Caromont Farm Snuggle Sessions

Cuddling baby animals provokes glee in children and adults alike, as well as dissolving the stresses of the world for an hour or two. Caromont Farm, in rural Esmont, Virginia, is just about the warmest and fuzziest place you can find near D.C.—both figuratively and literally.

A small artisan cheese farm run by Gail Hobbs Page since 2007, Caromont opens to the public several times a year for special dinners, culinary workshops, and best of all, "snuggle sessions"—opportunities to canoodle with the baby goats born every spring. The very smallest of these kids are about the length of a terrier, and in separate pens, there are larger "teen" goats.

Cuteness warning: baby goats in sweaters.

All of them are friendly, interactive, genuinely cuddly creatures. I have been to Caromont's Snuggle Sessions two years running, and the goats are utterly delightful. You really haven't lived until you've had a baby goat chew on your hair or sleep in your lap. During my visit this year, one of the kids in sweaters fell asleep in my arms within about 20 seconds of being picked up. It stayed there, completely zonked out, until my foot fell asleep and I had to move.

Taking a goat nap.

If you get down on all fours, the goats will climb on you as if you were a small hill. Naturally, watching goats clamber over you and chew on your clothes also provides great amusement for the other visitors in the pen. If you lay down in the grass or straw, they will nap along with you. This phenomenon made the Caromont visit a huge hit with my animal-loving boyfriend.

Visiting with the "teen" goats.

If you tire of goat cuddling, you can move on to trying samples of Caromont cheeses, which employees offer at tables under a nearby tent, as well as take your favorites home. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take the baby goats home.

Two gorgeous peacocks wander the farm as well, showing off their impressive plumage, and they are quite vocal, so you can't miss them.

Book early in the season to get tickets for a Snuggle Session, which are listed on the farm's website and its Facebook page. They are hugely popular, and sessions can sell out many weeks in advance.

Pro tips:

• Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little dirty, and be mindful that your hair, jacket edges, shoelaces, and hat brim will all be nibbled.
• Make sure you've charged your phone, because you'll want to take photos and video.
• Leave your purse in the car. There's nowhere to set it down while you're playing with goats.
• Bring baby wipes or hand sanitizer if you like, but an outdoor sink, soap, and paper towels are also provided for visitors, next to the surprisingly clean port-a-potty. They think of everything!

Afternoon Jaunt: The Weems-Botts Museum

This past Sunday, I found myself with a free afternoon and took inspiration for a historic spot to visit from a book on Virginia's haunted places. Although I'm not sure whether I believe in ghosts, the mysteries of the unseen make for fun October reading, and the book referred to several historic sites in Northern Virginia to which I had never been.

One of these was the Weems-Botts Museum. Not far off I-95 sits this remnant of the historic area of the once-busy port city of Dumfries. Opened as a museum in 1975 by the Historic Dumfries Virginia nonprofit, this home was built in sections, beginning in the 18th century, and is now a small museum and research library open several days a week to visitors.

The Weems-Botts Museum.

What makes this museum unusual is its arrangement by time period. Different sections of the house are arrayed in furniture and artifacts that represent different owners and eras. I really enjoyed this approach to telling the story of the property.

Those owners include:

• Parson Weems, first biographer of George Washington (and originator of the cherry tree story), who used the building as a bookshop in the Colonial period.
• Benjamin Botts, a lawyer who defended Aaron Burr at Burr's 1807 trial for treason  and who perished in the famous Richmond Theater Fire of 1811.
• The Merchant family, who inhabited the home for 99 years and are the focus of the rumors of hauntings attached to the museum.

The table set as if for a meeting in the original 18th-century portion of the house.

My tour guide was Karleen Kovalcik, who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Dumfries and of the house. From her, I learned that Dumfries used to rival New York and Boston in its shipping trade, before erosion and the silting of Quantico Creek diminished the port and led to Dumfries becoming the smaller town it is today. She led me through all the different rooms, many of which have objects and papers you can pick up and examine. 

A small room in the back of the house also showcases Civil War artifacts and other period items, such as a striking example of a Victorian crazy quilt.

In addition, it was interesting to tour a smaller residence. So many historic sites are mansions, and seeing a middle-class building that served as a shop, a law office and a home over the past couple of centuries was unique in my experience.

While I was there, I noticed nothing paranormal, other than the overeager security beeps while I was in the Visitors Center—and Karleen mentioned that electronics often behave oddly in the annex. Those wishing for a spooky experience of the area should take the (outdoor) ghost walk tours offered by Historic Dumfries on Saturdays in October.

The museum also holds free children's days, a holiday open house, and other special events.