The wooden slats creak pleasantly underfoot as you step onto the verandah of the elegant Victorian farmhouse. A warm breeze blows up from the Nicomekl River and the smell of fresh-baked apple pie wafts from the kitchen. You close your eyes; inhale. Is this 1894? No, but it may as well be. Welcome to one of Surrey’s biggest tourist attractions, Historic Stewart Farmhouse.
What was life like for British Columbia’s nineteenth century lower Mainland settlers? All you have to do is visit this perfectly picturesque farmhouse to find out. There’s a pole barn with farm implements; apple and pear trees; heritage gardens bursting with scarlet runner beans, roses, snapdragons, calendulas and sunflowers; there’s even an old Hadden crab boat – a relic from the oyster farming and crab fishing days of old.
Guides in period costume bring the past to life but the experience can be extra-immersive if you catch them on the right day, when they’re offering authentic goodies like old-fashioned apple cider, a freshly baked rhubarb crisp, or cookies fresh from the oven! Stewart Farm is particular appealing for photographers. Talented shutterbugs flock for the uniquely rustic scenery and bountiful wildlife.
But that’s not all! Stewart Farm has a charming array of events peppered across the calendar year. This Winter/Spring, you can enjoy a bus tour on February 19th and 21st, a bread baking workshop on February 28th, a Scottish Tea Afternoon every Friday in March, a Spring Break Camp: Classic Tale Time Travelers on March 10-12th and 17-19th from 10:00am to 3:00pm (must pre-register at 604-592-6956), an International Women’s Day celebration on March 7th and a gardener’s dream, Seedy Saturday on April 11th.
Maybe we haven’t invented time machines yet but Stewart Farm is pretty close!
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