EAST DUBUQUE FARM FIELD GUIDE
Day at the Farm: Milk a Cow, Ride a Pony, Eat Curds with the Berning Family
A two-hour, family-focused visit at Berning Acres in East Dubuque that pairs hands-on animal time, farm history, complimentary snacks, and ice cream.
Day at the Farm: Milk a Cow, Ride a Pony, Eat Curds with the Berning Family.
Adventure brief
Day at the Farm: Milk a Cow, Ride a Pony, Eat Curds with the Berning Family
Experience a family-friendly farm visit with the Berning Family in East Dubuque: enjoy a complimentary beverage and cheese curds, learn the history and operations of a working dairy, interact with animals, try milking a cow, take a pony ride, and finish back at the farm shop with ice cream and local curds.
Discover a charming family-friendly farm experience at Berning Acres in East Dubuque, Illinois. DAY at the FARM: Cows, Kids & Curds offers a unique hands-on adventure perfect for all ages. Begin your visit by sipping local beverages and savoring fresh cheese curds, while learning about the farm's rich history. Children and adults will delight in meeting friendly farm animals, milking a cow, and enjoying a scenic pony ride across the grounds. The interactive activities make this a perfect outing to connect with nature and farm life. To wrap up your day, indulge in homemade ice cream and more local cheese curds, creating sweet and savory memories. Whether you're looking for educational fun or a relaxing day outdoors, Berning Acres provides a wholesome experience that delights the senses and educates on farming traditions. Its rural setting near the Mississippi River makes it a great escape from nearby city life, inviting families to slow down and enjoy simple pleasures together.
Route Schematic
Route & Key Stops
The visit follows a straightforward flow from the farm shop to core dairy operations, animal areas and back to the shop for dessert.
Farm shop — arrival & welcome
Park outside the farm shop (look for two large white garage doors on your left). Guests are welcomed with a complimentary beverage and cheese curds and a brief introduction.
Farm tour — cow's kitchen, calf nursery, milking parlor
A guided walk covers the cow's feed storage, the calf nursery where visitors can try feeding a calf, the milking herd area and the milking parlor where guests are invited to try milking a cow.
Little Kingdom — 4H animals and pony rides
Visit the Berning children's 4H area to see chickens, ducks, goats, horses, a pony, sheep and more; guests can feed goats, possibly hold small animals, and take pony rides.
Return to the farm shop — ice cream and wrap-up
The visit concludes back at the farm shop with ice cream and local cheese curds to enjoy before departure.
The tour involves moving around the working farm and interacting with animals; the itinerary describes walking between farm areas and hands-on activities such as feeding calves and milking a cow.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Hands-on hospitality from the Berning family
Multiple visitors note the Berning family's knowledge, friendliness, and eagerness to share how they run their dairy farm, making the tour both educational and personal.
See (and try) dairy farming up close
The tour includes an overview of the farm's operations and a walkthrough of key areas—feed storage, calf nursery, the milking herd area and the milking parlor—where guests can try milking a cow and learn the process firsthand.
Animals, pony rides and hands-on moments
Little Kingdom showcases the Berning children's 4H animals—chickens, ducks, goats, horses, a pony, sheep and more—where guests can feed goats, hold small animals when available, and take pony rides.
What the day feels like
What the visit feels like
Over roughly two hours you’ll gather at the farm shop for a welcome beverage and cheese curds, hear the family’s introduction and farm history, then move through the working parts of the dairy—visiting the cow’s feed area, calf nursery, milking herd and milking parlor—before spending time with 4H animals, enjoying pony rides, and finishing with ice cream back at the shop.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this visit suits best
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The experience is approximately 120 minutes long.
Park outside the farm shop—look for two large white garage doors on your left—then enter the shop for the welcome beverage and cheese curds.
The visit includes a complimentary beverage and cheese curds at the start, a guided farm tour with animal interactions and milking opportunities, pony rides, and concludes with ice cream.
The visit is operated by Berning Acres in East Dubuque, Illinois.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the farm visit?
The experience lasts approximately 120 minutes.
Where do we meet and park?
Guests park outside the farm shop (two large white garage doors on your left) and are welcomed in the shop for a beverage and cheese curds.
Are snacks or food provided?
Guests receive a complimentary beverage and cheese curds at the start and finish the visit with ice cream and local cheese curds.
Will we interact with animals?
Yes; the itinerary includes visiting the calf nursery (with opportunities to feed a calf), seeing the milking herd and milking parlor, and spending time with 4H animals where guests can feed goats or hold small animals when available.
Can visitors try milking a cow?
Guests are invited to try milking a cow while on the tour at the milking parlor.
Are pony rides part of the visit?
Pony rides are offered during the visit.
How this guide was prepared
This field guide is synthesized using verified supplier specifications, route descriptions, and destination data. Some booking links may generate affiliate revenue for ADV Guides.
- Verified: 2026-09-05T19:27:08.077Z
Some booking links may generate revenue for ADV Guides or The Adventure Collective.
Availability, pricing, schedules and operating details can change.
Trip details and contextual sources were reviewed by ADV Guides Editorial.