A goat trots across a narrow bridge overhead while a child below clutches a paper cup of animal feed and tries to contain a full-volume squeal. A few steps away, shoppers carry tomatoes, still-warm baked goods, and cartons of eggs out of a Dutch-style barn that has stood for more than 200 years.
This is an ordinary afternoon at Abma’s Farm in Wyckoff, where a practical produce run can quickly turn into a family outing. The 32-acre property has been part of Bergen County life for generations, yet it feels refreshingly removed from North Jersey’s traffic and shopping centers.
There is a farm market stocked with homegrown vegetables, a scratch bakery, seasonal ice cream, greenhouses filled with plants, and a barnyard inhabited by goats, alpacas, pigs, donkeys, and other friendly residents. Nothing requires an elaborate itinerary.
You can shop, grab a treat, visit the animals, and be home before anyone asks whether you are there yet.
Abma’s Farm Brings Country Charm to Wyckoff
Long before Wyckoff became the suburban community familiar to North Jersey residents today, the land surrounding Abma’s Farm was already being worked.
The property dates to the 1790s, and its preserved buildings offer a glimpse of Bergen County’s agricultural past without turning the visit into a history lesson.
The centerpiece is a Dutch-style barn more than two centuries old, now cleverly repurposed as the farm’s retail market. Massive beams and weathered construction give the building real character because, unlike a modern structure made to look rustic, this one has actually earned every creak.
The Abma family purchased the farm in 1933, and five generations have helped it grow from a small agricultural operation into a familiar local destination. More than 90 years later, it remains Bergen County’s only produce, egg, and meat farm.
That distinction feels especially surprising considering its location at 700 Lawlins Road, within easy reach of Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood, Midland Park, and other busy North Jersey communities. The farm does not feel frozen in the past, however.
Its market, greenhouses, CSA program, children’s activities, and seasonal events all serve modern families while keeping food production at the center of the operation.
You may see staff restocking vegetables harvested that day, children making a beeline for the barnyard, or regulars walking out with eggs and dinner ingredients.
Those overlapping routines are part of the appeal. Abma’s is neither a staged country attraction nor simply a store with a barn attached.
It is a working farm that happens to make visitors feel welcome. Even a quick stop provides a satisfying change of scenery, replacing parking-lot chaos and fluorescent aisles with crop fields, old timber, and the occasional opinionated bleat from across the property.
The Farm Market Is Packed With Fresh Local Favorites
The first clue that this is not a standard grocery store is the produce selection. During the growing season, Abma’s raises more than 90 varieties of fruits and vegetables, ranging from familiar Jersey favorites to ingredients that may send shoppers searching for a new recipe.
Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and strawberries share space with kohlrabi, bok choy, garlic scapes, Chioggia beets, purple cauliflower, and zucchini flowers.
What is available changes with the fields, and homegrown produce is picked the same day it reaches the market.
The farm uses non-GMO seed and practices such as crop rotation, soil and water conservation, natural weed control, and integrated pest management. The shelves extend well beyond vegetables.
Eggs come from the farm’s own hens, while the meat cases may hold chicken, pork, sausage, burgers, and other farm-raised choices. The scratch bakery handles the dangerous work of making shoppers forget what they originally came in for.
Fresh breads, pies, cookies, muffins, and seasonal cider doughnuts have a habit of finding their way into otherwise sensible orders. The kitchen also prepares salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups, and ready-to-heat dishes, making the market useful when cooking from scratch sounds overly ambitious.
Pantry goods, honey, jams, dairy products, and locally produced specialties round out the selection. Because harvests and prepared items change, no two visits look exactly alike.
Summer leans heavily into tomatoes, greens, squash, and sweet corn, while fall brings apples sourced from the Hudson Valley, pumpkins, cider treats, and comforting baked goods. That unpredictability is part of shopping at an actual farm.
Instead of expecting every ingredient in every season, visitors get to see what New Jersey soil is producing right now—and perhaps leave with a bunch of garlic scapes they had no intention of buying.
Homemade Ice Cream Makes Every Visit Sweeter
There is a useful bit of parenting strategy tucked into the farm experience. Browse the market first, meet the animals second, and save the ice cream for the end.
Suddenly, everyone is remarkably cooperative. Abma’s sweet offerings give families an easy excuse to slow down after carrying produce bags or circling the barnyard.
Ice cream availability and selections can change with the season, so the counter may not look identical from one visit to the next. That makes checking before a trip wise if a cone is the main objective.
Still, when ice cream is being served, it provides exactly the kind of unfussy treat that belongs at a farm—cold, familiar, and best eaten outdoors before the drips reach your wrist. The market’s scratch bakery supplies plenty of backup options.
Cider doughnuts are especially popular in fall, while cookies, pies, muffins, breads, and other daily-baked items make the decision between “one treat” and “treats for later” pleasantly difficult. A trip can also become lunch rather than dessert.
The deli prepares sandwiches, wraps, salads, and yogurt parfaits, and limited seating is available in the perennial garden behind the market. Visitors can also spread out a blanket there, provided the food was purchased on the property; outside food is not permitted.
That garden changes the rhythm of the outing. Instead of eating in the car and heading straight back onto North Jersey roads, families can sit among the plants while deciding whether there is enough energy for one more look at the goats.
Ice cream may be the headline-grabber, but the real pleasure comes from pairing it with everything else nearby. A cone tastes better after a walk past the fields, just as a cider doughnut seems more appropriate when pumpkins are stacked outside.
Abma’s understands that farm food does not need elaborate presentation. Give people something fresh, a comfortable place to enjoy it, and enough napkins to manage the consequences.
Goats and Other Barnyard Animals Delight the Whole Family
Listen for the bleating and you will find the most animated part of the property. Abma’s Barnyard Petting Zoo is open throughout the year and houses a considerably larger cast than the title suggests.
Goats share the attraction with sheep, alpacas, donkeys, ponies, bunnies, pigs, cows, ducks, and other farm animals. The goats tend to command attention, particularly when they climb onto the Golden Goat Bridge, an elevated walkway that lets them survey visitors from above.
It is difficult to remain cool and detached when a goat is staring down as though evaluating your snack choices. Younger children can explore Bunnyville and Pepper’s Play House Village, while the duck pond offers a quieter pause between enclosures.
Animal feed is available for an additional cash charge, and small hands quickly learn that goats are excellent negotiators. The barnyard is self-guided, so families can move at their own pace rather than following a scheduled tour.
Admission currently costs $5.50 per person when purchased online and $7 at the entrance, with children younger than 24 months admitted free. Tickets are required for visitors age two and older.
Door sales are cash only, and advance purchase is especially important on Saturdays and during October, when walk-up entry may be unavailable. From May through October, weather and staffing permitting, Saturday pony rides add another option.
The rides cost $6 per child, include two laps, and are limited to children age two or older who weigh no more than 80 pounds. A separate barnyard ticket is still required.
Seasonal activities expand further in autumn, when hayrides and pumpkin picking turn the farm into one of Wyckoff’s busiest family destinations.
Yet the barnyard works just as well on an ordinary weekday, when there are fewer crowds and more time to watch a donkey scratch its back or a goat attempt to secure a second helping.
The Greenhouses Offer Colorful Finds Through the Seasons
By mid-March, the greenhouses begin waking up again. Rows of seedlings, herbs, hanging baskets, and flowering plants gradually replace winter’s muted palette, and gardeners start arriving with ambitious plans for bare patios and backyard beds.
Abma’s grows annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, and herbs, along with container gardens designed for shoppers who prefer to bring home something already assembled. The selection makes the greenhouse more than a decorative add-on to the farm market.
Tomato and pepper starts allow visitors to grow a little of the farm’s produce at home, while basil, rosemary, mint, thyme, and other herbs can turn a sunny step into a practical kitchen garden. Hanging baskets and mixed containers deliver quicker color for porches, balconies, and front entrances.
Summer brings its own shift, including flower fields and occasional hands-on programming. Seasonal workshops have covered herb gardens, miniature fairy gardens, dinosaur-themed plantings, and floral arranging.
Flower-picking events may feature zinnias, celosia, snapdragons, salvia, asters, and other blooms, giving visitors the chance to cut and arrange a bouquet rather than choosing one from a cooler. When autumn arrives, mums and fall decorations take over.
The operation changes again near the holidays, filling with poinsettias, cyclamen, Christmas cactus, fresh trees, decorated wreaths, swags, garlands, kissing balls, and evergreen arrangements.
The greenhouses generally close shortly before Christmas and reopen around the middle of March, so they are the most seasonal part of an otherwise year-round farm.
There is no admission charge to browse either the greenhouses or the market, which makes them easy to add to a produce stop. Even shoppers who insist they are “just looking” should leave room in the car.
A small herb pot can become a hanging basket, which can become a trunk full of flowers with surprising speed.
What to Know Before Visiting Abma’s Farm
A little planning can make the trip smoother, especially if you are bringing kids, grandparents, or anyone who gets hungry on schedule. Farm visits are more fun when you treat them like an outing with a loose pace, not a race from stop to stop.
Start by checking basics before you go, such as hours, weather, and what you want to prioritize first. Comfortable shoes are a smart idea, since walking between the market, barns, and greenhouse is part of the experience.
It also helps to think about timing. Earlier visits may feel calmer, while busy periods can bring more buzz, more lines, and more background noise.
If snacks, shopping, and animal watching are all on your list, build in short breaks. A few minutes to sit, regroup, or wash up can keep younger kids happy and make the whole outing easier on everyone.
Most of all, leave room for small surprises. The best farm days are not always the most scheduled ones, and Abma’s Farm seems built for wandering, noticing details, and enjoying whatever catches your eye first today.