GRAB GRANDMAW AND HEAD TO THE FARM!

Outdoor Adventures in Kiddieland - Awesome Apples, Pumpkin Picking and Delicious Dairy Farms!

With fall coming, one of my very fave things to do is go out to one of the local farms and go ahuntin’ for a pumpkin. Sound corny? It is! But great fun…lol….Many of the local farms in the area bring in extra revenue by having berry/apple picking in the summer and pumpkin patches in the fall.

For all the cityfied cynics….Have you ever done a hayride? If not get thyself there! The kids love it..you ride a tractor trailer, everyone jumps out and runs wild trying to get the best pumpkin, you jump back on and end up back at the start for homemade icecream, apple cider or some other delight..and normally there is a petting farm of animals..so grab your overalls (ok you really don't have to wear overalls..lol) and welcome Fall by heading out to one of the local spots to get your Pumpkin patch on! You have plenty of time to prepare as the pumpkins are just now growing and will not be available till mid-late September….CALL AHEAD TO GET THE OPERATING HOURS…

Hillside Orchards. Old Hwy 441 South, 18 Sorghum Mill Drive, Lakemont Ga 30552, 706-782-2776 http://www.hillsideorchard.com/retail/index.html
Head up to Ellijay area to Hillside orchards, a nice drive, and lots of fun things to do once you get there, great apple cider, donuts homemade on site as well! Opens mid September…


Burt's Pumpkin Farm. 4801 Highway 52, Dawsonville, GA 30534, 706-265-3701 or 1-800-600-BURT http://www.burtsfarm.com/
It is very child friendly and has hay rides. Also, about 15-20 minutes away there is a great place to go for apples/apple cider/individual fried apple pies, etc. - it's called Panorama there are several apple places near Burt's to buy apples if you want to do it all in one day, but the most kid friendly is Burt’s farm…Opens September 1st

Berry Patch Farms. 786 Arnold Mill Road, Woodstock, GA 30188, 770-926-0561 http://www.berrypatchfarms.net/
Hayride and pumpkin patch. They have picnic tables for lunch and a LITTLE petting zoo. They have farm animals and hayrides (all free) and blueberry and blackberry picking in the summer. Closed for 2 weeks in August..Pumpkins start early September…

Washington Farms. 5691 Hog Mountain Road (Hwy.53), Watkinsville, GA 30677 (706) 769-0627 http://www.washingtonfarms.net/
Washington Farms opens up their Athens/Watkinsville Farm for pumpkins in late fall…. Kids love the pumpkins, hayrides, a petting zoo, regular play ground, a corn maze, and the cow train which was a hit with my little ones. They are not open on Sundays, though, so you would want to go early on a Saturday or not too close to Halloween or it will get crowded. Opens late September for pumpkin picking…

Cagle's Dairy Farm. 362 Stringer Rd., Canton, GA 30115 (770)345-5591 http://www.caglesdairy.com/
They show how they fill milk containers. Let you feed calves. Hay ride through the farm with a sheep dog demonstration. The hay ride stops at the pig race. They race for chocolate milk. There is a victory garden, original from WWII, that is explained. Last year there was a big bouncy for the kids. Extra fee for a pony ride. You can buy sausage sandwich and BBQ sandwich. Purchase already picked pumpkins. A fun little country store. Okay you see I enjoy the experience at Cagle's Farm

Uncle Bob's Farms. 3781 E. Happy Valley Circle, Newnan, GA 30263770-253-8100 http://www.uncle-bob.com/
Tractor-pulled hayrides, Choose pumpkins from their extensive store area, or roam the fields to find your own. Their store also carries lots of other farm products and homemade, as well as Halloween/fall decorations.Additionally, there was a haybale maze for small kids, cornstalk maze for bigger ones, puppet show (cheesy, but the kids liked it), spinning demonstration (the farmer's wife spun hair directly off the bunny's hind end while it sat on her alp, which made an impression on me if not the kids), and if I remember correctly bees & honey demo (although that might have been at another farm, I'm not sure). It was a nice drive out there, as well. Opens for pumpkins late September….

Southern Belle Farm. 1658 Turner Church Rd. McDonough, GA 30252 http://www.southernbellefarm.com/ (770) 898-0999
They have a hayride thru the pumpkin patch. Opens late September...


Look at the Georgia Organics website (http://www.georgiaorganics.org/). Their directory has farms listed. Directory is online and you can pick up a hard copy at Whole Foods. New directory released occasionally.