YORK COUNTY, Pa. — With a new school year just around the corner and summer break coming to an end, you may be running out of ideas on how to keep your kids busy.
Shear Heaven Farm in York County wants to help through their weekly educational alpaca tours on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Carey DuRand, owner of the farm, told us these tours are all about sharing what makes the animals so special.
"It's so neat for me to see the joy that the animals bring - they're pretty therapeutic and cute and cuddly," DuRand said.
Shear Heaven Farm is home to more than 30 alpacas - some of these animals are from Alpacas of York.
DuRand shared alpacas are "herd" animals meaning they love to be with other alpacas and will get lonely and depressed without another friend.
At Shear Heaven Farm, they shear the alpacas once a year - utilizing their fibers to make yarn or even dryer balls.
"Alpacas' [wool] are [up to] seven times warmer than [ordinary] wool, it's very light-weight and soft and the reason it's so much warmer it has a hollow core, so it insolates you like a thermos. It's a very special fiber and it's hypoallergenic," DuRand said.
If you are interested in touring the farm, DuRand encourages you to go to their website and reserve a ticket. Tours are $5 per person. Children under the age of two get in for free.
"We just feel very blessed, and we just want to share that with others. I love providing experiences for people and I just want to be able to provide an inexpensive experience for families," DuRand said.