Fall, "Pumpkin Patches" and Corn Mazes

Fall is really the very best time of year here in North Carolina. The skies are frequently clear, it's cool and sunny, the bugs go away, and soon the leaves will be falling in a profusion of color that rivals Spring. It's better than Spring, though, because I can open up my windows and not worry about everything being covered in a coating of pollen. Hay-fever free, but not necessarily illness free, the weeks and weekends become filled with outdoor activities and it's hard to make the kids sit and do schoolwork, as they would really rather be outside playing. I'm a woose. I usually give in to this. How can I let them miss this glorious weather? We're homeschooling for heaven sakes!

There are many things I feel obliged to fit in each year, and one of them is the yearly pilgrimage to go get pumpkins at a "pumpkin patch". These "patches" are often really just places to play with some pumpkins thrown in. There is usually a mountain of straw somewhere to climb on, some play structures, a corn maze, and a "hay ride". I could probably do without the "hay ride". Being pulled behind a tractor on a flatbed conveniently stocked with straw-bale seats isn't the coolest thing in my book, though some places do it better than others. Yet the kids always want to do it.

The corn maze can be a lot of fun, and I think my favorite one that we have been to is Ken's Korny Corn Maze in Garner. It's big enough to be interesting and they can cater to groups of various ages and abilities. They even have a night-time haunted maze experience, though I haven't done that one as yet. My kids need to be quite a bit older I think!

Anyway, this year my daughter really wanted to go someplace where she could go into the actual pumpkin field and pick a pumpkin. Because of this, we ended up at Ganyard Hill Farm up in Durham. This place isn't too bad, especially if you have small kids. It's $12.50 to get in (for each person), but you get to do everything and walk out with a pumpkin per person at that price. There is an actual field of cotton to inspect and pick through, educational signs and materials, a cool mountain of hay with a pipe-slide, a "corn crib" (think sandbox full of dried corn kernels), various farm animals to look at, a corn grinder to try, some "corn mazes", a hay ride, and fields of pumpkins to walk through to try and find "just the right one".

My only complaints about this year's experience were that the mazes weren't really mazes, they were just winding pathways through the corn stalks, and the pumpkins on offer were a bit on the small size (though you can go buy big ones for extra in the shop if you like). Also, if you go I would recommend a hat and a bottle of water no matter what the weather. There isn't a lot of shade or shelter and no water fountains.

We've also enjoyed Volmer's Farm. This place is great, but it's a bit of a drive for us. A great listing of places to go in North Carolina can be found here. Happy pumpkin picking!