A Farm Visit With a Wheelchair-Tips for Visiting Outdoor Venues
Day trips are perfect for special needs families! There’s a change of environment without being too far from home!
Read on to see how you can determine if a venue is suitable for your family when a disability is involved as I describe our adventure at the farm.
I have fond memories of berry picking and cobbler from childhood and reliving that nostalgia was on our summer bucket list this year. My mom and I took my three children, ages 16, 7, and 3 to Southern Belle Farms in McDonough, Georgia. If you’re new here, Kaylee, my eldest, has cerebral palsy and uses a powered wheelchair for mobility.
Before our visit could even be confirmed, I called to find out details about the facility area. I had many questions which were met with kind and patient answers. Here are questions you should ask before planning a day at an outside venue when accompanying someone with a disability and or wheelchair.
1. What type of ground covering can we expect? Gravel? Is there any loose rocks or pea gravel? Any wood chips? If yes to any of these types of ground covering, is there access to all areas around it?
2. What is the bathroom arrangements? Are there handicap assessable bathrooms? Are these easily accessed from different areas of the property? If porta potties are typically available only for visitors, is there an option for a standard bathroom for wheelchair users for those who need help in the restroom?
3. Is there an air-conditioned building?
4. Is food and beverage available for purchase? Can outside food and beverage be brought?
5. Are there any areas of the property you would not consider handicap accessible? Are there any areas of the property that a wheelchair would not fit or be wise to traverse?
6. Can you describe the overall terrain— are there hills? Uneven ground?
7. What is the parking situation? What’s the distance from the parking lot and are there designated handicap parking spaces?
I was pleasantly surprised that the answers given were appropriate enough to plan a visit from us!
The key is always calling and talking with someone who will give you truthful and direct answers. Unfortunately most places do not give such details on their website so a personal contact is definitely ideal along with expressing the importance of the details they can provide.
We drove an hour and a half to visit Southern Belle Farm so we knew we wanted to make a whole day of it. The weather was extremely hot so we came prepared with all the cooling necessities Kaylee requires. You can see more about temperature regulation here.
Upon arrival, the parking lot was huge! I loved how organized the rows were and there was ample space near the front for handicap vehicles. The ground covering for the parking was primarily grass. So as long as the ground isn’t wet from a recent rain, a Wheelchair should be good to drive on it. The answer to my ground covering questions in general were positive. This is what we were told and found to be true: there’s very little gravel just before entering the market store and some wood chips in the outdoor covered eating areas. Both were avoidable with alternate paths. The primary ground covering for the entire property is dirt and grass.
We had no trouble parking, unloading, in a handicap space right at the entrance.
There are so many photo ops around the farm. The little kids had to jump up on the giant chair first thing!
The overall appearance of Southern Belle Farm was so lovely and inviting!!
We were so excited to be able to have Kaylee with us for the experience.
We started with a bathroom break, as you can imagine, after a long drive. The bathrooms inside the market were small but at least air-conditioned. Later in our visit we discovered very large bathroom facilities on the porch of the market store. Not only were they spacious but extremely clean and well-maintained.
Speaking of toileting, there are bathroom options scattered throughout the property including the dreaded porta potties out in the fields (I sure am glad they have that option though), but knowing there is a perfect wheelchair bathroom available is so important to us.
To begin berry picking or other other produce and flower harvesting, we headed out of the market and to the small buildings that mark the entrance to the fields. Here you’ll choose what you plan to pick during your visit and pay upfront. Depending on the season, you’ll have choices of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, and flowers.
The flower fields were narrow so we elected to stick with all the produce! While I think a wheelchair would fit through the strawberry aisles, Kaylee didn’t pick those since they were on the ground. She was in charge of overseeing our work and quality control. We all agreed these were the tastiest strawberries we’d ever had.
We traveled over to the peach orchard next which was further than we realized. On a cooler day, I’m sure walking the property is quite enjoyable, but our visit was on a 97° day! Peaches were wonderful for the whole family to experience. They were the perfect height for Kaylee to pull off the branches. She was so proud of herself, as were we!
Pro tip!! We brought a Bluetooth speaker so we could play music while we played and harvested in the fields. There’s surprisingly great service on all the farm!
We also made a stop in the blueberry and blackberry vines which were also a good height for a wheelchair user. I loved that in this region there were picnic tables in a shady wooded area. I think it’s important how the farm is laid out with areas to rest and cool off along with the toileting facilities.
I did notice golf carts that patrolled the grounds which is very smart. I’m sure on a day as hot as the day we visited, it would be easy for someone to become overheated and need medical assistance out in the middle of a field. I appreciate the level of safety involved with their set up.
We finished our visit at the market store with ice cream, cobblers, and fun beverages. It truly is a beautiful general store with perfect souvenir options and special grocery selections of homemade goodies.
I did notice the only area for eating was found outside under a covered space with picnic tables which are not wheelchair friendly. I didn’t see anyone using the space that day, likely because of the heat. Most people resigned to the rocking chairs on the beautiful wraparound porch.
This spacious porch is where we concluded the day. We did enjoy speaking with several employees and gazing at the beautiful views. The kids played with their souvenirs while my mom and I rested.
Southern Belle Farm appears to be truly massive in size. There were so many areas of the farm we did not get to participate in on our visit but would love to return to enjoy. It appeared there were acres and acres of barns and fun activities available on the property. I loved how as far as the eye can see there were buildings all designed in the same way with the same white exterior and red roofs. I truly felt like we were on a farm yet had many of the conveniences that us folks who are not farmers desire.
From the homey atmosphere to the friendly staff, I could tell this place is ran by a unified family. There aren’t many places with outdoor environments that are conducive to wheelchairs and disability so finding this treasure was remarkable! The hour and a half drive suddenly felt completely manageable knowing all the property has to offer. I can’t wait to visit Southern Belle Farms again!
