Community Corner

Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

The latest Hidden Gem combines prized cows, a department store and education.

Chris Dehnel's profile picture
Chris Dehnel, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Auerfarm in Bloomfield is the latest Hidden Gem.
Auerfarm in Bloomfield is the latest Hidden Gem. (Auerfarm.org)

BLOOMFIELD, CT — What do you get when you combine a history of prized cows with with an iconic department store and an educational facility? The answer is ... the latest Hidden Gem — the 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm in Bloomfield.

The farm us dubbed, "a magical place where children and families can find a safe environment for breathing-space-respites, recreational trails, farm-animals, and educational hands-on farm-based learning."

The founder of the farm was Beatrice Fox Auerbach. She was known for having prized cows and chickens in the mid-1920s.

Find out what's happening in Greater Hartfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

But she was also a pioneering woman in business as the first president of Hartford's G. Fox & Co. The farm was donated by Auerbach's grandchildren to the non-profit 4-H Education Center in 1976 with an agreement to maintain the property as open space and provide community resources where children, families, and individuals can learn about and enjoy the ambiance of the farm.

You can find more information on the website www.auerfarm.org as well as Facebook (4-H Education Center at Auerfarm) and Instagram (Auerfarm).

Find out what's happening in Greater Hartfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The farm is open to the public seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After the clocks are turned back, the hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

____

The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Hartford and Tolland counties. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.

Other columns in this series:

To register for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities, click here.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Greater Hartford