Are you looking for fall family fun? Check out a local farm. Some farms end their season with a bit of family fun. Most have activities for all ages and plenty of photo opportunities.
Following a recommendation from a coworker, we ventured to a local farm in the Southern Tier region of NYS. Bradley Farms in Elmira, NY, is a fun family outing. They don’t have many activities for the kids but trust me, and they don’t need many. We had spent three hours at the farm, and Murphy wasn’t ready to leave.
When we arrived, there was a bit of a line to buy corn maze tickets, so we decided to walk around and scope things out. We stumbled across the greenhouse area and found some games and activities and lots of props for photo opportunities. The kid’s favorite area of the whole farm was the corn box. I couldn’t resist climbing in to play with the kids. Benjamin loved the new texture. It took him a bit to move around, but once he was comfortable, there was no stopping him.
They have a few games to play. There was a homemade skeeball game, an arcade-style basketball game, and a duck race. We didn’t play the duck race this time around. Ducks had to be purchased in the shop for $2 per duck. The basketball game wasn’t easy for Murphy because she was too short to play. The duck race is an excellent concept; you had to hand pump the water to move the ducks down the pipes.
There are lots of opportunities for pictures. Most photo props worked for one or more people. I liked that if there was just Murphy using the prop, the empty spaces had faces to fill the spots.
After our playtime and photo session, we decided it was time to do the maze. After purchasing my ticket, they gave me a map with numbers corresponding to posts along the way in the labyrinth. On each post was a QR code that showed you where you were in the maze but did not show you how to get out. The maze was a little walk away, passed an old family cemetery. I didn’t think to see how long it took us to walk through, but I would guess about a half hour to 45 minutes. To keep Murphy interested, I let her lead the way. She did a great job and led us out.
Located out the back door of the store is a honey bee hive. The hive belongs to Draper’s Super Bee. They are located in Millerton, PA, and have been featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” They have been in business for over 25 years. They have a little stand set up in the farm store with their honey for sale and ship anywhere.
Our time was coming to an end. We walked around the store. We picked out some pumpkins and mums and called it a day. The store features homemade sauces, spices, jams, baked goods, pickled veggies, and many other goodies.
All in all, we had a great time. A big downfall for me was the bathroom. All they have are port potties. Murphy had needed to use the bathroom, but there was no easy way to take her while having Benjamin. I had no one with me to leave him with. I didn’t want him on the floor. He would be touching everything. With him in the hiking pack, I don’t think I could have shut the door. Then there is the problem of holding Murphy up, so she doesn’t fall in. The maze cost $8. They do offer other activities (some of which weren’t running at the time) that are geared towards the older crowd. The most expensive part was the pumpkins. I only bought three, and they caught over $30. I was able to buy the mum’s 3 for $24.99. Great deal considering stores sell them for at least $15. Murphy has been asking to go back and play at the corn box. It’s close enough to us that we will be visiting at least one more time before the season ends.
Wandering With the Wilmores 