It's almost easy to miss the more than 16 acres devoted to community gardens, partner farming plots, a pollinator habitat, small ponds, and a greenhouse nestled in the landscape just steps from a halal cart, charter school, and grocery store set in the busy Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The quirky-yet-peaceful juxtaposition continues when, once inside the picturesque arboretum in the Germantown neighborhood, you are greeted by more than a dozen goats—from Anthony and Bebito to Ivy and Violet.
The famously social herd animals have been lovingly cared for (and shared by) the Philly Goat Project since its founding in 2018.
In addition to "typical" goat jobs, like chomping invasive plant species and weeds, the goats are part of community events and even school programs. They are also part of a relatively new garden space meant to help people process grief heal. That "grief garden" is about to benefit from accessibility updates, thanks to a Penn Medicine nurse who moonlights as a volunteer at the arboretum.
