About Us
The goats came first. Everything else followed.
Our Story
Casey & Zac
Bat Cave Road Farm didn't start with a plan. It started with goats.
Casey has called Old Fort home since 1996 — which means she had nearly three decades of mountain living figured out before Zac showed up in 2024 with big ideas and zero farming experience. The goats, to their credit, did not care about any of this.
The donkey was already here when Zac arrived. The pigs followed shortly after. And then, over the course of three remarkable days one spring, seven baby goats were born — and that was that. We looked at each other, looked at the chaos, and decided to lean in.
The petting zoo came first, because it turns out when you have that many opinionated animals, you might as well share them. The farmstand grew out of what the land was already doing. The thrift shop arrived in its own time, as thrift shops tend to do.
The goats are still the heart of it. They always will be.
Old Fort Becomes Home
Casey plants roots in Old Fort and begins building a life in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The land has a way of getting into people.
The Animals Take Over
Zac moves to Old Fort. The goats arrive. The donkey — already resident and already opinionated — adjusts reluctantly. Pigs follow. Then, in three days, seven baby goats are born and everything becomes very real very fast.
Sharing the Animals
When you have this many animals who want to be around people, keeping them to yourself feels wrong. The petting zoo opens and the community shows up immediately.
Farmstand & Thrift Shop
The farmstand opens to share what the land is producing. The thrift shop follows — a little unexpected, a little perfect. Both find their footing quickly.
Still Figuring It Out
We're still figuring out the rest as we go — which, honestly, feels like exactly the right way to run a farm. We're grateful for every visitor, neighbor, and friend who makes this place what it is.
What We Believe
That animals deserve to be treated well and that people deserve to be around animals. That a farm should be a place the community actually wants to visit. That it's okay to not have it all figured out, as long as you care about what you're doing. We're a small family operation — every visit, every pass, every farmstand purchase goes directly back into the animals and the land. We don't take that lightly.