Have you ever wondered what goes on in a bee’s life? Has petting goats always been on your bucket list (or did you add it just now)? You’re in the right place, because at The Ranch, there are plenty of opportunities to make new friends, from animals to insects to humans!
Please note that these activities are available only to resort guests.
Meet our two lovable Boer goats, Honey and Spice! Originally native to South Africa, Boer goats became a widely-bred species across the world due to their large size. Here at The Ranch, Honey and Spice live at the Hilltop Corral and are known to be some of the friendliest gals around!
The Coop in the Organic Garden always stays busy with our chatty flock! We have multiple species at The Ranch—including Ameraucanas, who lay bluish to green eggs; our fuzzy-footed Frizzles, and Rhode Island Reds. You can stroll past the garden beds and find these clucking hens munching on freshly picked kale or ripened tomatoes.
The beloved Mule Deer of oak woodland are most recognizable by their “mule”-sized ears and black flicking tails. Here at The Ranch, we watch our herds grow each year as the deer give birth in the spring—and then you can view the fawns and their mothers lounging under the shady oaks through summer. In the spring you’ll also notice that the bucks have dropped their antlers; they will regrow them until fall, at the peak of their mating season.
Our honeybees are some of our hardest-working employees, rapidly producing sticky-sweet honey for guests to savor. From morning to evening, they forage nectar from surrounding flowers and travel back to their hives to pack into their hexagonal pantry. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating approximately 80% of all vegetable, fruit, and seed crops across the United States—they are the only insect that produces food for humans to eat. Hooray for these mighty pollinators!
Valentina and Sunshine belong to the huacaya alpaca breed; they also are known as “teddy bear” alpaca. These mommas are native to South America and the Andes mountains, they can live at elevations as high as 13,000 feet. Although the Hilltop Corral isn’t quite that high, these ladies still enjoy their warm coats—which contain up to 170 threads per millimeter!
Our Swiss Saanen goats have been with us at The Ranch since 2017—they originally lived in the mountains of coastal Big Sur, but were moved here following the Soberanes Fire to provide them with a safer home. These goats excel in rocky terrain; they have adapted to scale cliffs, and their white coats help them blend in among snowy landscapes. Swiss Saanen goats also are prolific milk producers, giving up to three gallons per day! Our herd includes four generations, and most of our ladies are named after goddesses or mythical entities: Aphrodite, Beltana, Persephone, and Pegasus (or Peggy). The cheese and ice cream we make from their bounty is available for you to taste and buy at Valley Kitchen and The Market & Creamery.
