White Post Farms

About White Post Farms

White Post Farms operates at 250 Old Country Road in Melville, New York, on Long Island. The business combines a working farm heritage with an animal attraction. Its website describes the Animal Farm as a petting zoo and also lists a farm market, a garden center, a seasonal Fall Farm Festival, birthday parties, and school field trips. The website brands the animal attraction as White Post Animal Farm of Melville.

The animal collection mixes farm animals with exotic species. The farm lists giraffes, zebras, camels, lemurs, squirrel monkeys, free-flying birds, ponies, and a range of domestic breeds. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

According to the farm’s history page, the Brigati family settled on Long Island in 1876, purchasing land, planting vegetables, and raising a family. The history page notes that by the early 20th century potatoes had become Long Island’s most important cash crop, and that in the 1940s Long Island farms began to focus on other vegetables, including tomatoes, cabbage, celery, and onions. In 1953 the farm began distributing vegetables to grocery stores across Long Island, and in 1964 it opened its first formal farm stand.

In the mid-1960s Ron Brigati began growing plants and flowers from seed for sale, and the farm describes itself as the first on Long Island to grow and sell annuals. It was renamed White Post Farms in 1971, after white posts that marked the farm’s entrance. A plant fundraiser for local schools and charities began in 1974, and in 1981 homemade pies and breads were added.

The Animal Farm opened in 1989, with a goat named Billy as its first resident. The first Fall Farm Festival followed in 1991, which the farm describes as the first of its kind on Long Island, and birthday parties began in 1993. Ronnie’s Birdie Landing aviary opened in 2011. The farm acquired its first giraffe in 2016 and a second giraffe in 2019. The history page also lists the farm’s pie wins at national competitions in 2015 and 2017.

Exhibits and habitats

The farm’s attraction pages describe several distinct areas.

Giraffe Experience. The farm calls this its main attraction. Visitors can get close to the giraffes, take photographs, and feed them. According to the farm, it is open seven days a week and included with Animal Farm admission. The farm’s animal page lists the reticulated giraffe, from the Horn of Africa.

Animal Farm. Visitors can hand-feed and bottle-feed animals and hold babies, according to the farm; animal food is sold separately. The animal page names Grant’s zebras, Bactrian and dromedary camels, nilgai antelope, aoudad, zebu, Brahman cattle, miniature Hereford cattle, alpacas, kunekune pigs, Patagonian cavies, dwarf rabbits, goats, sheep, ponies, miniature horses, and miniature donkeys. It also lists chickens, ostriches, red-eared slider turtles, African spurred tortoises, and Japanese koi.

Primate Enrichment Barn. The farm describes an interactive barn with lemurs from Madagascar and squirrel monkeys, with coin-operated feeding stations. The animal page lists ring-tailed lemurs, squirrel monkeys, and Geoffroy’s marmosets.

Aviaries. Poppie’s Lorikeet Landing is a free-flying aviary of Australian lorikeets, where visitors feed the birds nectar from cups. The lorikeet aviary is open weather permitting, according to the farm. Ronnie’s Birdie Landing is described as an aviary along a 70-foot stream, holding budgies, lovebirds, and cockatiels that visitors feed from birdseed sticks. The animal page also names umbrella cockatoos, guinea turacos, violet turacos, and African grey parrots.

The Dinosaur Adventure. The farm describes this as a permanent dinosaur exhibit with full-size animatronic dinosaurs, with synchronized sounds and movement. A Tyrannosaurus rex and a woolly mammoth are named, along with a Jurassic-themed playground and giant dinosaur eggs for photographs. The farm states that it is included with regular Animal Farm admission.

Other activities listed include pony rides, with a 65-pound rider weight limit, and a train ride that requires a token for each rider. The farm states that children under 36 inches must ride the train with an adult. The Singin’ Chicken Show is listed as an educational performance included with admission. Seasonal activities include hayrides through the cornfields and a pumpkin field in the fall, and egg hunts at Easter.

Conservation and programs

White Post Farms lists four conservation organizations it supports. They are Global Wildlife Conservation, Save Giraffes Now, Trees for the Future, and the World Parrot Trust. The farm states that its sponsorship of Trees for the Future has contributed to the planting of more than 30,000 trees.

The farm also runs school field trips and birthday party packages. Party packages are listed as including farm admission, pony rides, animal interaction, pizza and juice, and use of a party room. The farm sells season passes and gift cards, and its website states that veterans and active military with valid ID receive free admission during designated periods. The Fall Farm Festival runs on weekends and Columbus Day, according to the farm.

Planning your visit

The farm’s website directs visitors to its online calendar for admission hours and days open, and states that shows, packages, activities, prices, dates, and times are subject to change without notice. The website lists tickets for weekday and weekend or holiday visits, available through its online booking links, and states that in-person purchases are cash only. Ticket details are on the farm’s website.

According to the farm’s plan-your-visit page, parking is free. Bags and backpacks are inspected before entry. The page lists a number of restricted items, including alcohol, animal and bird food, glass containers, hard-sided coolers, scooters, roller skates, bicycles, dogs, frisbees, balls, drones, weapons, knives, straws, and self-balancing vehicles. Dogs are not allowed in the animal farm area, because the farm says they can cause anxiety to exotic animals, but they are permitted in the farm market and garden center.

Food is available from a concession and the farm market, and picnic tables are provided. The farm says it accommodates special dietary needs on request. Wheelchairs are available inside the farm, and guests with special assistance needs are asked to contact the farm in advance. The farm lists directions by the Northern State Parkway, the Long Island Expressway, and the Southern State Parkway, and by train from the Huntington Station LIRR stop.