Pick your own pumpkins, get lost in a corn maze, drink fresh apple cider and take a wagon ride at these family-friendly area farms.
Blooms and Berries Farm Market — Fall on the farm runs daily through Oct. 31. Events include a themed seven-acre corn maze, cow train rides, fresh apple cider, pumpkin patch hayrides, a straw maze, caramel apples, duck races and a farm animal petting zoo. Hayrides to pick your own pumpkins start at 10 a.m. on weekends and noon during the week. Admission is $8 Monday-Friday; $11 Saturday-Sunday. 9669 S. State Route 48, Loveland, bloomsandberries.com.
Bonnybrook Farms — This farm is a haven of pumpkin patches, corn mazes, wagon rides, farm animals and more. Fall Farm Days include adventure wagon rides, a “crazed” corn maze, giant slingshots, clodhopper golf, archery, an underground slide and farmyard play area. $15. Noon-7 p.m. Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28. Bonnybrook Farms, 3779 State Route 132, Clarkesville, bonnybrookfarms.com.
Burger Farm & Garden Center Fall Pumpkin Festival — Head to the farm’s annual fall festival every weekend in October. More than 30 family-friendly activities include a puppet show, live music, mini zip lines, carnival and pony rides, paintball and more. Buy mums, gourds, apple cider, corn stalks and pumpkins. Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick your own or chuck a mini pumpkin (or pet a bunny) for an additional fee. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. $12 ages 3-18; $5 adults; free children 2 and under. 7849 Main St., Newtown, burgerfarms.com.
Country Pumpkins Fall Festival — A fall fest on a 25-acre dairy farm with hayrides, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, petting zoo, hay maze and more. Some activities are free and some are ticketed. New this year are Country Fireside Nights (Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28) where you can experience the magic of the farm at night with a lantern-lit hayride, a pumpkin launcher and bonfire. Through Oct. 31. 1835 Sherman Mount Zion Road, Dry Ridge, Ky., countrypumpkinsky.com.
Hidden Valley Orchards — This 60-year-old fruit farm (formerly Hidden Valley Fruit Farm) got a makeover as Hidden Valley Orchards, with a coffee bar, bakery and cider bar. Fill up on all things apple — cider, dumplings, cobbler, fritters, donuts and custard — pick a pumpkin, take a hayride and find more family fun every weekend in September and October. Check the website to see which apples and pumpkins are available as U-Pick throughout the season. There’s a Pumpkin & Cider Festival Oct. 6-7. New this year are pumpkin chucking weekends from late September through early November. Warm up: Bonfire Nights are back through November, offering 12 to 30 guests a three-hour bonfire celebration. Get taken to the venue by a tractor-drawn wagon and purchase sweets and snacks like s’mores on-site. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 5474 State Route 48, Lebanon, hiddenvalleyorchards.com.
Irons Fruit Farm — Take a tractor-driven hayride to pick your own pumpkins between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends through Oct. 29 at this fourth-generation family farm — then feast on apple fritters, cinnamon-cider donuts, cookies and more from the on-site bakery. There is also a corn maze, apples available for purchase and gingerbread house making starts each weekend beginning the last weekend in November. 1640 Stubbs Mill Road, Lebanon, ironsfruitfarm.com.
Joe Huber’s Family Farm & Restaurant — Take a day trip to Huber’s to pick your own pumpkins and indulge in classic comfort food during the Fall Buffet (through Oct. 31) offering everything from fried chicken and mashed potatoes to green beans and homemade fruit cobbler. Pumpkin picking is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 31. Last wagon rides to the pumpkin patch go out half an hour before picking ends. From Nov. 1-30, the restaurant serves Thanksgiving dinner every night. 2421 Engle Road, Starlight, Ind., joehubers.com.
Kinman Farms’ Fall Fest — The farm Fall Fest features a hayride to the back of the farm where you’ll find bonfires, games, Great Pumpkin Express rides, a five-acre corn maze, a carnival tent, live bands and a game area. The Kinman Grill will be serving up hot dogs, caramel apple slices, funnel cake, pulled-pork sandwiches, deep-fried Twinkies and more, plus muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin sugar cookies and drinks at the bakery in the front of the farm. Take a $3 pony ride or hop aboard the Great Pumpkin Express ride through the cornfield and enjoy the story of the Great Pumpkin. A hayride will return you to the front of the farm when you’re ready. Friday-Sunday through Oct. 28. $10. 4175 Burlington Pike, Burlington, Ky., kinmanfarm.com.
McGlasson Farms — This six-generation family-owned and -operated vegetable and fruit stand features produce to purchase on site, or you can even pick your own. Apples, gourds, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, mums and more are available for purchase; contact the farm for more info on U-pick opportunities. The farms’ famous fall festival generally starts the first weekend in October with live Bluegrass and Americana bands on weekends. Things kick-off -4 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7 with Harold Kennedy on Saturday and Jake Speed & the Freddies on Sunday. All shows are free. 5832 River Road, Hebron, Ky., mcglassonfarms.com.
Neltner’s Farm Fall Festival — This family-friendly fest features horse-drawn wagon rides, a model train display, a corn maze, pick-your-own pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, pony rides, homemade ice cream, crafters, pottery, face painting, seasonal apples, folk art, live music and a barrel train. Special weekend activities include live music from favorite Americana/Bluegrass bands Shiny & the Spoon, Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle, Wonky Tonk and more weekends through Oct. 28. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends through Oct. 28. Weekend admission costs $5; pony and barrel train rides and some other events cost an additional fee. 6922 Four Mile Road, Melbourne, Ky., neltnersfarm.com.
Niederman Family Farm Fall Festival — General admission to this fest includes access to the four-acre corn maze, hayrides, a tractor play area, duck races, pipe swings, ball zones and more. Walk to the pumpkin paradise to select your own pumpkin (priced by size), or indulge in some cinnamon-sugar donuts, kettle corn, pumpkin butter, caramel apples, roasted nuts and apple cider. Guests can also rent bonfire pits with benches. Niedermann lights the bonfire, you provide the snacks to roast over the open flame. Thursday-Sunday through Oct. 28. Fall Farm Festival admission is $10. 5110 Lesourdsville West Chester Road, Hamilton, niedermanfamilyfarm.com.
Shaw Farms Fall Festival — This farm is family-friendly with things to do for all ages during Fall Festival Weekends, which run through October. There are horse-drawn or tractor-drawn hayrides, a 12-acre corn maze, an interactive playground, live Bluegrass music and pedal cart races. Pick your own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch or head to the produce barn to enjoy apples — and fresh-pressed apple cider — straight from the orchard. Some activities require tickets. 1731 Ohio, State Route 131, Milford, shawfarms.com.
Sunrock Farm — Nothing screams fall more than a pumpkin patch, and Sunrock Farm offers pumpkin patch tours throughout the month of the October; see the patch and pick your own gourds. Guests can also milk a goat, gather eggs, hold chickens and more during separate hands-on, two-hour guided tours of the farm itself. Pumpkin patch tours through Oct. 31. $10-$12. 103 Gibson Lane, Wilder, Ky., sunrockfarm.org.
