If you’re looking for unique things to do in Washburn or want to know more about alpacas, hold onto your adventuring hat as I introduce Lake Superior’s one and only Suri Fina Alpaca Farm.
This delightful pasture is home to Alpacas, Chickens, Cats, Dogs (oh my!), and the wonderful Klema family. They are the heartbeat of the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that Suri Fina Alpaca Farm is wrapped in and that warm fuzzy feeling is waiting to greet you when you stop by and visit!
A few years ago during a spontaneous Thanksgiving weekend Dawdle, my Husband, and I got to visit Suri Fina Alpaca Farm for their wholesome and incredibly fun annual free event ‘Alpaca Meet & Greet‘.
Even years later we still recall this fun memory, and we have a Polaroid with that handsome alpaca, Harry, that we cherish fondly!
Us adventurers here at On Lake Superior love supporting and experiencing local, and it doesn’t get more local than meeting down-to-earth, passionate folks who love the area they live in and the farm they’ve worked diligently to grow and flourish.
Below you’ll get to hear even more about Suri Fina Alpaca Farm, one of the loveliest alpaca farms in Wisconsin, and you’ll be dazzled by interesting alpaca facts you had no idea existed (I sure didn’t!) as well as a quaint conversation with the ringleader of Suri Fina, Abby Klema.
Prepare yourself for some On Lake Superior goodness– Al-pac-a the snacks and coffee for the adventure!
Did you know that Suri Fina Alpaca Farm has its own shop?
From adorable stickers and cards to the coziest and warmest hats, mittens, and socks you can imagine, there’s something for everyone at the Suri Fina Alpaca Farm Shop; check it out for yourself!
Suri Fina Alpaca Farm Shop is open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Here’s what Ashland-area resident Melissa M. says about her Suri Fina Alpaca Farm socks:
“I love these socks – so comfortable. They’re like music on your feet!”
Q & A with Suri Fina Alpaca Farm
It takes a dedicated team filled with heart and passion to make Suri Fina Alpaca Farm the beauty it is, and I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Abby Klema, the visionary of one of the finest Alpaca farms in Wisconsin, about the origins of Suri Fina and her family’s memories and experiences with the farm.
Not only should you expect to be tickled by some pretty fun and interesting facts, but there’s also a precious story tucked in there that brought little tears to my eyes — talk about a remarkable experience!
‘Suri Fina’ is a beautiful, eye-catching name; how did the Suri Fina Alpaca Farm name come together?
I chose the name Suri Fina Alpaca Farm because we raise the Suri breed of alpaca.
Suri is the more rare of the 2 breeds (suri and huacaya). And fina is spanish for fine.
Suri alpaca is a luxurious fiber, very fine and silky. I wanted the name of the farm to reflect that.
On your website’s About page, it’s mentioned that you’re the chief farmer, dreamer, and persona of the Suri Fina Alpaca Farm; can you recall the first seeds of inspiration and passion that came to you to want to build and pursue this farm?
I think the dream of farming, or living a rural lifestyle was planted early in my childhood.
I grew up in the city of Duluth, and often had a menagerie of pets: bunnies, cats, dogs, hamsters, tropical fish. My aunt had a horse and boarded it outside of town.
One summer she got me riding lessons. I loved it at the farm. I was curious about the kids who boarded the bus after school. I imagined they got to go home to barns and animals and the space to run free.
Are there any interesting Alpaca facts you believe most people aren’t aware of?
Alpacas are in the camel family and they hum.
Yours and your husband Jamie’s son, Miles, has grown up with the farm, based on the sweet pictures on your website. What was it like to witness him grow up in a farm environment, and do you have any favorite memories with your son on the farm?
As a farming parent, I’m never sure how much Miles actually learns or enjoys the farm, but several years ago we had an alpaca give birth in poor weather.
The cria (alpaca newborns are called crias) was out in the elements in the pasture with the herd. We carried the cria back to the barn and put her and her mom in a stall. I told Miles to keep an eye on her while I hurried off to gather supplies.
When I came back, he was blow drying the cria and rubbing her with a towel and telling me all about how the pair was getting on, over the ten minutes I had been gone — exactly what I would have done.
Miles has his own life and interests, but I see that he is growing up with a good farming awareness and that is neat to see.
I’m sure each Alpaca has its own quirky personality, and you get to know them very well! Do alpacas pick favorites?
Do alpacas pick favorites? Like favorite people? Not sure.
But Rhyme likes to approach me for back scratches.
Bane is often watching me from a safe distance.
McKayla seems to enjoy young visitors and seems to enjoy having them fawn over her.
I can only imagine that there’s a lot of love, care, and especially hard work that revolves around the days. On particularly challenging days, is there something you say to yourself to get you through that tough moment? Has working on a farm taught you lessons you wouldn’t have received otherwise?
Take the good with the bad. As with anything in life there will be losses, struggles, things that didn’t work out as planned, same on a farm.
I try to focus on the things I can control and not dwell on bad things that happen. There are a lot of emotional ups and downs, and I have learned to let the emotions come, but to lace up those boots and keep on keeping on.
Farming is a long game and showing up day after day is what it takes to survive. Experience also has taught me that even though there are struggles, it will work out in the end.
This is my 16th year farming!
From the fun and cute pictures on the Suri Fina Alpaca Farm, I can see a lot of critters aside from Alpacas that are moving and grooving there! What other critters do you, your husband, and your son care for, and how does everyone coexist?
Right now in addition to the alpacas we have a flock of laying hens. We have transitioned to only having chickens on the farm during the warm months. We take a 2-3 month break from chickens in the winter.
We have had ducks, a llama, and feeder pigs in the past. The pigs were especially fun, they have goofy personalities and make the greatest noises.
We boarded a horse for a short time and also pastured a friend’s cows one summer.
We have 2 cats and used to have a friendly St Bernard. We may find the right dog again in the future.
My husband and I had so much fun attending a public event in the winter a few years ago at Suri Fina Alpaca Farm; I love that you host events for the public! Has an event in the past stuck in your mind the most? And are there any events in the future you’d like to tell us about?
I’m so glad you enjoyed your visit to the farm. We always host a free event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is fun to see families spending time together and making memories here at the farm.
Our signature farm experience is called our Alpaca Meet & Greet. We learn about the alpacas, how to interact safely with them, we feed the alpacas, take instant photos and selfies, and then walk with them up to their grazing pasture. It is about an hour long experience and is great for all ages. We have this tour available Thursday-Saturday during the warmer months.
Currently folks can book these through October on our website (we do need folks to book 24hrs in advance). We also host some artsy type workshops and events on the farm.
Sept 28 is an ECO-Print workshop where a local flower farmer is helping make flower prints on silk. And then October 12 the same farmer is showing us how to make dried flower wreaths. All of the information is linked on the Experiences page of our website.
The best way for folks to keep up to date with events is to subscribe to our farm mailing list, I try to get emails out in time for folks so they can take advantage of what we have to offer.
People tell me that they love our farm, that it feels really good here, and has good energy. I’m going to keep on going and keep that positive energy going into the future.
Where is Suri Fina Alpaca Farm
Suri Fina Alpaca Farm is located in Washburn, Wisconsin near beautiful Lake Superior. Suri Fina is about a five-minute drive from Washburn’s downtown area, making it a great addition to weekend plans of supporting and experiencing local!
For more Washburn fun and things to do in Washburn, check out our Washburn experiences On Lake Superior!
Suri Fina Alpaca Farm Address
31300 Engoe Rd, Washburn, WI 54891
Can I Visit Suri Fina Alpaca Farm
Can you visit Suri Fina Alpaca Farm? Absolutely you can!
To visit the farm, I would highly recommend taking a look at their Experiences page to learn more about upcoming and potential Alpaca Meet & Greet events, and you can also follow Suri Fina Alpaca Farm on Facebook to stay informed, too.
Another way you can support Suri Fina Alpaca Farm and step into the world of Alpaca farms in Wisconsin is to stop by and check out their Farm store (Open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM) which is packed full of top-notch quality items such as socks, hats, mittens, and more exquisite Alpaca items.
Supporting and experiencing local is truly one of the best ways to embrace being on Lake Superior. I hope seeing these incredible photos of the majestic and adorable Alpacas was all the persuasion you needed to add ‘Visit Suri Fina Alpaca Farm‘ to your Lake Superior Bucket List!
If you’d like to join in on more Northwoods appreciation and fun, please join us over on Facebook and Instagram and be a part of our On Lake Superior community and conversation. There isn’t anything quite as magical as the shimmer on Lake Superior and the people who love it.
