Meet Suri Alpacas at Sandollar Farms: A Kennewick Farm Tour

Sandollar Farms in Kennewick, Washington, offers a one-hour guided farm tour that’s ideal for families, fiber fans, and anyone curious about rare livestock. Located at 2001 S Washington St, the working farm specializes in Suri alpacas — a long-fleeced, silky breed that represents roughly five percent of the global alpaca population — and invites guests to meet animals and the people who care for them. On the tour you’ll get close to socialized Great Pyrenees guardian dogs, wander through seasonal gardens and an orchard, and visit a fishpond, chicken yard, and active beehive when timing allows. The highlight is the fiber arts studio, where staff demonstrate how lustrous Suri fiber becomes yarn, cloth, and finished goods; the visit ends in a boutique where locally crafted scarves, hats, and small-batch fiber products are available for purchase. What makes Sandollar Farms special is its combination of hands-on animal time and an end-to-end view of sustainable small‑scale fiber production. Rather than a petting-zoo glance, guides explain breed preservation goals, talk through shearing and basic husbandry, and show samples of raw fleece beside finished textiles so visitors see transformation in real time. The Great Pyrenees dogs are as much a part of the story as the alpacas: trained to be calm around guests, they illustrate livestock protection strategies common to working farms in eastern Washington. Practical details matter: tours run about one hour for groups of up to fifteen and require arriving at the farm’s gate before the scheduled 10:00 AM departure. Free on-site parking lines the gravel driveway; bring sturdy shoes for uneven surfaces and a jacket for breeze-prone afternoons. The experience is accessible to most ages and mobility levels, though it involves walking short distances across grass and gravel. Beyond the animals, plant-focused visitors will appreciate the greenhouse and seasonal orchard, which frame the farm as a multi-use site rather than a single-attraction destination. If you visit in spring you’ll see new growth and lambing rhythms; summer highlights include flowers, bees, and full fiber demonstrations; fall brings harvest fruit and cooler farm strolls; winter tours emphasize the studio and the tactile warmth of finished alpaca wool. Sandollar Farms is a straightforward, tactile way to learn about rare breeds, small‑scale agriculture, and fiber arts while supporting on-the-ground conservation and local craftsmanship. For travelers staying in the Tri‑Cities, the tour offers a compact, uplifting half-day diversion that combines education, shopping, and memorable animal encounters. Check in at Sandollar Farms' annex building before the scheduled 10:00 AM departure; bring booking confirmation and a camera for portraits with the alpacas. The farm is family-friendly and seasonal programming changes frequently, so check the operator's referral link for current availability and any special events. Bring weather-appropriate layers always.