Saturday, June 13, 2009

Grant's Farm

Grant's Farm, in St. Louis, is the 281-acre ancestral home of the Anheuser-Busch family.


It's a popular tourist attraction, maybe because it's a real deal - just $11 a carload. For that you get a tram tour, a mini-zoo, animal shows, and of course --


FREE BEER!!!


The property is home to more than 1000 animals, representing more than 100 different species from 6 of the 7 continents.


The funniest section is a pen-full of baby goats. They give all the kids baby bottles full of milk, and the goats chase the kids around to try to get fed. It's so different from other petting zoos, where the kids chase the goats around!


The animals are very friendly, like this camel.


There was a bird show and an elephant show. This parrot tried to take the place of the eagle on the Anheuser-Busch logo.


Didn't he do a good job?


Of course, the most famous animals here are the Budweiser Clydesdales. About 15 foals are born each year. This one showed me how he peed. The foals weigh in at 150 pounds at birth.


The Clydesdales are known for their size, about 6 feet tall at the "withers," or where the neck meets the back. They weigh 2,000-2,300 pounds.


They're also known for the shaggy hair on their legs below their knees.


And they have REALLY big feet!


The Farm gets its name from President Ulysses S. Grant, who farmed the property in the 1850s. This is the cabin he built for his family, although they only lived here a couple months before moving back to --


Mrs. Grant's family home across the street. She apparently was "homesick."

The color of the house is the original color, called "Paris Green." There is nothing wrong with the picture, it really IS that ugly.

5 comments:

  1. Loved the camel! You do know they SPIT??? You were brave (?) to get so close. ;)

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  2. Ohhhhh - I forgot about the spit! No wonder everyone was laughing at me....

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  3. I thought that was llamas. Love the Clydesdales - we'll have to go there.

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  4. I love Mrs. Grant's home (except for the color) The front and back doors being opposite each other creates a breezeway and cools the rooms. I can just imagine sitting on the balcony with a good book. Ohhhhhh.

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  5. Love those horses!! Hope you had a beer for me.

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