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Factory or dairy visit · Lake Luzerne

Nettle Meadow Farm and Hitching Post

Nettle Meadow has two places to visit. The Hitching Post at 1256 Lake Avenue in Lake Luzerne has a cheese and retail shop open every day from 10am to 4pm, where you can watch the team make cheese, plus a restaurant and tavern on Friday and Saturday (noon to 8pm) and Sunday (11am to 4pm). The farm and Kemp Animal Sanctuary at 484 South Johnsburg Road in Thurman is open daily from 10am to 4pm, weather permitting.

Cheese shop
Daily, 10am to 4pm
Tavern
Fri and Sat noon to 8pm, Sun 11am to 4pm
Farm and sanctuary
Daily 10am to 4pm, weather permitting
Founded
1990

The Hitching Post

This is the place to see cheese being made. The Hitching Post in Lake Luzerne combines the cheese and retail shop with a restaurant serving meals with local wines and beers, and the cheesemaking team works on site. The shop opens daily; the restaurant and tavern only at the weekend.

The Farm and Sanctuary

Nettle Meadow Farm was founded in 1990 in Thurman, below Crane Mountain between North Creek and Warrensburg. Its Kemp Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit, looks after well over 130 animals, a mix of older or differently abled sheep and goats from the cheese herd and rescued llamas, horses, donkeys, pigs, poultry and peacocks. You can walk the farm and meet them. Opening depends on the weather, which in the Adirondacks can mean mud or snow.

Getting There

Lake Luzerne is on the southern edge of the Adirondacks, southwest of Lake George. Thurman is further north, toward Gore Mountain. For more New York cheese stops, see the New York page.

Where to Stay near Lake George

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Questions People Ask

Can you watch cheese being made at Nettle Meadow?

Yes, at the Hitching Post in Lake Luzerne, where the team makes cheese alongside the shop. The shop is open daily from 10am to 4pm.

Can you visit the Nettle Meadow animal sanctuary?

Yes. The farm and Kemp Animal Sanctuary at 484 South Johnsburg Road in Thurman is open daily from 10am to 4pm, depending on the weather.

Official site: nettlemeadow.com/visit-contact-us. Dates, hours and prices checked 22 October 2026; confirm on the official site before you travel. See all cheese factory tours.