T he 22-acre Old Citrus Estate in Port St. Lucie is not your average farm. The fully sustainable paradise owned and operated by the Koprowski family is a faith-driven venue offering unique experiences like goat fitness classes and its signature Cuddles & Coffee events with baby goats to provide fun, animal-assisted therapies to the community.
The farm is the creation of Darah Koprowski, a former wedding coordinator who envisioned a wholesome space to hold events. But after she and her husband, James, fell in love with a couple of Nigerian Dwarf goats, the mission shifted. “As soon as our first goat babies were born, all of our friends and family wanted to meet them,” Koprowski recalls. “Seeing our loved ones grinning from ear to ear led me to do some research.” She discovered that goat therapy can ease anxiety, boost mood, and even reduce physical pain—and she began planning to incorporate what she’d learned into her farm.
Koprowski herself lives with a painful mix of autoimmune disorders including lupus, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Her daughter Jensen, now 10, has a severe form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which requires weekly injections. Says Koprowski: “When you have chronic pain, it also affects you emotionally and mentally. Interacting with the animals fills you with joy and gives you a sense of peace. Your focus isn’t on your pain, it’s on the animals.”
In 2019, she launched an animal therapy program at the farm called Peace.Love.Goat. “We cuddle-train the goats—they are highly trainable, like dogs,” she says. After launching Cuddles & Coffee, she expanded the offerings to include goat fitness, kids’ camps, fashion shows and hoedowns, and various holiday events. She also added more animals to the farm—Netherland Dwarf bunnies, donkeys, chickens, and a miniature Highland cow.
While Peace.Love.Goat officially kicks off its season in October (and runs through May), the public can book private tours and events (birthday parties, bridal/baby showers, bachelorette parties, etc.) year round. Private bookings include a farm tour plus activities like interacting with the family’s Highland cow and other animals. Custom decor packages like balloon arches and a cute horse trailer that doubles as a food and beverage stand can also be requested.
This fall, Koprowski will launch Peace.Love.Glamp, where guests will be able to spend the night in one of three luxury tents nestled in a wooded corner of the farm. Think: Tempur-Pedic beds, sky-gazing roofs, and a coffee bar right inside the tent. Koprowski says she plans to offer a discount to guests who commit to disconnecting from their phones for a certain amount of time each day…