Holiday Family Fun At The Reindeer Farm

By Chris Cole,
Staff Writer

We all know that Santa’s favorite mode of transportation is to be pulled in his sleigh by eight flying reindeer, all of which can be found at the North Pole. We also know that Bowling Green, Ky., isn’t exactly very close to the North Pole.

That, however, hasn’t stopped some owners of a local farm from bringing a bit of the North Pole to Bowling Green. Since 2020, Jessica Anderson, her husband and their three children have operated “The Reindeer Farm” along Old Union Road, about a 25-minute drive from Scottsville.

“My husband and I had three kids in three and a half years and we started having conversations about being present, purposeful parents and doing something together that we love,” said Anderson. “Through conversations of me being obsessed with Christmas and my husband’s family farmed and I always wanted to be a farmer…which is funny (as) my dad is from the St. Louis area so we didn’t farm growing up…but that’s something we always wanted to do.”

Anderson went on to explain that, for them, “the perfect marriage of Christmas and farming was reindeer” and that they met their very first reindeer after a nine-hour drive. Bringing reindeer back with them, she said, made them realize that perhaps they should look at this as something the surrounding area could benefit from. Anderson stated they believed “other families would want the opportunity to meet real reindeer and have that magical experience but don’t have the means or desire to drive nine hours.”

So what started out as a dream to both farm and be something their family could participate in together has grown into a destination complete with a petting zoo, “The Reindeer Express,” some “reindeer games” an indoor playground facility for the kids, local wines for the parents, plenty of fire pits for everyone and plenty of memories to be made.

It’s one thing though to keep reindeer in Kentucky when the calendar turns from fall into winter. As this is a year-round farm though, what about when the heat and humidity gets turned up?

“Reindeer acclimate really well and have been farmed in the lower forty-eight (states) since the 1960s,” said Anderson. “There are actually several reindeer farms south of Texas.”

She explained that like many other livestock, reindeer can easily adapt. Their “winter coats” grow a little bit later than reindeer further up north and are shed sooner as well. Anderson also stated that they have “fans, pools and concrete floors” which helps to keep them comfortable. “And if they have any offspring in the future they won’t know any different” as they’ve been born and raised here.

While 10 months out of the year their farm may be mostly like any other farm, November and December are when they’re ready to open themselves up to the world.

“Right now we’re really seasonal with 21 days (operating) in November and December,” Anderson stated. However, “We do a couple events in the spring, around four Saturdays in April and May. And we do have the availability for year-round activities for farm rentals or birthday parties but at this time the farm does not operate (public visitation) all year-round.”

Much of the reason for that is due to Anderson saying that reindeer are “prey animals,” meaning “they mask their illness” and are “susceptible to illness and disease. They keep us on our toes.”

Reindeer also operate in a hierarchy. As Anderson explained, “somebody’s gotta be the boss…some of them will battle it out. It’s not constant fighting but if they feel like there’s a weakness, like when they naturally shed antlers (such as) when a girl drops an antler and another girl still has two, she thinks she can knock her down a peg.”

As for the games that reindeer like to play, Anderson said they love to run and leap and especially love it when it rains, thereby becoming “rain” deer. Anderson stated during an up-close encounter with their reindeer that the average speed they can run is about 25 mph with The University of Alaska recording some being able to hit 35 mph at top speed.

Now you might have picked up that it was said female reindeer have antlers like male reindeer do. Anderson stated, “You can never tell age or gender based on antlers alone. Antlers come back larger every year until about the age of five but then you have this lag about five to seven where they’re about the same. After seven they oftentimes get smaller. And they are the only members of the cervidae family where both male and female have antlers. They do shed them at different times of the year though. We’re in the time of year where the males are going to start dropping between now and January but the girls aren’t going to drop until March or April.”

While there is no Rudolph or Dancer, Prancer or Vixen among the reindeer present, Anderson said they have two that are well-known. They are Clarice, the love interest of Rudolph in the classic stop-motion Christmas special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and Fireball, the calf that Rudolph goes to the reindeer games with before his glowing red nose is discovered. There is also Blitzen but it was asked that he not be photographed.

However, The Reindeer Farm operates both a website and social media pages where updates on the reindeer are given and tickets to see them along with general admission can be purchased.

From December 20-23 Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there while December 27 there will be an Ugly Christmas Sweater party. December 28 is designated as Grinch Day and  December 29 is Frozen Day. Operating hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.