A beautiful place to explore NC’s rich agricultural history, Historic Oak View offers a network of historic structures and reconstructions, barns and paddocks with live animals, garden areas, an orchard and acres of rolling grassy hills. The visitor’s center here is a real gem, especially for those with young children, as it includes a well equipped play kitchen, farm stand, and dress-up area. Exhibits in the Farmhouse and outbuildings tell the story of 19th century farm life as well as that of farmer Benton Williams and his family. Williams was an outspoken union supporter during the Civil War. Other exhibits in the tenant house and cotton barn explain that after the war, the farm was owned and operated by the Wyatt family who diversified the farm by planting other crops such as the grove of pecan trees that front the main house. My kids love spending a day here, and I love how much they learn exploring the herb garden and farm buildings, doing laundry with lye on a washboard outside the old kitchen house, or observing the goats and chickens that live on site. I hope you and your family get some time to relax in the shade of one of the front porches and stroll through some of our area’s most rich history soon!
With Love, Turtle Dove
Know Before You Go: There are restrooms in the visitors center and near the goat paddock.
The visitor’s center and the main farmhouse are climate controlled. The other buildings are open air. While there is little furniture in the farmhouse, it is a decorated beautifully over the winter holidays.
It is ok to feed the goats, but there is a list of what is appropriate to feed them that can be found in the visitor’s center.
There are a few sets of stairs in some of the outbuildings, but most of the park is stroller friendly.
With Love, Turtle Dove 