Summer is almost over, and soon the air will be turning colder. But now is the time to take advantage of what the fall season has to offer.  There are lots of fun family friendly ways to enjoy a farm this fall:

Go Apple Picking

Sure, most of us can get apples year-round from the grocery store, but there’s nothing quite like fresh apples, picked straight from the tree during harvest season. Many farms will let you pick your own. It’s not only fun, it’s also a great way to show kids where their food comes from. Get extras for canning applesauce, or making pies.  Check out our full list of Pick Your Own Farms for locations in your area. 

Riamede Farm 122 Oakdale Rd, Chester, 908-879-5353.

Wightman's Farms 111 Mt Kemble Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960.  973-425-9819

Battleview Orchards 91 Wemrock Road, Freehold, NJ 732-462-0756

Giamarese Farm 155 Fresh Ponds Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 732-821-9494

Eastmont Orchards 169 County Rd E., Rt. 537, Colts Neck NJ 732-542-5404

Demarest Farms 244 Wierimus Road Hillsdale, NJ 07642 201-666-0472

Johnson’s Corner Farm 133 Church Rd. Medford, NJ 08055 609-654-8643

Argos Farm 1250 Lacey Rd, Forked River, NJ 08731 609-693-3513

Emery's Berry Farm 346 Long Swamp Rd. New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-758-8514

Visit the Pumpkin Patch

Don’t buy your Halloween pumpkin from the grocery store. Go straight to the source. Kids will love wandering around the patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Choose a couple of big ones for jack-o-lanterns, and grab a few smaller ones for painting or general household decorations. Smaller pumpkins make great additions to fall centerpieces. Roast the seeds in your oven for a yummy snack.

Snyder's Farm 586 South Middlebush Road, Somerset, NJ (732) 496-0441

Donaldson Farms, 358 Allen Road, Hackettstown, NJ (908) 852-9122

A Casola Farms 178 State Route 34, Holmdel, NJ (732) 332-1533

Riamede Farm 122 Oakdale Rd, Chester, 908-879-5353.

Dearborn Market & Farm 2170 Route 35 North, Holmdel Twp, NJ 732-264-0256

Cheesequake Farms 2 locations: 2095 US Route 9 · Old Bridge, NJ 732.721.5728 / 191 Rt. 34 Matawan, NJ 732.583.6780 

Norz Hill Farm & Market, LLC 116 South Branch Rd. Hillsborough, NJ 08844 908-371-2697

Sussex County Strawberry Farm 565 Route 206 North, Andover, NJ 973-579-5055

Alstede Farms 1 Chesterfield Dr. Chester, NJ 07930 908-879-7189

Heaven Hills Farm 451 Route 94, Vernon, New Jersey 07462 973-764-5144

Riamede Farm 122 Oakdale Road, Chester, N.J. 07930 908-879-5353

Conklin Farm U-Pick 65 River Road, Montville, NJ 07045 973-400-9460

Springdale Farms 1631 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 856-424-8674

Make Your Own Scarecrow

Pick up a hay bale or use leaves.  Dig out an old shirt and overalls, and stuff it until firm. Add a pumpkin head (from your trip to the pumpkin patch) and you’ve got a great fall decoration.

Dig in a Corn Pit

Great alternative to a sand box for the young ones.  They fill a big area with corn kernels and have a variety of toys available. 

Visit the Animals

Take a pony ride or pet one of the many animals on the farm.  

Green Meadows Petting Farm in Hazlet, New Jersey is a unique hands-on learning adventure with hundreds of friendly farm animals.  Some of their many petting zoo activities include milking a cow, feeding our animals, tractor drawn hayrides and fall pumpkin picking.  Green Acres Drive at Middle Road Hazlet, NJ 07730 732-335-5589

Check out a Local Apple Festival

Enjoy one of the many apple delicacies such as hot and cold apple cider, apple pies, apple turnovers, apple cider donuts, apple fritters, apple loaves, candy and caramel coated apples, and more!

Old Fashioned Hayride Fall is not complete until you have bumped your way along a dirt road on the way to the pumpkin patch and gotten covered in hay bits. 

Navigate a Corn Maze. Test your directional sense, and get some fresh air in the process. Corn mazes are fun for all ages.  Farms get more creative each year with the designs.  Also look for a hay bale maze for younger ones. 

Test Your Skills at a Pumpkin Slingshot - Who doesn’t love putting a pumpkin into a sling shot and launching it 25 feet in the air?  The kids (and Dad too!) will get a big kick out of it.