White Elm Petting Farm
🏟 Farm park · Bicknacre, Chelmsford
White Elm Petting Farm
Interactive petting farm at White Elm Garden Centre near Chelmsford with over 100 animals, a play barn, pedal tractors and feeding fun.
🕑 Opening & entry
🌱 Term time: Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Weekends and school holidays run two timed sessions: morning 9am to 12.30pm and afternoon 12.30pm to 4pm.
Prices: Paid entry. Adults £8.95, children aged 2-16 £7.95, juniors (6 months to under 2) £2.50, under 6 months free, concessions (60+) £7.95. Annual passes available. Admission covers the farm and indoor play barn for your session, with feed buckets around £1.50 extra.
Booking: Online booking only via the official website (BookWhen). Weekend and school-holiday visits are split into two timed sessions, so pre-book to secure a slot.
📍 Location & directions
🗺️ Show map ▾
Address: White Elm Garden Centre, White Elm Road, Bicknacre, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 4LR
Plus Code: 9F32MHQC+H8
About White Elm Petting Farm
White Elm Petting Farm sits within White Elm Garden Centre at Bicknacre, a short drive from Chelmsford, and is an interactive farm built around hands-on animal encounters for young families. It is home to over 100 animals, including pygmy goats, alpacas, sheep, fallow deer, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and ducks. Visitors buy a bucket of feed on arrival and can feed and pet most of the animals, with a few sensible exceptions such as the pigs, rabbits and guinea pigs. Outside there is a play area with a digger sand pit and a pedal tractor track, plus a trim trail and a small sensory area, while an indoor play barn keeps little ones busy whatever the weather. Entry is charged, with adults at £8.95 and children aged 2-16 at £7.95, and admission covers the farm and play barn for your session. The farm is online booking only; at weekends and during school holidays it runs two timed sessions, morning and afternoon, so booking ahead is essential. There is a Snack Shack on site and the garden centre tea room nearby, plus toilets and parking. Dogs are not permitted around the animals.
⭐ What makes this place special
- over 100 animals
- animal feeding
- Snack Shack
- garden centre tea room
- toilets
- parking
🏞 Facilities
- Parking: Parking available at White Elm Garden Centre.
- Toilets on site
- Café / refreshments
- Dogs: Dogs are not permitted around the farm as they can cause stress to the animals.
🧒 Ages & play
- Ages: All ages with a responsible adult; especially popular with toddlers and pre-schoolers
- indoor play barn
- pedal tractor track
- digger sand pit
- trim trail
- sensory area
📍 Nearby places to play
- Marsh Farm Animal Adventure Park · approx 3.8 miles · South Woodham Ferrers
- Chelmer Park · approx 4.4 miles · Great Baddow
- Mace Playce · approx 4.8 miles · Springfield
Explore more:
❓ Frequently asked questions
How much?
Paid entry. Adults are £8.95, children aged 2-16 £7.95, juniors (6 months to under 2) £2.50, under 6 months free and concessions (60+) £7.95. Feed buckets are around £1.50 extra.
What animals?
Over 100 animals, including pygmy goats, alpacas, sheep, fallow deer, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and ducks. You can feed and pet most of them.
Good for toddlers?
Yes, it is especially popular with toddlers and pre-schoolers, with an indoor play barn, a pedal tractor track, a digger sand pit and a sensory area.
Need to book?
Yes. The petting farm is online booking only. Weekends and school holidays run two timed sessions, so pre-book your slot via the official website.
Where/parking?
White Elm Garden Centre, White Elm Road, Bicknacre, Chelmsford CM3 4LR, with parking at the garden centre.