Just a short drive from downtown Fayetteville, Gillis Hill Farm on Gillis Hill Road is the kind of place that makes you slow down and breathe a little easier. With goats to pet, strawberry rows to wander, homemade ice cream to savor, and rocking chairs waiting on the porch, this Cumberland County gem packs a full day of fun into one family-friendly spot.
Whether you live nearby or are just passing through, this working farm offers something real — the kind of experience that sticks with kids long after the drive home.
A Working Farm Just Outside Fayetteville That Welcomes Visitors
Most people driving through Fayetteville think of Fort Liberty before they think of fresh strawberries and goat encounters, but Gillis Hill Farm quietly changes that assumption. Located at 2701 Gillis Hill Rd, this working agricultural operation has been welcoming families for years, earning a 4.7-star rating from nearly 700 reviewers.
The farm functions as both a real, functioning property and a visitor-friendly destination at the same time. That balance is what makes it feel authentic rather than staged.
You are not walking through a theme park version of a farm you are walking through an actual one.
Admission is only $3 per person, which is a remarkable deal considering how many hours a family can spend here. The farm is open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM, giving afternoon visitors plenty of time to explore before the sun goes down.
The Strawberry Fields: Where U-Pick Season Draws the Biggest Crowds
Something almost magical happens when a child pulls their first strawberry straight off the plant and pops it into their mouth. At Gillis Hill Farm, that moment is completely available to you during spring strawberry season, which typically runs from late March through May depending on how cooperative the weather decides to be that year.
Visitors receive a container and walk the rows at their own pace. There is no rush, no guided tour, and no pressure — just you, the plants, and whatever berries happen to be ripe that day.
For young kids who have only ever seen strawberries in a plastic clamshell at the grocery store, this is genuinely eye-opening.
One reviewer described stopping by slightly after peak season and still finding plenty of other produce for sale at the farm stand nearby. Timing your visit for mid-April tends to give you the best shot at full, plump berries worth filling your container.
The Goats: The Part That Usually Wins Over the Youngest Visitors
Goats have a reputation for being a little pushy, and honestly, that is half the charm. The goats at Gillis Hill Farm are well-accustomed to people showing up with curiosity and snacks, which means they will nudge your hand, investigate your pockets, and generally act like they own the place — because, well, they sort of do.
Visitors can feed and pet the animals in an open setting rather than watching from behind a barrier. That direct interaction is what separates this experience from a typical zoo visit.
Even kids who start out a little nervous tend to warm up fast once a goat bumps their palm looking for something to eat.
One reviewer mentioned meeting a memorable animal named Rose during their visit, which suggests the farm’s animals have enough personality to leave lasting impressions. For $1, you can purchase feed and make some new barnyard friends who will absolutely remember you — or at least pretend to.
Other Farm Animals: More Than Just a Goat Experience
Chickens wandering freely, kids shrieking with delight over a rabbit — the animal variety at Gillis Hill Farm keeps the experience layered and lively. Beyond the goats, the farm hosts a rotating cast of barnyard creatures that give different age groups something to focus on at the same time.
One reviewer fondly recalled their children playing in a giant sand mountain while watching grazing chickens wander nearby. Another mentioned a historical figure called Colonel David as part of the farm tour experience, hinting that the property carries some genuine local history alongside its animal attractions.
For families with kids who have wildly different attention spans — say, a toddler and a ten-year-old — having multiple animal encounters spread across the property is genuinely useful. Nobody is stuck waiting for everyone else to finish.
The farm’s self-guided setup means you move through at your own rhythm, which is exactly how a relaxed family outing should work.
The Homemade Ice Cream: A Reason to Visit Even Off-Season
Banana ice cream made with real bananas — not the artificial stuff — is apparently the kind of detail that turns a one-time visitor into a weekly regular. Multiple reviewers mention coming back one or two times a week specifically for the ice cream, which is a pretty strong endorsement for any food.
Flavors at Gillis Hill rotate with the seasons, with options like pumpkin appearing in fall and standbys like cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, mocha, and s’mores showing up throughout the year. Portion sizes are famously generous — one reviewer compared a medium to the largest size at Coldstone and said it might actually be bigger.
The waffle cones are made fresh on-site and get mentioned in nearly every glowing review. If you skip the cone and get a cup instead, just know that multiple people on the internet will feel personally disappointed on your behalf.
The ice cream alone is worth the trip.
The Farmhouse Porch: What It Actually Feels Like to Sit There
There is a particular kind of quiet that only exists on a farm porch, and Gillis Hill has figured out how to bottle it. The rocking chairs face open land, and sitting there with a cone on a warm afternoon produces the sort of stillness that feels almost impossible to find this close to a city the size of Fayetteville.
The ambient soundtrack is entirely farm-produced: goats somewhere in the distance, kids running between activity areas, the occasional rooster making an editorial comment about nothing in particular. One reviewer called the property the definition of country paradise, which feels accurate even accounting for the busy road nearby.
Reviewers consistently mention the outdoor seating as one of the farm’s most appealing features. There is also a small stage on the property used for presentations, a scenic pond toward the back, and enough open space that you never feel crowded.
Bring a friend, grab two scoops, and just sit for a while.
The Farm Store: Local Produce and Goods Worth Browsing
Walking into the Gillis Hill Farm store feels like the satisfying conclusion to everything you just did outside. The shelves carry seasonal produce, jams, jellies, baked goods, and other farm-made items that reflect whatever is currently growing or being produced on the property.
Picking up a jar of strawberry jam made from the same berries you just harvested in the field closes a loop that is genuinely hard to replicate at a supermarket. Reviewers mention reasonable prices throughout the store, and the staff consistently earns praise for being friendly and fast — nobody is standing around waiting to check out while their ice cream melts.
The store also carries beverages, which is worth knowing if you arrive on a hot day and need something cold before committing to the ice cream line. Cash is helpful to have on hand, though the farm does accommodate card payments.
Either way, budget a little extra because leaving empty-handed takes real willpower.
Seasonal Events and Festivals: When the Farm Gets Especially Busy
Fall at Gillis Hill Farm has its own personality entirely separate from the spring strawberry season. Harvest festivals, pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes, and sunflower fields transform the property into something that draws reviewers back season after season specifically for the fall lineup.
One reviewer wrote that they spent hours and hours at the fall festival — which is the kind of review that tells you everything you need to know about how much content is packed into those seasonal event weekends. Crowds are larger during these events, so arriving earlier in the day gives you better access to everything before lines build up.
Holiday-themed weekends layer additional activities on top of the farm’s year-round offerings, giving families a legitimate reason to visit in every season rather than treating it as a one-time spring outing. The farm’s ability to reinvent itself across the calendar is one of the main reasons it has maintained such a loyal local following for so many years.
A Good Fit for School Trips and Group Visits
Field trips to Gillis Hill Farm make a lot of sense when you look at how the property is laid out. Activities are spread across the grounds in a way that allows different groups to rotate through without everyone bottlenecking into the same corner of the farm at once.
The farm’s educational dimension runs deeper than most visitors expect. There is a historic grist mill from the 1800s on the property that offers a tangible piece of local history, the kind of thing that makes a school trip feel worthwhile to both teachers and students.
One reviewer mentioned learning a lot about the farm’s history during their visit, which suggests the self-guided tour covers real ground.
For group leaders, the $3 admission fee makes budgeting straightforward. The combination of animal interactions, historical context, and outdoor movement gives teachers multiple learning angles to work with during a single visit, which is rare for a destination this affordable and this close to Fayetteville.
The Fayetteville Connection: A Different Side of a Military City
Fort Liberty, one of the largest military installations in the entire country, defines how most outsiders think about Fayetteville. But military families stationed there know the city has quieter corners, and Gillis Hill Farm has become one of the most recommended among local parents looking for a low-pressure outdoor day with kids.
Several reviews mention the farm specifically as a go-to for families new to the area who are still figuring out what the region has to offer beyond the base. The combination of affordability, outdoor space, and genuine farm atmosphere makes it easy to recommend to someone who just moved to town and needs a reliable weekend option.
There is something grounding about spending a few hours on a working farm when your daily life is shaped by the rhythms of a military installation. Gillis Hill offers a version of Fayetteville that has nothing to do with deployments or training schedules just animals, ice cream, and open air.
Planning Your Visit: Seasons, Hours, and What to Bring
Gillis Hill Farm is open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM and is closed on Sundays. The farm’s phone number is (910) 867-2350 and the website is gillishillfarm.com, both of which are worth checking before you go since seasonal offerings like strawberry picking and fall festivals have specific windows that shift year to year.
Wear shoes you are comfortable getting dirty — the farm path is self-guided and some sections are uneven, which one reviewer flagged as less than ideal for strollers. Morning arrivals tend to catch the animals at their most active and the crowds at their thinnest, making it a better experience overall for younger kids who have limited patience for lines.
Bring cash for the farm store, though cards are accepted. Budget around $3 per person for farm admission and a few extra dollars for ice cream — and seriously, get the waffle cone.
Reviewers have been saying it for years, and they are not wrong.