7 places to practice goat yoga in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is widely known for its high-quality dairy production, with millions of pounds of cheese made in the state every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Goats, and goat milk, help to make up some of that vast number, but that’s not the only thing that goats do. They’re also helpful participants in goat yoga classes throughout the state.

Goat yoga classes are held with live baby goats in the class. While participants in the class are practicing yoga, the baby goats will be wandering around, and sometimes even climbing up onto participants while they’re in poses. The classes help to socialize the goats and provide a lot of fun for participants. 

Here are seven farms, retreats, and even bars where you can practice goat yoga in Wisconsin.

Rainbow Ridge Farms

N5732 Hauser Road, Onalaska

Photo courtesy of Rainbow Ridge Farms via Facebook.

There’s a lot to do at Rainbow Ridge Farms, like a farm camp for kids, or shopping for products made on the farm. But by far its most famous offering is goat yoga.

The farm offers goat yoga classes every Tuesday evening starting at 6 p.m. and every Saturday morning starting at 10:30 a.m. Classes cost $20, and participants don’t need to worry about bringing their own supplies, as the fee includes a mat.

If you really love being at Rainbow Ridge Farms, you can stay overnight! The farm also operates as a bed and breakfast all year long. The farm has four different rooms available for reservations and typically costs between $125 and $135 per night.

Fallin’ Pine Farms

2928 Pine Road, Wisconsin Rapids

Photo courtesy of Fallin’ Pine Farm Goats n Soaps via Facebook.

At Fallin’ Pine Farms, goats aren’t brought in from another location for goat yoga — the farm’s goats are bred on-site. The farm’s baby goats are then socialized during goat yoga classes, which are held at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday mornings throughout the summer.

The classes, which are weather dependent, cost $30 per person, and include yoga mats and disinfecting wipes. The farm recommends that participants bring a water bottle, as well as a phone or a camera to take plenty of pictures of the baby goats.

Goats aren’t the only animals at the Wisconsin Rapids farm — they also have plenty of Great Pyrenees pups that are bred on the farm!

LaClare Creamery

W2994 County HH, Malone

Photo courtesy of Waves of Happiness Rentals via Facebook.

LaClare Creamery is known for its selection of goat cheeses, but when the company’s goats aren’t being milked to create the cheese, they’re still busy.

LaClare Creamery offers goat yoga classes every Saturday throughout the summer for $25. If goat yoga isn’t enough time spent with goats, LaClare Creamery also offers baby goat snuggling events on Wednesdays, and sometimes on Saturdays, too. 

To attend goat yoga, participants must purchase tickets in advance on LaClare Creamery’s website. The goat farm and cheese shop does not accept walk-in participants.

Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary

E18970 Country Road N, Fall Creek

Photo courtesy of Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary via Instagram.

During 2020, many people made major changes after normal life was put on hold during the pandemic, including Door County native Kristina Brett-Buckman, the co-owner of Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary. She and her family decided to move back to her home state of Wisconsin and open up a farm experience that gave people a place to relax and unwind: with goats and alpacas alongside them, of course. 

Part of Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary’s offerings include goat yoga. Classes cost $45 and are 75 minutes long. The classes are broken up into two parts: a 45-minute yoga class, and 30 minutes spent playing with the goats. They’re held on Fridays from 6:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m., as well as Sundays from 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Oak Hollow Acres

2208 Springwood Lane, Burlington

Nigerian Dwarf goats originate from West Africa, but they can also be found in Burlington, Wisc., at Oak Hollow Acres. For more than 20 years, the owners of the goat farm have been raising the West African goats to make soap, face wash, and body wash.

They also use the farm’s goats for their goat yoga classes. Classes are open to beginners — there’s no intense yoga happening. The yoga classes follow a gentle vinyasa practice, which allows the baby goats an opportunity to socialize. 

The classes, which cost $18 per class, are held on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-11 a.m., as well as some Thursdays and Fridays. Check the goat farm’s website for specific dates.

The Local Goat Company

141 County Road KK, Amherst

Photo courtesy of The Local Goat Company via Instagram.

Many goat yoga classes are held at farms, or in parks, but that’s not the case at The Local Goat Company — a bar in Amherst, Wisc. The classes aren’t held inside the bar, though. Instead, they’re held on the bar’s property, which lies adjacent to the Tomorrow River.

The one-hour classes cost $30 and include 30-45 minutes of yoga, and the rest of the time is spent playing with the goats. The Local Goat Company recommends bringing your own yoga mats and hair ties, for any participants with long hair.

When you’re finished with goat yoga, stop inside for a locally brewed beer. The bar specializes in serving Wisconsin-made brews.

The Tap Yard

4875 County Highway Z, West Bend

Photo courtesy of The Tap Yard – West Bend via Facebook.

A visit to any of The Tap Yard’s beer garden locations includes more than 24 craft beers on tap, live music, and an assortment of food trucks, but its West Bend location has an extra offering: goat yoga.

The yoga classes, which are held in Ackerman’s Grove County Park, are on Wednesdays and cost $50 per class. The classes are taught by instructors from Awakening Healing and Yoga, in Slinger, Wisc.

The Tap Yard also has locations in Brookfield, Menomonee Falls, Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Glendale, but goat yoga is only available at the beer garden’s West Bend location.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.