WELLSVILLE – Spring is a magical time of year on farms with the birthing of baby animals and American West Heritage Center (AWHC) Baby Animal Days is a great way to feel the excitement.
Talmage Getz holds a baby duck and chicken at the American West Heritage Center on Thursday March 27, 2025.
It is a perfect place to find newly hatched chicks, ducks and newborn goats, calves, pigs and other farm livestock.
Hearing the peeps of newly hatched chicks, the bleat of a baby goat or the moo of a calf is an experience, but seeing baby animals and petting them can also be a wonderful time.
The center is located at 4025 S. Hwy. 89 in Wellsville and will be open for Baby Animal Days on Wednesday, April 2, through Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. A second time to see the baby animals will be Thursday April 10, through Saturday April 12, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Kyndie Jorgensen, assistant marketing manager of AWHC, said this is the biggest event of the year.
“We expect thousands of visitors to see our baby animals this year,” she said. “In addition to our animals, we will have bear cubs from Yellowstone Bear World on April 2 through the April 5. From April 10 though the 12, we will have exotic animals from Utah Petting Zoo Gone Wild.”
Utah Petting Zoo Gone Wild has all kinds of exotic pets expected to be there including a camel, tortoise, kangaroo, fox and the world’s biggest rodent: a Capybara.
This is AWHC’s biggest event and biggest fundraiser for the 501c nonprofit organization.
People can cuddle the adorable baby farm animals and enjoy train rides and pony rides.
Admission is $10.00 and children two years and under are free. Buying an annual membership will allow entrance to festivals and activities all year long.
Dogs and other pets are not allowed and there is no smoking on the premises.
The ticket office closes at 4:00 p.m. each day. The American West Heritage Center is a nonprofit foundation located at 4025 S. Hwy. 89 in Wellsville. For more information, call 435-245-6050 or visit www.awhc.org.
Another event going on during Baby Animal Days is the Cache Valley Mountain Man Rendezvous. People will be dressed in mountain man attire and demonstrate what life was like in the early years of Cache Valley.
Participants will hear instructions and see demonstrations on primitive skills, like using flint and steel to start a fire, flint napping for making arrowheads, scrimshaw or carving pictures on bones or ivory. There will also be demonstrations on bullet making, fur identification, leather working, history of the mountain man and more.
The American West Heritage Center is a 275-acre living history site that focuses on the cultural history of Cache Valley from 1820 through the 1920s.
The site has many interpretive elements, such as the mountain men trading post, woodworking shop and pioneer homes. Some of the buildings are original historic structures moved to the AWHC from other locations. There is also a large inventory of farm implements displayed, some are horse drawn and some steam powered machines.