Pacabella Farm is all about family – well, make that Alpacas and family.
“The farm is named after our daughter, Isabella – Pacabella is alpaca plus bella,” says Robin Watson, who owns and operates the farm alongside her husband, John.
It all started 16 years ago, when a young Isabella didn’t show much interest in riding the family horses.
“We went to an Alpaca festival, and we all fell in love,” Robin says. “We ended up getting six, and Isabella got a youth alpaca she named Java.”
The family started entering festivals and fairs, and before long a hobby turned into the family business – one that welcomes other families to come share in the glee of the gentle Peruvian mammals.
Families come for tours, where everyone gets a chance to feed and feel the lustrous fiber that Alpacas are known for.
“The kids, their faces light up and they get all giggly when the Alpacas eat from their hands,” Robin says. “They love the big eyes, big eyelashes, friendly faces.”
Pacabella offers shearing tours during the spring shearing season. Date night tours. Alpaca picnics. Photography tours – “Alpacas love to pose for selfies,” Robin says. Kids younger than 5 are free, while adult tickets start at $20.
More than one family has come away just as smitten as the Watsons were 16 years ago. “A lot of young families come to buy Alpacas because they’re easy to care for. Families that want to get back to the land, that appreciate fresh food, natural living, and want to get their kids
outside and not on the computers and phones so much,” Robin says.
So the Watsons will help in every way possible with new Alpaca families, from basic care and feeding to shearing, heat and humidity care, and birthing. They will board Alpacas for families who aren’t ready to house the animals, and even enter them in state shows alongside their herd – last year, Watson Alpacas won six ribbons, and so did two boarders.
Early on, the Watsons added a boutique to sell products made with Alpaca fiber and yarn. Popular items range from felted soap – the Alpaca fiber is a gentle exfoliant – to moisture wicking socks that are great for summer hiking. The fiber is soft and hypoallergenic, so it’s a popular alternative to wool.
And for the Watsons, “family” also includes “community” – they’re proud partners in the Burnt Chimney Passport program, which encourages agricultural tourism in and around Franklin County – once you’ve visited all six participating farms, you’re entered in a drawing for a free gift basket from one.
It all adds up to a great way of life that their family wants to share with your family. “We just love having families come to visit the Alpacas,” Robin says. “That’s what it’s all about.”
