The pumpkin patch at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, CA
Underwood Farms

Fall Family Fun at Orchards and Farms Across the United States

For many families, including mine, hauling the kids out to a farm in the autumn so they can get specks of itchy hay under their shirts, pick vegetables and fruits they won’t eat, and have "where are we?!?!" meltdowns in corn mazes—well, it’s a beloved tradition.

If you're looking for a gourd time, try our picks for the best fall farm experiences across the United States. We promise you'll find abundant photo ops and wholesome activities that will entrance even the most cynical 11-year-olds (and probably blow the minds of younger kids).

Warning: Some of these festivals require advance ticket purchases, so double-check that before heading out. Also, keep in mind that apple- and pumpkin-picking, rides, and other activities may not be included in the price of admission.  

Pictured above: The pumpkin patch at Underwood Family Farms in Southern California

A climbing obstacle at Griffin Farms in Blocton, AL
Griffin Farms

Alabama

Every October, Griffin Farms, a former dairy in Blocton, turns itself into a carnival on steroids, with pumpkin picking serving as a mere opening salvo. The place even has its own zip line.

Activities:
• animal barn 
• climbable structures (hay mountain, tire mountain, rock walls)
• corn maze
• hayrides
• food trucks
• playgrounds
• pumpkin patch
• zip line

A tractor ride at Underwood Farms in California
Underwood Farms

California

Underwood Family Farms (pictured above) in Moorpark, near Simi Valley, practices sustainable agriculture and, each fall, opens its fields for cavorting and pumpkin-picking.

Activities:
animal-viewing
climbable hay pyramid

• corn maze
• wagon rides

live entertainment on weekends
• pumpkin- and vegetable-picking

In business since 1932, Arata's Pumpkin Farm on the San Francisco Peninsula promises to satisfy "all your pumpkin needs." In the fall, the farm will also scare the stuffing out of your kids with its haunted barn.

Activities:
• hayrides
• haunted barn
• petting zoo
• pony rides
• tiny train ride

A close up from the haunted house at Fritzler Farms in Colorado
Fritzler Farm

Colorado

At Fritzler Farm Park outside of Greeley, teens have as much fun as toddlers do. The property offers acres of spooky fun in the evenings (pictured above), plus yard games, Insta-friendly photo ops, and a lot more. Younger kids have access to carnival rides and inflatables. For adults, there's a beer garden.

Activities:
• giant slide
• corn maze
• go-karts and train rides
• haunted attraction
• pumpkin-picking
• yard games

Connecticut

Flamig Farm in West Simsbury has been in the same family for over a hundred years. In addition to day visits, the property offers overnight stays. Before settling in for the night, check out the farm's haunted attraction, a spooky but family-friendly experience in the petting zoo area, where you may spot animals getting ready for sleep. 

Activities:
• haunted attraction
• petting zoo
• pony rides

In the pumpkin patch at Ramseys Farm in Delaware
Ramsey Farm

Delaware

Painted pumpkins last longer than carved ones, say the folks at Ramsey’s Farm outside of Wilmington. That's one reason why you'll find a pumpkin-painting station here, along with the usual complement of playground equipment, hayrides, and barnyard animals. Ramsey's corn maze spans an impressive 10 acres.

Activities:
• corn maze
• hayrides
• pumpkin painting
• farm animals
• playground

A young boy poses for a photo at Jaemor Farms in Georgia
Jaemor Farms

Georgia

At Yahoo Farm in Jasper, north of Atlanta, you can pick pumpkins and hunt for fossils all on the same day. Other unique experiences here include a "cosmic" corn maze ("flashlight included") and weekly pumpkin hunts led by the "Pumpkin Bunny."

Activities:
• corn maze
• pumpkin-picking
• pony rides and hayrides
• farm animals
• marshmallow roasts

Jaemor Farms (pictured above), north of Athens, has two corn-maze options: a mini maze for those who only want a small taste of that lost-in-the-stalks feeling, and another, much bigger maze that has a different theme each year. Not seeking corn-based entertainment? Then shoot apples from a cannon, participate in a rubber ducky race, or ride a pumpkin train.

Activities:
• corn maze
• duck races
• farm Skee-Ball
• hayrides
• slides
• petting zoo
• pumpkin train

The Corn Maze at New Sweden Farms in Idaho
New Sweden Farm

Idaho

In Idaho Falls, New Sweden Farms (pictured above) has so many activities you might need to get a season pass to make sure you experience everything. In addition to a pumpkin patch and two corn mazes, there's a sunflower field; rides on trains, wagons, and ponies; mini golf; glow-in-the-dark tetherball and volleyball; firepits for s'mores; a zip line for kids; and more. 

Activities:
• corn mazes
• giant slide
• pony rides
• s’mores pit
• sweets shop
• pumpkin-picking

Indiana

Open for more than a century, Tuttle Orchards is located just outside Indianapolis. The focus here stays firmly on agriculture, with flower fields where you can pick your own bouquets, a beehive for observation, goats and llamas for viewing, and, of course, a corn maze, apple orchard, and pumpkin patch. 

Activities:
• animal- and beehive-viewing
• corn maze
• tractor-themed playground
• pumpkin-, apple-, and flower-picking

A young boy finds his pumpkin at Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch in Illinois
Ryan Dickey/Flickr

Illinois

A Midwest tradition since 1948, Goebbert's Farm (pictured above), located midway between Chicago and Rockford, has an intriguing and ever-expanding collection of attractions, including a carousel, pedal karts, an old-timey western town, weekend magic shows, a "Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur," and, perhaps most intriguing of all, a silo selling beer. 

Activities:
• animal area with giraffe
• carousel
• climbable tire mountain
• haunted house
• playground
• Pumpkin Express train
• pedal karts
• pig races
• Western town
• "Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur"
• pumpkin-picking

Down in Central Illinois, meanwhile, Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch in Champaign keeps youngsters and young-at-heart University of Illinois undergrads occupied with attractions such as a petting zoo, a corn maze, an obstacle course, and an Emerald City–themed rope maze. 

Activities:
• corn and rope mazes
• petting zoo
• play areas
• wagon rides
• apple- and pumpkin-picking

Piglet racing at Klausmayer Dairy Farms and Pumpkin Patch
Jessica Klausmeyer

Kansas

Milking demonstrations are a big deal at Sedgwick County's Klausmayer Dairy Farm & Pumpkin Patch. For more octane and less lactose, you can watch the pig races (pictured above) or, in the evening, try glow-in-the-dark "Zombie Paintball." 

Activities:
• "Barn of Fear"
• bouncy attractions
• corn and hay mazes
• dairy tours
• petting zoo
• pig races
• hayrides
• paintball
• playgrounds

Kentucky

Food trucks, music, and other surprises greet weekend visitors at Gallrein Farms, just outside Louisville. You'll also find all the usual fall fun.

Activities:
• mini train
• corn maze
• haunted house
• hayrides
• jump pillows
• obstacle course
• petting zoo

A seasonal display at Smolak Farms in Massachusetts
Smolak Farms

Massachusetts

At friendly, history-rich Smolak Farms north of Boston, fall weekends are packed with apple picking, live entertainment, hayrides, and can't-miss opportunities to chow down on the farm's renowned apple cider donuts. 

Activities:
• apple-picking
• farm stand
• hayrides
• arts and crafts
• live music

Maryland

A family operation since 1950, Butler’s Orchard, 30 miles north of Washington, D.C., is a fully GMO-free farm with a lot to see and do in autumn—and a lot to pick, including not just apples and pumpkins but also herbs, raspberries, and flowers. 

Activities:
• corn maze
• hayrides
• playground
• hilltop jumping pads
• farm animals

The view from Gould Hill Farm in New Hampshire.
Josh Graciano/Flickr

Michigan

In the Witkop family since 1892, Jacob’s Farm, set right outside Traverse City, hosts a huge corn maze stretching across 10 acres. Design themes change yearly. Past mazes have paid tribute to Motown, Alice in Wonderland, and Great Lakes shipwrecks.

Activities:
• corn maze
• apple-picking
• kids' playground

New Hampshire

The gorgeous views (pictured above) and the heirloom apple varietals make the picking experience at Gould Hill Farm (west of Concord) extremely satisfying. This is one of the quietest, most serene spots on our list.

Activities: 
• apple-picking
• cider tasting room open on weekends

A girl with a decorated hay bale at Heaven Hill Farm
Heaven Hill Farm

New Jersey

If your kids like to climb, run, explore, and pet animals, they will be in, well, heaven at Heaven Hill Farm in Vernon Township. Operating for four decades and counting, this place throws everything it has at autumn, and most families come away exhausted but happy.

Activities:
• barnyard sports
 "Boo Barn"
• corn and hay mazes
• duck race game
• gem mining
• obstacle course
• pedal carts
• hayride
• farm animals

A farmer on a tractor greets visitors at Indian Ladder Farms in New York.
Indian Ladder Farm

New York

Founded outside Albany in 1916 by the inventor of a hay-baling machine, Indian Ladder Farms (pictured above) won the first permanent agricultural conservation easement granted by New York State, meaning this site will be farmland in perpetuity, no matter who owns it. The family takes the designation seriously, writing on the farm's website, "Having a place where people can observe and participate in the process of growing food is worth doing."

Activities:
• cidery and brewery with tasting room and restaurant
• farm tours
• nature trails
• pick-your-own apples and pumpkins 

Another long-running family farm (six generations!) is Wilklow Orchards, set in one of the most scenic parts of the Hudson Valley. That makes for some primo apple-picking, especially on days when bands play at the onsite Farm Bar. 

Activities:
• animal-viewing
• pick-your-own apples and pumpkins
• food truck
• live music on select dates

A welcoming scarecrow at the Lucky Ladd Farms in Tennessee
Lucky Ladd Farms

North Carolina

You’ll have nearly two dozen varieties of apples to pick at Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard near Hendersonville, along with pumpkins, and (some weeks) sunflowers and zinnias.

Activities:
• corn maze
• apple cannon
• jump pad
• wagon rides
• pick-your-own apples, pumpkins, sunflowers, and grapes

Oklahoma

The Orr Family Farm near Oklahoma City is almost more of an amusement park than a farm in the autumn, offering all sorts of family-friendly rides, games, and shows. Don't worry, though: You'll still see multitudes of pumpkins, smell the irresistible aroma of kettle corn, and interact with adorable barnyard animals (they won't smell as good as the kettle corn). The farm has a campground for overnight stays.

Activities:
• barn animals
• barrel train
• corn maze
• climbable hay mountain
• hayrides
• games
• playground
• "Chicken Show"
• pick-your-own pumpkins

Tennessee

Calling itself an "Ag-venture farm fun park," Lucky Ladd Farms (pictured above) outside of Nashville has what's billed as the state’s largest petting zoo. The farm's 60 acres of rides and activities also encompass huge slides, playgrounds, an aviary, and more. 

Activities:
• nature trails
• corn and ropes mazes
• petting zoo
• pony rides
• swings, slides, and climbing obstacles
• tricycle race track for all ages
• wagon rides
The sunflower fields at Topaz Farms
Topaz Farms, Sauvie Island, Oregon, Sunflowers

Oregon

Formerly known as Krugers Farm, Topaz Farm (pictured above) occupies 130 acres on scenic Sauvie Island near Portland. Autumnal events include a sunflower festival, meals made with farm-fresh ingredients, and other harvest staples such as pumpkin-picking, hayrides, and mazes.

Activities:
• corn maze
• hayrides
• sunflower fields 
• pick-your-own pumpkins 

Washington

Remlinger Farms (about 30 miles east of Seattle) is still a working farm, but along with the apple orchard and pumpkin patch you'll find a slew of whirling, racing rides including mini roller coasters, giant swings, huge slides, and a lot more. 

Activities:
• thrill rides
• corn maze
• hayrides
• petting zoo
• pony rides
• apple cannon
• pick-your-own pumpkins

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