Day Visit Option
Over the years we've been asked if people can stop by to check-out the Dog & Pony Ranch before booking an overnight visit. Other people are anxious to visit the Ranch when there isn't overnight availability for several months. And some overnight guests want to stay for an extra half day before or after their visit.
- $60 per person for up to 4 hours (can choose 10am-2pm or 11am-3pm and bring a picnic lunch, or select a time to align with barn animal feedings e.g. 9am-1pm or 2pm-6pm)
- Up to 8 people in 1 family/group (pets welcome too! NO parties/events)
Day guests get access to the many activities that overnight farm-stay guests enjoy on our private 60-acre ranch. After a brief welcome orientation tour (with opportunity to use the guest bathrooms and get water for the dogs), guests have time to hike the trails, swim in the pool-like pond, relax in the hot tub, and play various games such as foosball, ping pong, darts, basketball, horseshoes, cornhole, and more. Our ranch is very dog-friendly so guests can bring well-behaved dogs to explore the fenced property off-leash too (we only permit ONE FAMILY/GROUP AT A TIME whether overnight or day guests so no worries about other guest dogs on the private ranch).
To ensure safety, we do barn animal intros soon after guests' arrival. We've had 100's of successful interactions of guest dogs with our barn animals who have learned that guests/dogs mean special treats! Many dogs get their curiosity appeased after getting close to our barn animals while others who aggressively bark/jump may need to remain on leash in the barn area. This is also a time for people to enjoy petting and feeding treats to our horses, llamas, mini donkeys and chickens (please ONLY give the special treats we provide). The barn animals get their main meals at 9-10am and 5-6pm (4-5pm in the winter) so choose a 4-hr visit time that includes one of those times if you want to help with their feeding (e.g. 9am-1pm, 2pm-6pm).
Most people come to the Dog & Pony Ranch to let their dogs enjoy our private 60-ac ranch, while others come to experience the barn animals. Here's a brief overview of our barn animal experience: extensive fencing allows guest dogs to safely get nose-to-nose with the barn animals. Taking a llama for a walk is a unique and memorable experience or even taking a horseback ride (optional extras). Guests collect chicken eggs during laying season and can cheer on their favorite chicken while the hens race to their special treats. Rest assured that our barn animals clearly enjoy the treats and attention -- they can move away if they are feeling threatened. People often tell us how much they enjoy the photos we take to capture the special moments while they enjoy the animals. For more information about our barn animals, see our Barn Animals page.
Available dates for Day Visits are shown in blue 
in calendar below and are only offered on select days between overnight guests (typically weekdays since weekends almost always full with overnight guests). It makes make a fun day trip from Sacramento or the SF Bay Area: drive to Jackson in the morning stopping for lunch, enjoy your afternoon at the Ranch, and then drive home in the evening with dinner along the way. Or spend the night in Jackson and come to the Ranch earlier in the day (9am - 1pm) and avoid the afternoon heat. Jackson has several dog-friendly hotels including Best Western and other options.
Availability Calendar
We leave calendar dates open for overnight bookings as first priority, and then fit in Day Visits as our schedule permits to give us time for a Day Visit AND getting ready for next overnight guests. More Day Visit dates will be added after surrounding overnight bookings are confirmed.
