1265 Carson Edwards Rd, Ayden, NC
If you have ever wanted to see how your milk and ice cream makes it from the cow to the store, then schedule a visit to Simply Natural Creamery in Ayden for a full tour of a real working dairy farm! We were able to see the cows up close and see how they are fed and milked there on the farm. We also got a look at the factory where the milk is pasteurized and bottled before being shipped off to the store. Lucky for us, they also turn some of that milk into ice cream and our tour ended with a sweet treat to cool us off!
inside the building is a general store and window to view the milk processing plant 
front porch rocking while we wait for the tour to start
General Store
To check in and pay for our tour, we headed into the general store and milk processing building. There were lots of goods for sale, including creamery shirts and other products. There was also an ice cream shop and seating, but wait until the end of your tour since ice cream is included!
You can also get a first-hand view of the milk processing plant that you will learn more about on the tour. We caught them cleaning all of the equipment, which we were told takes a couple hours to complete. Otherwise you could see the whole process from milk to ice cream right in front of your eyes!
Creamery Tour
Creamery tours are given weekday mornings in March through September at either 10:00am or 12:00pm. You must schedule your tour in advance and pricing can be found on the website.
During the tour you get to ride a wagon to various stops throughout the farm, where you will get out and explore further. We had a wonderful tour guide who spoke to us about everything we were seeing and answered all of our questions.
See what the cows eat
Our first stop was driving through the fields that feed the cows. The farm tries to grow all of their own crops in order to cut down the cost to feed the cows. They grow different plants throughout the year, but this time it was soybeans.
They harvest the crop and grind it down into a fine meal. It is stored it in the feed house until it’s time to give it to the cows. They also showed us the equipment they use to grind and haul it.
Meet and Pet the Cows
At Simply Natural Creamery, new baby cows have their own special little houses to keep them safe from the big herd and any predators that might be around at night. We were able to get up close and love on these babies, and my babies absolutely loved it! Once the baby cows grow a little they will be moved into a special field for adolescent cows, and then eventually move in with the large herd.
We got out and visited with the baby cows, but we stayed in the tractor when visiting the full grown herd. They like to hang out in the lounging barn in the shade under the fans, so we sat back and watched them relax. It was a great time to watch and ask questions, and our tour guide was a wealth of information!
Practice Milking a Cow
Similar to Farm Animal Days at NC State, there was a fake cow where you could try your hand at old-fashioned milking. It only shot out water, but my kids enjoyed giving it a go. Luckily, the cows at the farm do NOT have to be hand milked. As we were about to see, they have some fancy equipment that allows them to milk the whole herd in just a couple hours!
The Milking Barn
The milking barn is where all the action is, although we weren’t there during milking time. They explained to us how the cows are all herded in and lined up to be hooked up to the milking machine. Their udders are sanitized before they are hooked up, and then sanitized again when they are done. It takes about 15 minutes to milk a cow, and they can do 16 at a time. The cows are milked around 3am and 3pm daily.
Milk Processing Plant
The milk is piped over from the milking barn to the processing center, where you can view it from the general store. We did not make a stop here on our tour, but we were able to see it when signing in and paying for our tour.
Here the milk is pasteurized, processed, and bottled to be shipped off to the store. They also use some of the milk to create ice cream that is sold in the general store! You can learn more about the process by watching this video.
Ice Cream Sample
At the end of our tour we watched a quick video highlighting some of the processing we were unable to see at the creamery. It was a nice air-conditioned room, which was a welcome reprieve from the hot July summer!
educational video about the creamery 
sample of chocolate ice cream given at the end
The most welcomed reprieve from the heat came in cool ice cream treat straight from the processing line! We were all given a small cup of chocolate ice cream, although if you had any allergies you could get a different flavor.
Playground and Picnic Shelter
There was a nice picnic shelter that allowed us to enjoy our ice cream near the playground area. There were also restrooms attached for convenience.
The playground was in direct sun and it was HOT that day so we didn’t play. However, this would be a nice way to end your tour in the cooler months!
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
Tours are still being given during the pandemic, although space is limited in order to socially distance on the wagon. We toured with 3 other families and had plenty of space to ourselves.
Face masks are not required since the tour is conducted outdoors and socially distanced. The tour guide did not wear a mask so we were able to hear her.
Hand Sanitizer was provided when milking the fake cow and before eating ice cream. There were other hand sanitizer stations setup throughout the creamery for your convenience.
Now that you’ve seen the creamery side of cow farming, check out the other side of raising cows for meat. Schedule a visit to Ninja Cow Farm in Garner!