Coggeshall Farm Museum (Bristol, RI)

Date Visited: June 18, 2016

Location: 1 Colt Drive, Bristol, Rhode Island (about half an hour from Providence and 1 hour from Boston, MA)  (401) 253-9062

Hours: presently open Tue-Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

December 15 – April 15
Open Weekends, 10 am to 4 pm
Open February 16 – 21, 2016 for February vacation

April 15 – December 15
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Cost:

Weekdays

Adults: $5
Seniors: $3
Children (3–12): $3
Children under 3: Free

Weekends

Adults: $7
Seniors: $5
Children (3–12): $5
Children under 3: Free

You can also purchase a membership for unlimited visits, free access to special events and discounts at their gift shop.  If you plan on going more than once or twice a year and especially if you go with your family, the membership is probably the best rate:

Individual membership: $25

Couples: $35

Family: $50

Parking:  There is a space for about 4 or 5 cars across from Coggeshall Farm.  You can also park at Colt State Park, which is adjacent to the farm but you may have to pay a fee to enter the park.

Size: 48 acres

Time To Allot For Visit: About An Hour

Dog Friendly: No (except for guide dogs)

Highlights: living museum, character actors, farm animals, historic style homes

Coggeshall Farm Museum

You often find the most wonderful places in the most unexpected places.  On an otherwise nondescript trail at Colt State Park used for cycling and running, lies a farm frozen in time.

Established in 1973, the Coggeshall Museum Farm features interpreters and authentic reenactments of farm life in the year 1799.  Every last detail from the tools they use to the bedding (mostly hay) is authentic to the time it represents.

I loved the houses and workshops at Coggeshall.  The homes and interiors were definitely the highlight of the trip for me.  The rooms were modest and fairly bare (and I thought my room was small).

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Even the papers and bills in the houses are accurate to those days.  They don’t accept them as legal tender though, in case you were wondering.

Coggeshall Farm Museum also has a variety of animals.  When I came to visit there were 2 steer, 11 sheep and several chickens, turkeys and other fowl.  I also got to see some newly hatched chicks.

When I asked how long they keep the animals there I was told they usually live 6 to 8 years and then they have a “retirement plan.”  Yes, everything gets used at the farm.

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There were several character actors working during my visit.  This gentleman was cutting wood to store (it’s never too early to get ready for long, chilly winter nights).  When I asked how long it would take to cut all the wood he said, “util it is done”.  Where has that work ethic gone?

The grounds are well kept and very pretty.  They also have a large grazing area for the animals.

Then there was Moe – the resident cat and pest control manager.  He was very friendly and playful as you can see.  Believe it or not, the chipmunk he’s hunting and carrying so gently escaped only a little worse for the wear.

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Coggeshall Farm also lets the patrons partake in some tasks (such as cutting wood) as long as it is supervised and they  have many events throughout the year such as Arts On The Farm and Farm Camp.  Check their website for more details.