A Sunday Visit to Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm

One of my amateur passions is photography, an interest I’ve had since high school when I shot with my dad’s Nikon film camera and learned to develop black and white film in a spare bathroom. These days I use a Canon DSLR and shoot way more photos than I would have ever dreamed of shooting back in high school.

And I belong to photography clubs, one of which toured Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm one Sunday afternoon in 2021.

UPDATE: Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm moved to Millen, Georgia in late 2022/early 2023. They offer all the same services in their new location, including farm tours.

I drove to the alpaca farm alone (rather than carpooling with other photographers). It’s about two hours from home if you take your time like I did. Taking I-75, it’s probably only an hour north of Tampa; however, I enjoy the back roads and often find beautiful sites or new places to visit. On this day, I drove through Saint Leo and was mesmerized by its quaint beauty. I plan to go back and explore it more.

But…back to Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm…

An Afternoon at Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm

After passing through Dade City and past the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, I came to my turn and got off Highway 301. Thankfully, corrugated signs pointed the way, and after a very short unpaved drive, I parked in a grassy field. Half a dozen cars were already parked, all of them crowded beneath a single tree throwing shade to the ground. I grabbed my camera bag, locked the car, and headed for the opening to the field. Across the street, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair welcomed me through a wide gate and guided me to the photography group hanging out on a covered porch beside fenced pastures.

May afternoon in central Florida means the sun beats on you unmercifully. Back-to-back high pressure systems kept rain at bay for several weeks but also ushered in strong winds which lessened the sun’s intense heat.

Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm sits on 15 acres perched on a rolling hill. Oak trees tower over the pastures, tossing shade down on large sand patches where the alpacas gather for midday naps. The farms has a house where owners Debbie and Narvel live, a center-aisle barn packed with fans for the animals, several run-ins in the pastures for additional shelter from the sun, and the building where we gathered on the porch. Narvel’s findings adorn the farm – the staghorn ferns he acquired in Tampa, a metal seagull sculpture worth a small fortune, glass jars half-hiding behind colorful flowers.

With everyone present, Debbie launched into her lecture though her obvious love for breeding and raising alpacas and her friendly demeanor make this time seem more like a group of friends engaged in a mid-afternoon get-together. Leaning against the railing at one end of the porch, a constant smile on her face, she answered questions and imparted little bits of knowledge. In 30 minutes or so, we learned about the history of alpacas in the United States, where they originally come from, about their fur (called fiber), and the difference between an alpaca and a llama. Throughout this talk, two alpacas grazed on alfalfa hay just feet away. Several chickens leapt to the porch, strutted among the people, leapt back down into the pasture. They scratched out holes in the sand in which they lay to cool off.

After the talk, we took a group photo and wandered the barn and part of the grounds to take photos and meet the animals who wanted to meet us. Debbie and Narvel are adamant about visitors staying out of the pastures, partly for guest safety and mostly because that is where the animals feel safe. There’s no reason to enter their space and stress them.

What is an alpaca?

An alpaca is a four-legged animal related to llamas and camels. They are native to the mountains of South America. Alpacas are the smallest members of the camel family, weighing in between 100 and 200 pounds and standing around three feet tall at the shoulder. According to Live Science, there are no wild alpacas or llamas. “Alpacas are domesticated versions of vicuñas, South American ruminants that live high in the Andes.” Llamas are domesticated versions of another wild Andean ruminant, the guanaco. Alpacas come in 22 colors. They have two toes rather than a hoof. The toes have soft pads on the bottom and have less of an impact on pastures than do hooves, making alpacas environmentally-friendly. Alpacas also don’t have teeth in the top front of their mouth, giving them a goofy underbite look.

A History of Alpacas

About 10 million years ago, the ancestor of alpacas and llamas evolved in North America. Part of the camelid family, this common ancestor to today’s animals migrated south into South America around 2.5 million years ago. From that common ancestor evolved two species – vicunas and guanacos. Both of these species still exist in the wild in the Andes mountains and are protected. Around 6,000 years ago, people began to selectively breed these animals, especially vicunas, and the alpaca was created. A similar process of selective breeding produced llamas.

Alpacas in the United States

Alpacas were first imported to the United States in the early 1980s. Those first alpacas were primarily for zoos or kept in private collections as exotic animals. Alpacas, however, make great pets and have become popular farm animals. Today roughly 20,000 alpacas live in the United States. The entire North American herd is now made up of animals which were bred and born in North America. Alpaca herds can also be found in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Poland, France, and Israel.

Alpacas vs. Llamas

As noted before, alpacas and llamas are cousins, descending from the same common ancestor several million years ago. Though they look somewhat similar, there are several distinguishing differences. At Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm, we were able to see both alpacas and llamas. They care for 65 alpacas and several llamas.

The main differences between alpacas and llamas are their size, their hair, and their faces. Alpacas average a weight around 150 pounds and about three feet tall at the shoulder. Llamas, on the other hand, weigh around 250 pounds and stand nearly four feet at the shoulders. Alpacas also have softer hair, shorter ears, and a shorter face. Llamas ears have been called “banana-like”! Also, llamas were bred for, and are used as, pack animals whereas alpacas were bred for their fiber.

Visit Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm

A trip to Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm is an unusual and wonderful addition to your vacation or a great way to spend a weekend afternoon if you live in the area. Debbie and Narvel only give farm tours by appointment so be sure to call ahead and schedule your visit. Learn more about the farm, sponsor an alpaca, and find the online shop here.

Wrapping It Up: Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm

Though Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm has moved to cooler climes in Georgia for the health of the alpacas, they welcome visitors. If you’re in Florida and want to see alpacas, there are several in the state which also welcome visitors.

Beautiful creatures which can be as standoffish as llamas and as funny as … well, can be funny, especially in looks, adding an alpaca farm visit to your trip will provide great memories and souvenirs. Here are a few more photos from my visit to Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm. I hope you enjoy!