Goats, mini golf, and homemade ice cream share one working dairy farm in Ohio
Somewhere in southwestern Ohio, a two-lane road rolls past cornfields and then, without warning, delivers you to a parking lot full of families holding waffle cones. There are goats leaning over a fence for a handful of feed, a putting green shaped like a barnyard, and the smell of fried cheese curds drifting out of a screen door.
It is a real dairy farm that somehow also became a place people drive hours to reach. If you like your farm visits with a side of milkshake, this one earns the detour.
A Working Farm at 6880 Springfield Xenia Road
Young’s Jersey Dairy sits at 6880 Springfield Xenia Rd in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on a stretch of road where farmland still outnumbers buildings. Google Maps files it under ice cream shop, which is technically accurate and wildly incomplete.
The property functions as a genuine dairy operation, a restaurant, a cheese store, and an entertainment venue all sharing the same address. Cows are milked here daily.
Cheese is made behind viewing windows. Ice cream is churned on site.
Then there are the goats, the two miniature golf courses, the batting cages, the driving range, the carousel, and a slide that kids sprint back to over and over. The mix sounds chaotic on paper, yet it holds together because the farm came first and everything else grew around it.
With a 4.6 rating across more than 14,000 reviews, the place clearly resonates with people well beyond Greene County. One visitor described stopping in for an hour and leaving three hours later, which is roughly the standard experience.
Free parking, free access to the animals, and paid tickets for the rides keep the entry barrier low.
Family Roots Reaching Back to 1869
Back in 1869, this land started producing milk, and it has stayed in the same family ever since. That continuity is unusual in American agriculture, where farms change hands constantly and dairies close faster than they open.
What began as a straightforward milking operation slowly added a retail counter, then ice cream, then attractions that had nothing to do with cattle at all. A longtime guest who first visited in 1985 came back recently and barely recognized the layout, calling it a leap from a small mom and pop stop to something far bigger.
Another regular has been coming annually for roughly 27 years, having first been brought by her father as a child. Stories like that repeat across the review pages, generation handing the tradition to the next.
The tricky part of growth is keeping the original character intact, and visitors consistently note that the nostalgia survived the expansion. Barn smells, calves, hand-scooped cones, and staff who talk about the herd with genuine affection all remain.
Guided Saturday tours dig into the food science and the farm’s history for anyone curious about how it all works.
Goats, Calves, and the Barn Everyone Ends Up In
Feeding the goats gets mentioned in reviews well over a hundred times, and it is easy to understand why once you are standing at the rail with a cup of feed. The goats are pushy in the friendliest possible way, jostling for position and making excellent photo subjects.
Inside the barn you will often find baby calves, and if timing cooperates, newborn kids tucked into a back stall. One family happened to spot a mother goat with kids that looked hours old, which is the kind of moment no ticketed attraction can schedule.
Cows get milked daily, and guests can watch the routine unfold. Cheese production is visible through windows too, connecting the animals outside to the curds on your plate a few steps later.
Accessibility deserves a mention here. Ramps lead in and out of the barn, and one wheelchair user traveling from Alabama said she reached every animal alongside her family without difficulty.
Seeing the animals costs nothing, so this portion of the visit stays open to anyone who pulls into the lot.
Udders and Putters: Thirty-Six Holes of Barnyard Golf
Two full 18-hole courses carry the name Udders and Putters, which tells you the humor level before you ever pick up a club. Farm-themed obstacles keep the design consistent with everything around it, and the pacing works for mixed-age groups where one player is eight and another is sixty-eight.
A trio of visitors in their fifties and sixties reported laughing their way through the holes and racking up silly photo opportunities along the way. Families with older kids point out that mini golf and the batting cages give teenagers something to do while younger siblings chase goats.
Pricing gets described as reasonable by several groups, particularly compared with the per-ticket rides elsewhere on the property.
Nearby sit the batting cages, mentioned in nearly three hundred reviews, plus a golf driving range for anyone who wants to swing something bigger than a putter. The combination of sports and agriculture in one field is genuinely odd and completely charming.
Play a round before you eat. Cheese curds and a full stomach do not improve anyone’s putting stroke.
Ice Cream Churned on Site, Cones Pressed to Order
Cotton candy flavor with tiny coated chocolate chips inspired one fan to drive three and a half hours for a scoop, and honestly that is a reasonable response to a good ice cream. Dozens of flavors rotate through the year, with seasonal specials appearing alongside the year-round lineup.
Everything is made right on the property using a special mix, and waffle cones get pressed fresh while you wait. Peanut butter and cookie dough, chocolate shakes, and a peanut butter marshmallow milkshake all earn specific praise from guests.
A solid selection of dairy free options exists too, and people who ordered them said the quality held up rather than feeling like an afterthought.
Timing matters more than you would expect. Early afternoon visitors often walk straight up to the counter with no line, while peak weekend hours mean a wait and a hunt for a table.
Sundaes, shakes, and cones all move quickly once you reach the front. The cheese store next door sells curds and blocks to take home, and more than one guest wished they had packed a cooler.
Cheese Curds, Burgers, and Two Very Different Dining Rooms
Cheese curds dominate the conversation here, showing up in roughly 471 separate reviews, which may be a record for a single side dish. Fried hot and crispy, they pair alarmingly well with a chocolate shake.
Dining splits into two experiences. The dairy bar handles the fast side of things, where you order, take a number, grab a table, and wait for your name over the speaker.
A sit-down restaurant covers fuller meals.
Burgers get called out for freshness, and the chicken sandwich with pepper jack uses cheese made steps away. Potato wedges arrive crisp outside and soft inside with cheese for dipping, and the zucchini bread has developed its own quiet following.
Reubens, chicken and dumplings, and a rotating menu round things out. Not every dish lands perfectly, and staff have handled misses with quick apologies and refunds according to guests.
A practical tip surfaces repeatedly: scan the QR code and order through the app during busy stretches. The line at the counter can stretch long, while app orders move considerably faster.
Carousel Rides, Corn Mazes, and the Seasonal Calendar
Autumn transforms the property. A corn maze opens, pumpkins pile up, and longtime visitors treat the fall trip as a fixed annual ritual rather than an option.
Year-round, the carousel draws steady lines and gets described as genuinely beautiful. It is also equipped with straps that allow wheelchair users to ride while staying in their chairs, a detail one guest called out with real gratitude.
A fast slide, wagon rides through the fields, and Halloween-season events fill out the entertainment side. Ride tickets are purchased individually, and a few visitors have noted the wagon ride and carousel feel short relative to the ticket cost, so budgeting a few extra tickets is smart.
Party rooms can be rented for birthdays, and families have celebrated everything from kids’ parties to a spouse’s birthday on the grounds.
Guided Saturday tours run for anyone wanting the behind-the-scenes version, covering food science and dairy operations in a way guests describe as engaging rather than technical.
Restrooms stay clean, staff get consistent praise, and the grounds are kept tidy even on packed weekends.
Hours, Costs, and Whether the Drive Pays Off
Doors open at 11 AM Monday through Friday, with weekend hours starting earlier at 9 AM on Saturday and Sunday. Closing runs 9 PM most nights and stretches to 10 PM on Friday and Saturday.
Reaching the farm is straightforward: 6880 Springfield Xenia Rd, Yellow Springs, sitting between Springfield and Xenia in Greene County. Call ahead at 937-325-0629 or check youngsdairy.com for seasonal event dates and tour availability.
Seeing the animals and wandering the grounds costs nothing. Mini golf, batting cages, the driving range, carousel, slide, and wagon rides each carry a fee, and a few families have mentioned the per-ticket structure adds up faster than expected.
Food prices land in fair territory according to most guests, with quality that surprises people expecting standard roadside fare.
Who fits best here? Families with young children, grandparents building memories, and road trippers who like their stops unhurried and slightly strange.
Plan on three hours minimum. Arrive hungry, bring a cooler for cheese, and let the goats have the last word.