smaller gathering where we got to feed the alpacas. So cool — they eat right from your palm. They don’t love being touched, but you can stroke their necks. Vern kept up a running chatter the whole time, answering questions, giving details about them, etc. There are also a ton of chickens, geese, ducks, etc. running about the farm, so don’t freak out when the chickens swarm around your feet to eat all the food that drops from your hands as you feed the alpacas.
Just to be clear — this is not an amusement park pretending to be a farm. This is a working farm, that is kind enough to let you see what they do. There is no admission fee. They do have a tiny gift shop where they sell items made from alpaca wool. They also have a bed and breakfast, where you can stay and choose to do a ‘farm day’, to get a feel for how a farm operates.
This was a really cool experience, and I will definitely be back my next visit to the area.