Nestled within the pastures of Peapack, NJ, lies a scenic piece of 15-acre farmland featuring adorable, fluffy alpacas. At Bluebird Farm Alpacas, guests are invited to meet, feed, photograph, and even go on a stroll with these friendly animals. The farm hosts weekend farm tours, private events, and special experiences for guests of all ages to enjoy. Additionally, there is an adjacent farm store stocked with unique gifts made from Alpaca fiber harvested onsite.
Alpaca Education
Farm tours begin with an informative talk from Nick Villa, the farm’s owner for over 10 years. Guests learn various facts about alpacas, starting with the contrast between alpacas and llamas. While they may be similar, the most common distinctions from one another are their size, fur, and face shape. Unlike llamas, alpacas won’t spit unless they have a reason to. Guests also learn about the best places to pet an alpaca, which is on their back, as they are not fond of being touched on the head.
There are two types of alpacas: Suri and Huacaya. Suri alpacas have long, cascading locks of fiber that drape down and appear similar to dreadlocks. Huacaya alpacas maintain a teddy-bear-like coat featuring tight, soft curls. There are only 300,000 alpacas in the United States, as they mainly reside in their native continent of South America. Alpacas are notably calm, gentle, and affectionate creatures who love to socialize with people, making the offered meet-and-greet experience one to remember.
A Warm, Fuzzy Welcome
After the introduction, guests are allowed to roam freely around the alpaca pen, where they can pet, feed, and take selfies with any of the alpacas. When interacting with them, it is evident that each of the 14 alpacas on the farm has their own personality. Blue is a white-furred gentle giant weighing around 230 pounds as the biggest alpaca on the farm. He is known for his sweet disposition and loves hugs, always taking the opportunity to snuggle up to any willing guest.
Princess Nazca is called a princess for a reason- she believes she is royalty and loves posing for her farmers-only profile. She is in a relationship with grey-furred Silver Hawk, who loves to flaunt his alpha male energy around the farm. Known as Mr. steal-your-girl, Silver Hawk enjoys appearing in photos and believes every day is for the boys, not just Saturdays. Additionally, his other partner is Meredith, who is known for her strong, feisty nature.
Once meets and greets conclude, it is time for the alpaca walk. Paying guests are permitted to explore the farm by accompanying an alpaca using a halter and lead line. Guests have a backdrop of bright red barns and beautiful green pastures as they lead their alpaca through the dirt paths of the farmland. Once more, guests can take pictures and videos on their walk, getting an up-close-and-personal experience
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Not only is BlueBird Farm Alpacas an entertaining adventure for visitors but is also a gratifying one for employees, too. Alpaca Ambassador Aliza describes the best parts about working on the farm and getting to take care of and foster a personal relationship with each of the alpacas.
“It is a very calming job,” She shared. “The alpacas just make me so happy, and I love them.”
Farm-To-Shop
As the tour comes to a close, guests are encouraged to visit the one-of-a-kind 100% Alpaca Fiber Store for handmade gifts available for purchase. Alpacas have the finest natural fleece in the world, as it is softer, warmer, and more durable than the fiber of other mammals. In fact, it is 8 times warmer than sheep wool! Alpaca fiber is also hypoallergenic as it does not contain lanolin or the use of harmful chemicals.
Coming in 22 natural colors, guests have a wide selection of handicrafts to choose from such as hats, scarves, gloves, socks, and even felted soap. The most notable aspect is the connecting tags revealing the exact alpaca that donated its fur to the product. For example, Juneau is one of the alpacas whose fibers were harvested and woven into a beautiful handmade scarf.
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To plan a visit, alpaca tours are available to book on weekends by reservation only through the BlueBird Farm Alpacas official website. Farm Tours cost $14, with the additional add-on of Alpaca Walking priced at $24. The BlueBird Farm Alpacas welcomes visitors from April through December, but the most preferred month to visit is April as that is when the alpacas’ fur appears with the most fluff.
