Alpaca brunch
Some experiences truly know no age limits.
My daughter and I have long had an affinity for llamas. I am her mama llama, and she is my baby llama (true even as she ages). This affinity began long before llamas became ubiquitous chums, showing up on everything from bed sheets to greeting cards—both of which we have enjoyed, I dare add.
We have embraced alpacas as well, as they are basically a cousin to the llama. In case you’re curious, llamas are nearly double the size of alpacas in weight and roughly 10 inches taller. Alpacas have smaller faces with short ears, while llamas have elongated faces with banana-sized ears. In personality, alpacas prove to be gentle and shy, while llamas are brave and confident. That’s a brief overview. Given the opportunity to interact with an alpaca or a llama, we’d choose either and both.
When my baby llama stumbled upon the opportunity to breakfast with alpacas locally, it clearly had to happen. The folks at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs were exceptional to work with from start to finish.
Our day included a locally sourced and truly delicious brunch. From there, we were taken to the alpaca enclosure to interact directly with the animals. The Colonial Gardens staff were explicit about behavior expectations from the alpacas as well as from us humans, their thorough knowledge enlightening and delighting us. They were also exceedingly helpful in taking photos.
We could not have asked for a better time! From the food to the farm experience to the opportunity to snuggle with alpacas, it was winsome in every way!
Lauri Clapper has a couple longstanding nicknames, among them Mama Llama. She enjoys embracing nature yet prefers to snuggle her own baby llamas.
