In total, 16 piglets were born. However, only eight of the piglets will be visible for the public, as the other eight will reside inside the farm’s barn that’s currently closed to visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Credit: Staff
Credit: Staff
Although all educational programming at both the Riding Center and Daniel Arnold Historical Farm is currently canceled because of the pandemic, visitors can still get up close to the animals in their pastures.
Both mammas reside permanently on Carriage Hill’s farm and are well worth a visit on their own. All 16 piglets, however, will only be together on the farm for about a month before some move on to other farms. Spot Pigs quickly grow to be up to 400 lbs. or 500 lbs. and require a lot of room, according to the staff at MetroParks.
“It kind of shocks people when they come out here and they see these really huge, huge pigs," said Carriage Hill’s Historic Farm specialist Chris Gordy. “But I like that. It always starts off the question of, you know, ‘Why are these things so big?’ And then I get to explain. ... It’s great to be able to talk about the history of agriculture and they’re (visitors) looking right at the history of agriculture when they look at the hogs.”
The park’s visitor center is located at 7800 E. Shull Road in Dayton, however, visitors can park at any one of Carriage Hill’s parking areas depending on what section of the park they are exploring that day.
“The Historical Farm at Carriage Hill MetroPark tells important stories that celebrate our agricultural heritage in the Miami Valley,” according to Five Rivers on its website. “This heritage includes a significant portion of our local landscape shaped by generations of farmers who groomed and cared for the land. Visitors to Carriage Hill Historical Farm will be immersed in 19th-century farm life, a time when the sustainable farm, home and craft practices we see today were simply practical.”
How to go
What: Carriage Hill MetroPark
Where: 7850 E. Shull Road, Huber Heights
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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