The burgeoning local food movement usually seeks to bring the farm to the table. But the Goat Lady Dairy brings the table to the farm.

Several times a month, for most of the year, the North Carolina dairy opens its barn doors to about 50 people who register in advance for a $60-per-person “dining adventure”: a five-course, locally inspired meal showcasing the dairy’s multiple varieties of goat cheese. We signed up partly for the food and partly for the goats, and neither disappointed.

The Goat Lady is tucked away in the rolling hills of Climax, N.C., about a five-hour drive from Washington in the west-central part of the state. (It can be tough to find: Our car’s GPS unit said “turn left” at the same instant the smartphone said “turn right.”) But eventually we pulled up at its red barn and joined the crowd on the porch for a glass of wine with a side of environmental education.