MAYBURY STATE PARK

Maybury State Park is located just west of Northville and entrance to the park is accessed form Eight Mile Road. The Maybury Living Farm is just inside the park entrance. Come out and spend a day at the farm and see firsthand what life on the farm is all about!

Day Use

All vehicles are required to have a Michigan State Parks Motor Vehicle Permit, which is available at the park. School groups and organizations are welcome too! Reservations for guided tours of the farm can be made by phoning 810-349-0817. A nominal fee is charged for guided tours.

History

Maybury State Park was developed to give people in the Detroit metropolitan area an opportunity to get involved in outdoor recreation activities in a state park setting. The park consists of nearly 950 acres of rolling terrain, open meadow, mature forest, abundant wildflowers and a variety of wildlife.

There's also a fishing pond, playground equipment, sports fields, picnic tables and grills, shelters, and miles of trails designed specifically for bicycling, hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing.

Maybury State Park Living Farm

One of the highlights of Maybury State Park is the Living Farm. It was established in 1975 when the park first opened. The Living Farm represents a small family farm where general farming practices are demonstrated. The area illustrates life on a turn of the century farm. The farm staff invites you to come out for a visit to see the animals and experience the sights, sounds and smells of a working farm.

The equipment, tools and practices used to tell the farming story are typical of the farms that dotted Wayne Counties landscape in the early 1900s. As was the custom, the farm not only produced food for local markets, but also supplied most of the milk, eggs, meat, vegetables, herbs and some of the fruit used by the family. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, rabbits, dairy cows, beef cattle, goats, sheep and pigs are all raised on the 40 acre Living Farm.

Every day is a busy day on the farm. The animals need care and feeding, the eggs need gathering, the crops need tending, and the machines need fixing.

You'll see the animals and watch the chores being done as you tour the barns, pens and field.

Spring is one of the most exciting times on the farm. It is in the spring that many of the barnyard animals are born. The farmhands are busy delivering and taking care of the new arrivals.

Besides raising vegetables and herbs for the family and market, the typical farm also raised field crops such as hay, corn and oats to feed the farm animals.

You'll also see a team of draft horses on the farm. When the farmer harnesses them together they know they are going out to the fields to work. The team is used to plow and disc the fields, mow the bay, pull work wagons and assist with other heavy chores.

Special Season Programs

Special seasonal programs and demonstrations are held at the farm on weekends:


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