🐰 Mini ZOO “Mežiņi” – animal farm and craft workshop
Mini ZOO “Mežiņi” is a Latvian rural craft and animal farm in Dikļu parish, Valmiera municipality. Here, you can get to know various domestic animals and poultry, feed the animals and learn how yarn and knitted items are made from the wool of various animals reared on the farm.
Visitors to the farm are greeted by many traditional inhabitants of a Latvian rural farmstead, including beautiful rabbits – amongst them the rare Angora breed and Latvian Cukurvistiņas – as well as various exotic animals. A visit to “Mežiņi” offers the chance to experience country life, animal care and traditional crafts, and to get up close with the farm’s residents, helping you to get to know and love the animals better. The animals at “Mežiņi” are safe and enjoy having visitors.
The “Mežiņi” café offers guests dishes typical of a Latvian farmstead, prepared using local produce. Meanwhile, the shop sells souvenirs, as well as yarn and knitted items made on the farm.
The Mini Zoo is ideal for school trips, nursery groups and families with children. The farm is situated approximately 19 km from Valmiera.
🎒 Excursions for school classes and nursery groups
The “Mežiņi” Mini Zoo offers schoolchildren and pre-schoolers an educational encounter with farm animals and the chance to learn about traditional wool processing methods.
The excursion allows children to get to know the world of farm animals more closely, observe their behaviour and learn more about rearing and caring for animals. A visit to the farm can be complemented by a special activity in the Wool Workshop.
🐾 What will the pupils learn about?
- “Rabbit Village” – a place where various breeds of rabbits live.
- Angora rabbits – a rare breed of rabbit whose soft wool is used to make yarn.
- “Cukuriņu Park” – home to Latvian sugar gliders.
- Domestic animals and poultry – an opportunity to observe daily life on a farm and get to know various animals.
- Closer contact with the animals – visitors can feed the animals with feed provided on the farm; they can enter several enclosures to stroke, talk to and play with the goats.
- The uses of wool – learn how yarn is made from animal wool and how knitted items are produced.
🧶 Angora rabbit shearing and wool spinning workshop
A special offer at “Mežiņi” is the Angora rabbit shearing and wool spinning workshop, where visitors can observe the process of obtaining and processing the wool.
During the workshop, the hosts explain the journey from wool to yarn. Depending on the season, visitors can watch the shearing, preparation and spinning of the animals’ wool, as well as get slightly involved in these processes.
This activity helps pupils understand the origins of natural materials, traditional crafts and the importance of handiwork. It can complement topics in natural sciences, design and technology, or cultural heritage.
💶 Workshop prices: €25 per group, in addition to the admission fee. Recommended group size: up to 15 people.
📌 Important: the workshop must be booked in advance. It takes place outdoors and is therefore not available in very bad weather.
💶 Tour and admission prices
- Children and young people aged 2 to 18 – €4 per person.
- Adults – €6 per person.
- Children under 2 years of age – free of charge.
- Pensioners and people with a Group 1 or 2 disability – €4 per person.
- Wool workshop – €25 per group in addition to the admission fee.
Animal feed can be purchased on site, starting from €1.
📞 Groups of more than 15 people must book their visit no later than the day before, agreeing on a specific arrival time.
Bookings can be made by telephone on +371 29198221 or by email at trusitsmans@gmail.com.
👨👩👧👦 Family fun at the “Mežiņi” Mini Zoo
“Mežiņi” is an ideal spot for a family day out in the Valmiera area, where children can get to know farm animals, observe their daily lives and spend time in the fresh air alongside the animals.
During a visit to the farm, you can see farmyard birds in their natural, free-range environment, get up close to rabbits, goats, sheep, dogs and cats, and feed them with food purchased on the farm.
For individual visitors and small groups, advance booking is not usually required during the season. However, it is advisable to check the current opening hours before your visit.
🌿 What else does the farm offer?
There is a picnic area on the farm’s grounds, which visitors can use for lunch or a short break free of charge.
It is also possible to book the picnic area for longer events. The booking fee is €10 per hour.
A barbecue is also available.
The “Mežiņi” Mini Zoo has a café where you can enjoy home-cooked meals and buy homemade ice cream.
School groups and other groups must book catering in advance. The menu, prices and group catering options must be agreed with the farm.
📌 Important information for visitors
- Groups of more than 15 people must book their visit in advance.
- Animals may only be fed with feed provided by the farm.
- You must not bring your own pets onto the farm’s premises.
- The Angora rabbit wool workshop takes place outdoors and is subject to weather conditions.
- Catering for groups must be arranged in advance.
Photo from the Mežiņi MiniZOO archive.