As long-time followers will know, I’m all about the animals, especially when you can touch them. So when I found the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm, I knew I had to stop by. Stephen enjoys the animals, but was happy to let me go while he stayed back with Truffles – it was moving day and we’d checked out of our hotel already. They hit the brewery while I went to the farm.
Leavenworth is a very small area and the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm, a family-run (no, seriously – I’ll get to that in a bit) business is right near downtown Leavenworth. You need to book ahead to ensure there’s a spot and make sure you haven’t been near any sheep or goats in the last three days before your visit. There’s ample parking and you enter through this fantastic entrance.
The first thing you’ll come to is the bio-security checkpoint. Leavenworth Reindeer Farm is one of the few exceptions to the law allowing service dogs to be on the property, therefore even a dedicated service animal is not allowed on site. You need to cross the mat and squish your shoes to ensure you’re helping keep the herd healthy.
If you’re early you can grab some snacks, or hang around after for a treat while you relive your reindeer adventure. Insider tip – if you’ve never been you won’t know about “The Olaf” which are potato lefse made on-site by Great-Grandpa Olaf. They’re Norway’s answer to the churro and they’re delicious when they’re fresh at the farm. You’ll find out about them on the tour, but it wouldn’t hurt to grab one beforehand and then again after!
As you can imagine, anything reindeer-themed is also likely to be Christmas-themed and that only adds to its charm for me! They have a large barn full of wonderful items for Christmas, plus other cute Leavenworth Reindeer Farm merch like shirts and sweatshirts that say “I met Sven” or (the one I got) “Reindeer Aviation – Teaching Santa’s Reindeer to Fly Since 2016.”
It was finally time for the tour, so I followed the herd *pun intended* to the introduction and safety briefing. It’s here that you learn the history of the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm, fun reindeer facts and how to safely interact with the reindeer which are in two separate enclosures – one for people under 12 and one for ages 12+. Cupid’s Corner is filled with more docile and friendly reindeer for all children under the age of 12.
I didn’t catch all the names but this is “mom.” She’s one of the four generations that own and run the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. The video is introduced by one of her daughters and she gives important reindeer facts likes nose and antlers 101.
Finally, after our safety briefing it was time to go to see the reindeer. We were given a small cup of food, but most of the year they eat natural and wild. They were waiting for one more week for the willow to be ready for the reindeer, along with other branches, so they could be delivered. Most of the year you’re provided with willow (and other tree) branches for them to eat and Christmas trees at Christmas time!
The reindeer that are interested in snacks will come up to you. The others lay nearby and you leave them to rest. I was there during calving season, so there were baby reindeer all around and being born while we were there. Here’s some photos from my experience and some reindeer facts for you.
Reindeer fact: Baby reindeer can walk after 5 minutes, run after 10 minutes and swim after 15 minutes of being born.
Reindeer fact: Reindeer have 7,000-10,000 hair follicles per inch – they were shedding their winter coats which is why they look so scruffy!
Reindeer fact: Reindeer have velvet on their antlers while they grow back each year – the velvet will eventually get scraped off.
Reindeer fact: Reindeer don’t have front teeth (that’s just creative license when Sven uses his teeth to chase Olaf’s carrot nose in Frozen). They only have a hard palate at the front and molars to the back.
Reindeer fact: Reindeer hooves “click” when they walk. This is a form of communication and baby reindeer can pick out their mom’s distinctive click from the whole herd.
Reindeer fact: Baby reindeer’s hooves don’t click until they are a year old.
Reindeer fact: Reindeer nasal cavities are huge to allow for the air to swirl around and warm up before going into their lungs since they can live in temperatures of -100°F.
Here’s a short video I put together of some clips I took while at the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. Listen for those hoof clicks!
When the tour is over, you make your way out through Cupid’s Corner so that adults can meet those reindeer too. Then there’s more time for shopping or snacks before you head home.
They do have a few other small animals at the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm you can see including bunnies and miniature horses.
Going to the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm was so much fun. The animals are very well cared for and the family that runs it really seems to have a heart for the conservation of reindeer and the knowledge to give them their best life possible.
[…] (and probably you, dear readers) would be an understatement. It’s well known that I love the animals. It’s also been established that if there’s a chance to touch an animal, I’ll be […]