Morningside Living History Farm, Gainesville

There is no charge for entrance to the Nature Center or for parking. There are no handicap accessible areas on the farm. The restrooms are located in the picnic area and are very clean. The picnic area is also spotless, with 25 concrete picnic tables with adequate shade around all. Trash receptacles are plentiful and in the parking area are recycling containers for paper, plastic and metal. There are no places to purchase food or drinks on the Nature Center however there are two water fountains in the picnic area and one in the farm area. My suggestion is to bring a picnic lunch and drink and enjoy the day. There are no grills in the picnic area so precooked food items are suggested. Following a dirt trail that was covered in leaves we made our way to the farms entrance which was only a few hundred feet from the picnic area. The trail breaks of into two directions, one leads to the Morningside Nature trials and the other to the entrance of the Living History Farm. Upon reaching the gate of the farm you can see a more modern structure to the right. This is the Half Moon School house which was built in 1938. It is a single room schoolhouse reminiscent of the schoolhouses from the late 1800�s. Entrance to the schoolhouse is only accessible during special events or functions. There is an old water pump in front of the school that while not operational will entertain the smaller children for a few minutes while they try to figure out what it is and how it works. The largest building on the farm and most interesting is the Hogan Cabin. It was built in the mid 1800�s by an Irish Immigrant Michael McCarroll. Again entrance to this building is limited to special events and functions. You are able to peek inside the home and see the rustic furnishings that the pioneers that once lived in used to accommodate themselves. While very basic it is still very interesting to see how the pioneers survived with so little in the form of creature comforts and today�s technology. There is a Syrup kettle and sugar cane press that in the farm area and both are operational. During the winter usually the weekend following Thanksgiving the farm has volunteers that reenacts an actual cane grinding and produces cane syrup. If you arrive on a Saturday during the cooler months the farm area thrives with volunteers that wear period costume and bake biscuits and syrup for the sampling the traditional way during the 1800�s. Oh did I mention that all of this is free? There are animals on the farm, however, this is not a petting zoo. The farm requests that you do not attempt to pet or feed the animals. On Saturdays and during most days during the week you can arrive at 9am or 4:30pm to allow small children to partake in assisting the help feed the animals. Animals consist of hens, roosters, cows, sheep, pigs, and horses and/or mules. There is also a Blacksmith Forge and an Outhouse. Both are open to the public on Saturdays and for special occasions and events. During the special occasion and certain Saturdays the farm does have an actual blacksmith which you can see forge metal wears. As for the outhouse well even if it was open I don�t think anyone would care to see it in operation. The farm includes a sugarcane crop and a working vegetable garden which volunteers tend to throughout the year. This is a working homestead out of the pages of the 1800�s and has been well cared for and maintained throughout the years. If you find yourself without anything to do on a bright sunny afternoon I suggest stepping out and taking a walk around the farm and/or trails. Its great exercise in a partly shaded surrounding and you can even make a picnic of it. It is even educational and I recommend checking it out on a Saturday where you can witness the period dressed volunteers performing the daily routine 1800 farm life.