Field Trips

Learning is FUN at Kirby Family Farm!

Kirby Family Farm is open year around offering its outreach programs and educational experiences. Kirby Family Farm, located in Williston, Florida, is a 501c3 educational facility and museum that is principally devoted to the exhibition of our examples of industry, science, and agriculture. Our primary focus is sharing these exhibits with at-risk children and others.

We use our museum pieces, and history, agriculture, industry, and science exhibits to offer experiences that not only educate children and others about the specifics or importance of the items we exhibit, but also to relate the struggle, efforts, and work to leading and developing in life.

Preserving History to educate and encourage our future!

When you plan your next field trip to Kirby Family Farm, not only are you in for a unique educational experience, but you are helping support our mission as well!

Museum-

Our collection of railroad equipment and artifacts spans over 100 years of railroading and is the museum in itself. We are home to the original train station from Six Gun Territory. The station is the only surviving building from the town of Six Gun and has been relocated to the farm. It is currently undergoing restoration as well as a historic landmark designation. Once this exhibit is complete, it will showcase additional pieces from our museum collection of railroad and Florida history.

Our railroad museum includes locomotives and equipment with world changing impact and history. To mention a few, our SW8 locomotive served in the Korean War and also participated in the Titan Missile Program at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Our RS4TC locomotive was the oldest active locomotive at any US Air Force installation in the world upon its retirement. During its service “Sarge” hauled millions of pounds of steel and supplies that would become C130 Hercules aircraft.

Our railroad exhibits showcase locomotives and equipment dating back to the late 1800s. #19, a locomotive and set that many had doomed to scrap, was resurrected and is now used to educate visitors of the important history of the railroad as a whole, as it opened up Florida to the rest of the United States, and how the railroad industry evolved including the difference in steam, diesel, and hydraulic operation. Even better, it is used to connect with foster or other at-risk children. Counselors can compare to that of an old, unwanted abandoned train in the woods to how an at-risk child feels about themselves at times. With just a little bit of trust in the right people and love by those people, what was once lost, or abandoned, can be saved and back on track.

This is a sample of our collection. We have an array of railroad artifacts we share and would be happy to discuss our collection more at any time.

Also as part of our museum, we have small exhibits of military vehicles and historic amusement rides that have been donated at various times to our organization. While this is a very small part of Kirby Family Farm, we use them as teaching tools and share the fascinating history and operation of these items as well.

Agriculture-

Kirby Family Farm is over 110 acres in size. The property maintains an agriculture exempt status and currently grows crops and other agriculture related products on the majority of the property. A typical visit can offer hands on instruction and often includes examples of equipment, a visit to the fields to pick a certain crop, like peanuts or cotton, the opportunity to learn to plant a vegetable seed in a take home container, or other fun agricultural experiences.

Industry-

We offer hands on and historic exhibits of many industries. Railroad, Tourism, Agriculture, Mechanical, etc. Visitors can be paired with a counselor and offered the opportunities to service, repair, assemble, and disassemble some of the pieces from our railroad, military, agriculture, vehicle, construction, and ride equipment. We have different levels for different ages. For example, a 4th grader may be able to assist with checking and turning on the oilers before the operation of a locomotive, while a teen may participate in the removal, cleaning, and replacement of the same device. This offers the guest both hands on learning, as well as interaction, accomplishment, and encouragement.

Science-

Science is a systematic and logical approach to discovering how things in the universe work. Science is found all over at Kirby Family Farm! Everywhere one goes they can discover Science whether it’s learning why vegetables grow better in different types of soil, what makes different pieces of equipment operate, or dozens of other opportunities to see Science at work.

Please contact us for more information or to schedule a field trip at info@kirbyfarm.com

All monies received are collected as a donation supporting the cost and development of the Kirby Family Farm and its programs for education and at-risk children in whole as well as each individual activity.