Sugar Roots Farm, tucked into a rural corner of Algiers on the Westbank of New Orleans, feels far removed from the busy streets of the French Quarter or the Superdome. On any given morning, children are petting horses, feeding goats, or getting nose-to-nose with pigs.
“It feels like a world away. Are we really 20 minutes from the Dome?” said Brittany Greiffenstein, the farm’s director. The ten-acre property has become a place where young visitors can trade tablets and smartphones for the sand box and chickens. The animals are the teachers here, and the lessons are delivered through touch and curiosity.
horses, rabbits and pigs at sugar roots farm
Nearby, an Angora rabbit is held for children to touch the ultrasoft fur. “We give them a blend of different grasses and we also forage for them every day,” Cain told one group of parents and children.
Other pens hold a potbellied pig named Milo and a pair of kune kune pigs, Margo and Momo. Cain demonstrates their intelligence by coaxing one to sit on command. “Good piggy,” she said with a laugh, as children watched wide-eyed.
goats, chickens and a Digital Detox
Children crowd the fences to feed chickens that poke their heads through wire mesh for a snack. In another pen, goats nuzzle their way forward as Cain reveals the secret behind their swollen bellies. “They look like they’re fat, but it’s not because they’re fat, it’s just because they have four stomachs,” she explained.
For Greiffenstein, the daily scenes add up to more than just a farm tour. “I’m essentially a steward of this land, providing a place where kids can just be free-range kids,” she said. “It feels like a digital detox. I want kids to discover what they’re into—maybe it’s butterflies, maybe it’s clay, maybe it’s digging.”
from compost to honey at sugar roots farm
The farm began a decade ago and now draws school groups during the week and families on weekends. A raw wood playground, a compost heap where food scraps transform into rich soil, and boxes of honeybees round out the experience. Sugar Roots Farm also sells fresh eggs and honey, flavored by flowers that attract both bees and butterflies.
“To give people the opportunity and the place to have those experiences is what my mission is,” Greiffenstein said.
city kids spend the day on the farm
2025 pumpkin Festival
Sugar Roots Farm’s annual Pumpkin Fest will be held three consecutive Sundays in October – the 12th, 19th and 26th of October, from 9:30am – 2pm. The Pumpkin Fest features a pumpkin patch, live music and entertainment, pony rides and more. Click here for more information on the Farm’s website and to purchase tickets. Sugar Roots Farm is located at 10701 Willow Drive in Algiers, on the Westbank of New Orleans. Call (504) 884-9492.
10701 Willow Dr, New Orleans, LA 70131
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