Lively Run Goat Dairy

Tastings of goat and cow cheeses across a range: feta, cheddar, bleus. Some other products like goat milk soaps. It was a nice little stop, and we got a few cheeses to bring home.

For vegetarians this is a cheese heaven: Gouda, chèvre with herbs, and their special cheddar. The staff is wonderful the sight is delightful and buy extra so u can sit outside and have a picnic. On my list of cheeses to have always!

We were disappointed.
We had timed our visit to arrive for a light lunch followed by a tour. The website boasts of a café and invites guests to stop in for lunch to enjoy a cheese or charcuterie board. There was no such thing. The salesperson had no explanation other than «it’s a bone of contention.» Make your website a true reflection of your business.
The cheese is very good. For $ 20/​lb… Yes, $ 20/​lb, it should be. The coolers, however, were sparse, so selection was limited.
The goats were adorable and the horses friendly. They were the highlight of our visit to the dairy.
Glad we went but not likely to return.

Lively Run was such a great stop during a visit to the Finger Lakes to explore wine. Susanne was a delight during the delicious goat tasting session. After our tasting of 9 distinctly different variations of goat cheese, we set out to meet the goats in the barns. Lively Run is off the beaten path, but was probably the highlight of my trip and would recommend this to anyone visiting the Finger Lakes.

This is one destination you can enjoy without alcohol in the fingerlakes region. It is a small goat farm with a small cheese shop. They offer goat cheese tastings for a small tasting fee. They sell various cheeses and fresh cheese cake made with goat milk.
We were able to spend some time with the goats while other friends were doing the cheese tasting. They didn’t offer a farm tour when we visited, but we had plenty of time to spend time with the goats.
I think it’s nice to drop by during wine tasting trip especially if you like goat cheese.
I’m not a big fan of goat cheese but their cheese cake was delicious.

Katie M. said it all. Adorable place and excellent cheeses. The young girl who served us was from France. She spoke excellent English with a heavy French accent. Too cute!

If you’re visiting the Finger Lakes region, make sure to check out Lively Run Goat Dairy! After a day full of wineries, we were looking for an alcohol-​free way to indulge in the region’s plentiful food offerings. This farm is a great visit and makes excellent goat cheese. Literally everything we tasted was excellent. I tend to gravitate towards more pungent cheeses and was not disappointed at all. The tour + wine tasting is very reasonably priced and totally worth it!

Let me just say, that Lively Run Goat Dairy does absolutely nothing to make itself easy to find. The website doesnt even include a street address. And, though it is part of the «Fingerlakes Cheese Trail», said trail has not really been developed, or promoted as part of the regions tourism. Lively Run is difficult, if not impossible, to find unless you are trying very, very hard to find it.
The dairy itself is small, with only 26 fully grown milking goats, and about the same number of kids and yearlings. However, the owner, a German woman and her husband, also own several other farms in the region, for a total of nearly 300 goats. Each of those other farms is also run in the Amish tradition. While touring, the goats will try desparately to eat long hair (mine goes down to my bottom) and you probably will not be warned of this in time by the guide, so I am warning you now. That, plus the overwhelming smell of goat and goat dung, means you might want to skip the tour, though seeing the rooms where they make cheese is pretty great.
The cheese itself is heavenly, the $ 5 tour includes a tasting, or you can purchase a tasting alone. We personally prefered both the Blue cheeses, one a standard firm blue cheese, and the other their famous Chevre which have been given the blue cheese mold Penicillium as a rind. The blue cheese Chevre is a limited production, and not available for sale though the website. Other Chevres include Garlic and Pepper, Herbs de Provence, Lemon Thyme & Rose Pepper Corn, and other herbal blends. These were more popular with the other guests.
I have never cared for blue cheese, but the incredibly creamy texture of the goat’s milk really complimented it well. While in the Fingerlakes, I would call Lively Run a must-​visit. Be aware however, their season is limited; running only from Memorial Day though Labor Day, and weekends in the remainder of September and October.
Edit: they have changed and expanded their website, it now includes a location and directions