Stay at this SC Airbnb and play with baby goats, a camel, a mini horse and more. Take a look
There are so many choices for a lovely getaway on Airbnb — beautiful coastal homes, mountaintop cabins with views of valleys for miles and not to be outpaced, Daddy’s Goat Farm and Sanctuary in Elgin.
Some 200 animals live on the 66-acre farm with owners Josh Slade and Jason Southers and there is no shortage of people who want to experience what many consider the dream of having a farm.
Opened in February last year, the luxury tiny home they call the Farmhouse was rented more than half the time. It sits on a knoll overlooking a pond.
Beyond are numerous buildings housing the animals, many of which are rescues and come with a backstory.
Take Abu, a camel. He was born in Texas and was carted around to auction houses but no one would take him because his leg was broken during childbirth. Friends told Slade and Southers about him and when he was yet again not sold at an auction close by, they bought him.
He needed plasma before surgeons at North Carolina State University could fix the leg. Now he lives in an enclosure with his buddy, Norris, a 1,200-pound cow who came to Goat Daddy’s at 48 hours old after his mother died. Slade and Southers nursed him while he lived in a Pack ’n Play in their house.
Goat Daddy’s has two horses and one miniature horse, six donkeys, alpacas, emus, snakes, a dragon, birds of many kids, tortoises and chickens. Six parrots live in an area that has been adapted to mimic the rain forest with heat lamps and misters.
The list goes on. Three kinkajous, Belize, Zaboo, and Cleo. A coatimundi who lives with a raccoon.
And, of course, the main event — goats. During peak times, the goats produce up to 160 bottles of milk a week and 60 pounds of cheese, which are sold to various stores in the Midlands. Goat Daddy’s also delivers on Wednesdays.
Baby goats and their herky-jerky jumping ways are a huge hit. Various groups also book visits to Goat Daddy’s.
On top of all this, Slade works full-time in the healthcare industry. Southers is the hands-on expert in animal husbandry. If he doesn’t know how to do something he reads everything he can find and calls experts until he does.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army at 18 and worked in veterinary services, food inspection and with the Army’s canines. He deployed to Afghanistan for a year and was stationed at Fort Jackson.
Their first animal was Petunia, a three-day-old mini pot bellied pig they got during a visit to Gatlinburg. They fed it strawberry yogurt on the way home, much to the dismay of their car. They still have her and her mate Hampton and one of their piglets, Buddha.
They draw the line at taking in primates and large cats, but they know who will and always try to facilitate a home for unwanted animals.
The Farmhouse is in exclusive company on Airbnb — top 1% and five stars across the board. Guests describe it as magical, wonderful and praise the hosts, who provide breakfast and lunch to order.
Slade said a rental was always something that they wanted to provide and now after 10 years of operating as a farm and sanctuary they have.
“It’s been fun,” he said.
