The Cow’s Home

The Cow’s Home is a small dairy farm experience park that offers visitors a nostalgic look into Taiwan’s past. It was opened to the public in 2003 with the goal of introducing young children to rural life and to the toys and objects that were part and parcel of their grandparents’ world, but which have now all but disappeared.

If you are a parent of young children, bring them here. They will LOVE this place. Even if you don’t have kids of your own, the old-timey train ride, farm animals, and plethora of children’s toys will leave you feeling like a little kid again yourself.

The best way to get to the Cow’s Home is to ride down on the converted sugar cane train that runs out of the town of Sinying. The open carriages of the small-gauge train are pulled by an old German Diema diesel locomotive. In the past, when they were used to ferry sugar cane from farm to factory, these trains could be seen all over Tainan. Only a very few are still operating, so the ride is a nostalgic experience for locals, some of whom hitched rides to school on sugar cane trains when they were young.

The Cow’s Home is located at Balaoye, the terminal station. The wooden station house is a tiny, but absolutely stunning, replica of the old Puli Train Station. Upon entering the station, visitors will find a gift shop selling all sorts of milk products. The milk, which is produced daily at the farm without any processing, is a must-get item. It is sweet and fresh, and far superior to anything you will ever find in a supermarket.

Once out of the station house, most visitors head straight to the animal pens. For a nominal fee, kids and the young-at-heart can purchase bottles of milk, grass, or feed to give to the many piglets, rabbits, baby goats, calves, guinea pigs, ducks, and donkeys—an activity that often leads to merry mayhem, especially when the little goats start leaping out of their pens and following guests around in an effort to get more milk.

Visitors can also enjoy perusing the many antique and nostalgia items that can be found in the old-time shop display outside the station; children may want to ride the small electric three-wheelers or try out the plethora of traditional toys in the huge play area. The building behind the play area has a massive entomological display of butterflies, beetles, and other crawly creatures, all neatly pinned behind glass…although if you harbor a fear of giant spiders and centipedes, you might want to give it a miss.

This being Taiwan, food is always an item. At the Cow’s Home, it’s served up in a couple of old railroad cars that have been repurposed as a diner. The specialty here is Milk Hot Pot, made, of course, with the local brew. If hot pot’s not your thing, they also offer traditional Railroad Biandang lunches and other basic fare, and coffee is available for the caffeine-addicted among us.

Pay attention to the train schedule for both your trip out and your return; not all trains run the entire route from Xinying Train Station to the Cow’s Farm, so some planning is necessary. The park is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily except on Wednesdays.