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BAGDAD, Ky. — Take a family drive a little off the beaten path in Shelby County and you’ll find a 1,000-acre buffalo ranch. No, you’re not in the Wild West, but at Buffalo Crossing.
The working buffalo farm is now an attraction that draws close to 500,000 people per year. Robert and Julie Allen own the ranch. Their five children own Buffalo Crossing and lease part of the ranch for the business.
| A white buffalo born in June at Buffalo Crossing stays close to her mother's side. (Chris Aldridge photo) |
The business has grown steadily over the years as the family constantly tries new ideas for attractions and events. “Most of the ideas for the ranch are from Dad’s idea mill. It just keeps clicking,” said Jennifer Allen Cox, a co-owner and one of the Allen siblings.
Perhaps the most popular new attraction at Buffalo Crossing came as a complete surprise – a rare white buffalo that was born on the farm in June.
“It’s been crazy,” employee LaWanda Harrison said of the new arrival. “It’s like when you have your first child. Everyone’s got to come and see it.” The female was named Lightning after the lightning strike that killed her grandfather, the world record 3,000-pound Chief Joseph, in 2001.
Among the planned new features at Buffalo Crossing, the ESPN Super Retriever Series and Big Air Event for dogs will take place there for the first time this year. ESPN has already shown interest in having the show there again next year, Cox said.
Buffalo Crossing held its first horse shows in May at an arena on the grounds, and another first-time event, a rodeo, will be held in July.
The Christian music group Point of Grace will perform there in July for Buffalo Crossing’s first large-scale concert.
Other events throughout the summer will include Big Air amateur trials, a car show, a Kids Fest, a wedding show and craft shows.
The five-acre petting zoo is one of Buffalo Crossing’s most popular stops among its everyday attractions with more than 100 varieties of animals, including yaks, donkeys, miniature horses, goats, peacocks, wallabies and camels. Parents can let the kids take a pony ride around a track or play on the one-acre playground. The fun ranch also offers recreational activities such as basketball, volleyball and horseshoes as well as cane pole fishing in its lake.
Visitors can see some of the more than 500 head of bison on the ranch. The buffalo are bought at sales mainly from Canada and the western United States such as Denver. The buffalo raised on the ranch are processed by four different processors and served in the fun ranch’s restaurant.
Buffalo meat appeals to body builders, heart patients and individuals with diabetes, Cox said. Buffalo has less fat and calories and more protein than other forms of meat, she said.
The wall decorations in the restaurant and vintage machinery on the grounds are genuine antiques bought at auctions.
A gathering hall on the grounds is used for corporate get-togethers, wedding receptions and family reunions. Another building is used for wedding parties to dress and prepare, and three cabins are rented for birthday parties.
In the beginning, people and tour buses would stop to see the buffalo before the ranch was opened to the public, Cox said. The barn, with its kitchen, was already a gathering place for the large family. After Buffalo Crossing opened, the family converted the barn into a restaurant in 2000. Other attractions were added and it became Buffalo Crossing and Family Fun Ranch in 2001.
Buffalo Crossing is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. It is closed in January, February and March, but the gift shop is open year round. Bookings are available for private parties.
For more information, a restaurant menu or an event list, go to www.buffalocrossing.com or call (502) 647-0377. Buffalo Crossing is located at 1140 Bagdad Road (Highway 12) near Shelbyville.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: This article is part of an ongoing series on agritourism destinations in Kentucky.
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