This post was written in partnership with Honeysuckle Hill Farm, which provided free tickets for my family to attend their annual fall festival.
As a new mom, I was introduced to the concept of the pumpkin patch. No longer were Halloween pumpkins purchased at the store or the local farmers’ market — now pumpkin picking was a full day’s event, including a drive to the country, photo ops, petting zoos, and mazes. When my boys were small, we learned we preferred small, working farms to the big festivals, needing smaller distances to walk and fewer activities to do. This year, I suspected we were ready to go big.
Honeysuckle Hill Farm invited us to attend their fall festival for free this year. As we drove up to Springfield, Tennessee, I realized how little time my kids spend out of the city as they exclaimed over the cows and goats we drove past. A pumpkin patch may not seem like a cultural experience, but as my kids watched piglet races and crawled through a hay maze, I felt like they were experiencing a part of our state that is missing from our daily urban life.
One of my favorite things about Honeysuckle Hill Farm is the range of activities for all ages. There’s a petting zoo and a small playground for the littles, a junior zipline and treehouse village for elementary age kiddos, and a giant corn maze and a haunted forest for the older crowd (we skipped that part). We enjoyed some competitive family fun by pumping water for rubber duck races and climbing into giant, plastic wheels for a hamster run. My kids might have spent all afternoon on the big, bouncy “Corn Popper” if we hadn’t dragged them to the giant slide and the hayride.
We spent over three hours at the farm, and easily could have stayed longer if it weren’t for the 90-degree heat on the day that we went. I recommend doing your research on the available activities before you go, as there are several ticket options. While most attractions are included with $14.95 general admission, there are additional fees for gem mining, apple blasting, the pumpkin train, and the adventure course. You can add the $5 super saver option to your ticket to ride the pumpkin train, pick a small pumpkin to take home, and receive a souvenir cup. If you want to skip the pumpkin train (you can still do a hayride) and buy your pumpkin at the store or elsewhere, you can go with the Farm Pass with no add-ons. You’ll enjoy your experience more if you know what you plan to do and prepare your kiddos accordingly.
Thanks to Honeysuckle Hill Farm for helping our family kick off fall with lots of fun! Is a pumpkin patch part of your fall traditions? What is your favorite experience?
