You Can Visit This Reindeer Farm In Washington

You can visit this reindeer farm in Washington and live out all your childhood dreams. Tucked away in the mountains of Leavenworth, Washington is the cutest little reindeer farm where, during the holidays, you can come and PET REINDEER! And, if you are anything like me, ask them repeatedly to stop picking on Rudolph because that’s not very nice. No need to travel to Finland or take a cruise to Anchorage, Alaska – this West Coast reindeer farm is a hop, skip, and a jump away from Seattle.

While on our trip to the cute town of Leavenworth, Washington, we made to sure to set time aside to visit this family reindeer farm just a few miles outside of town. Farm tours are ticketed and they fill up fast, so if petting all the cute reindeer is on your list of things to do while visiting Leavenworth, make sure to buy tickets in advance! Tickets are $15 per adults, buy online here.

While on our visit to Leavenworth, we lucked out with a fresh snowfall, so the entire valley was covered in snow. A true winter wonderland! The view of the mountains behind the reindeer farm was stunning and made for a true North Pole inspired experience. Getting to the farm is easy. Most people drive – the parking lot is a tad small but we squeezed our car in there. Or, you can take a taxi from your hotel.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE REINDEER FARM

Tours start right on time so make sure you’re there at least 10 minutes early so you can check in and grab yourself a free hot cocoa while waiting! You’ll wait around a fire and then one of the owners will come out to tell you about the history of the farm and some fun reindeer facts (along with some punny jokes as well!) The farm opened in 2016 and all the reindeer came from the Palmer Reindeer Farm in Alaska. The reindeer farm in Alaska is the biggest reindeer farm in North America!

After the introduction, you’ll go down to the pen with the female reindeers. Their bull apparently gets picked on by the girls (lolz) so they keep him away in a separate pen. All the reindeer you’ll feed and meet are ladies! They take safety seriously here and do a great job at reminding you like 10 times not to get your face near the antlers, not to let children roam around the animals, etc. Their goal is to keep you and the reindeer safe!

Everyone gets a small cup of feed so you can feed the reindeer! They LOVE the feed and will come running up to you to grab a snack. You’ll have to be careful not to get whacked in the face by antlers. Photos are welcomed here – don’t be shy about cameras or videos! After everyone is done the feeding, they’ll bring Elsa, one of the reindeers, to the corner so you can have a photo with her and the mountains in the backdrop.

Yes – the reindeer are all named after characters in Frozen.

You maybe only get about 20 minutes in the pen, which is the only thing I wish they did differently. I wish we could have spent a longer time there. They do get you in and get you out fast. But I do suppose that is to accommodate all the tours of the day and to keep the reindeer safe! I loved learning about reindeer (did you know they can survive temps below -100?!) and it was very fun and educational to see them close. My takeaway? They’re kinda goofy and mischievous animals.

If you are visiting the area and are looking for things to do in Leavenworth, the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm is a must! As all the reviews probably say, just make sure to buy tickets online first!

They’ll email them to you and also send visitor information (like, don’t wear clothes that you wore to a sheeps farm, and other things along with contact information. ) The Leavenworth Reindeer Farm is open year-round, so if you’re coming in the summer or in October for Oktoberfest, you can still pet these ladies! It’s one of those Washington State bucket list things you can’t miss. 

If you have any questions at all, leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram @thewhimsysoul!