One of my favorite parts of living in New York is the vibrant change of seasons. Unlike some other states, New York has the pleasure of experiencing four unique seasons. Personally, I love the change of seasons. This provides us with seasonal activities that we can only enjoy at certain times during the year, which makes everyone cherish these activities even more. Every year, I find myself looking forward to autumn. Although the end of lazy summer days surge behind us, the fall season brings a fresh, crisp, new beginning. A few of my favorite fall favorites include pumpkin picking (of course), apple picking, corn mazes, and everything the fall festival atmosphere has to offer. For today's post, I wanted to share a few of my favorite farms to visit for an array of fall festivities.
1. Schmitt's Family Farm
Location: Schmitt's Family Farm has been my go-to fall festivities spot for years. One of the aspects I enjoy about this farm is that it is more local than other farms. In many cases, you will need to travel out east or even upstate in order to truly experience a farm atmosphere. However, Schmitt's provides this feeling from its home base, which is located in Melville on Long Island. As a whole, this makes the entire day "easier" since you do not need to travel that far to enjoy some of the best fall festivities!
Pros: This local farm has been a favorite of mine for a long time simply because it offers all of your basic fall day needs in one location. Schmitt's Family Farm offers pumpkin picking, hay rides, a large corn maze (with a different layout\theme every year!), a sunflower field, a petting zoo, a kid zone, various food vendors, an assortment of local produce to purchase, and a large variety of fall decor. If you are more of a thrill seeker, visit the farm at night for a haunted house attraction. Every year, Schmitt's revamps and adds more activities, which makes this farm even more appealing since every year will grant new experiences. Schmitt's Family Farm truly provides the perfect fall day for everyone involved.
2. Fink's Country Farm
Location: Fink's Country Farm is another Long Island location that is not too difficult to get to. This farm is located in Wading River, so you do not need to travel too long of a distance to enjoy these amenities. Depending on where you live on Long Island, this farm may be the most accessible for you and your family.
Pros: Similar to the other farms, Fink's Country Farm also offers pumpkin picking, a corn maze, an assortment of food choices, games and playgrounds for children, and animals. However, I found the animal experience at Fink's to outshine the other farms. While other farms have a handful of animals, mainly goats and sheep, Fink's has a very wide variety of animals, including llamas, peacocks, emus, and many more. I enjoy how this farm provides an above average animal section compared to other farms. Unfortunately, I was too caught up with the animals to remember to take pictures of them, so you will need to go check it out for yourself! All of the other activities at Fink's were just as great and aligned with other fall festivities at various Long Island farms.
*Note: Fink's does have a general admission fee for each person, which covers almost all farm activities...check out their website for more information*
3. Harbes Family Farm, Orchard, & Vineyard
Location: Although Harbes Family Farm is a bit further out east, this farm has a wide variety of activities within a short distance from one another. Located in Mattituck on Long Island, Harbes has its main farm, an orchard (in Rivherhead not far from the main farm), and a vineyard. I believe Mattituck is home of the original Harbes Farm, however, they do have an additional location in Jamesport. While this can be a lengthy drive, the farm offers a variety of activities and will entertain your children for hours on end. The drive itself also provides opportunities so stop on the way to browse other local farm stands in the area.
Pros: I have heard so many people talk about how much they love this farm, and I have to agree. It was evident how popular this farm is the second I arrived. While it was very crowded in the parking areas, the farm itself did not feel too crowded since the various activities are quite spaced out. For instance, the children's activities, such as the barnyard experience and playgrounds, are separated by a busy road from the pumpkin picking, hay ride, and corn maze area. The orchard is also a short drive from the main farm, so this allows for more separation. Additionally, there are food vendors and additional shops scattered throughout the farm, orchard, and vineyard, so there is never one condensed area of people waiting for food.
One of my favorite aspects of Harbes was how natural the pumpkin patch is. Here, you are able to experience a "real" pumpkin patch. By this, I mean you are able to pick your pumpkins in their natural setting rather than choosing from "ready" pumpkins dumped on an open field of grass. It was pretty cool to see the various stages of a pumpkin's life in its natural habitat. This is the only farm I have been to where the pumpkin picking experience provides this naturalistic element.
4. Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden
Location: Located in Manorville, Long Island, Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden is an easy drive from central Long Island. This farm is probably the easiest "out east" farm to get to if you are looking to head out east for the day. Essentially, you just take the LIE the entire way, exit, make one turn, then you are there! Easy off, easy on. Furthermore, since it is located out east, there are many other farms located in the area. There is even a tinnier farm located directly across the street if Waterdrinker is too crowded for your liking.
Pros: I decided to visit Waterdrinker Family Farm since I have heard sooo many people talking about this family fun location. Like many other farms on the island, Waterdrinker has pumpkin picking, a beautiful, vibrant sunflower field, a corn maze, a variety of games/activities for younger children, a quaint animal section, and a few food options. They also have a cute shop/market to get all of your fall decorations, along with other homemade goodies. Honestly, I found other farms with the same activities to provide a more heightened experience, especially when it comes to the animal and pumpkin picking experience. However, this day at the farm was still very fun! The aspect that stood out the most to me was the sunflower field since Waterdrinker is known for their Sunflower Festival. Additionally, this farm provides festivals throughout the entire year. While I have only visited during the transition from the Sunflower Festival to the Fall Festival, I am interested in visiting during the peak of each seasonal event.
*Note: Waterdrinker does have a general admission fee for each person, which covers almost all farm activities...check out their website for more information*
5. Middlefield Orchard & Fly Creek Cider Mill
Even though this post mainly focuses on Long Island Farms, I wanted to include this central New York orchard and cider mill since I recently spent a weekend upstate and experienced a great fall day. If you are passing through central New York during the fall, I highly recommend making these two pitstops for some fall fun.
Location: While visiting Oneonta for the weekend (where I attended college), my friends and I decided to partake in some fall activities. Both the Middlefield Orchard and the Fly Creek Cider Mill are approximately a half hour to forty-five minutes from the city of Oneonta. The drive is very scenic, especially when it comes to seeing an abundance of farm animals, mountains, and the changing colors of the leaves. Anyone who has driven upstate knows how drastically different it is from driving on Long Island, so this drive is definitely a breeze and worth the time.
Pros: Middlefield Orchard provides a great apple picking experience. You simply tell the worker the size of bag you wanted, wander around the orchard to pick your apples, then they weigh the bag for you. This was my first time at an orchard, and I found the experience to be very laid back and fun. I also enjoyed the large variety of apples they had. Each "aisle" was labeled by the kind of apple you would find in that section, so it made finding your favorite apple very easy. You are also able to pick various produce depending on the season, but we stuck to apples during our trip.
As for the Fly Creek Cider Mill, my friends and I used to always take a special trip to this location every fall during our college years. Fly Creek provides all of your favorite fall snacks and drinks in one iconic location. Additionally, they provide so many free samples of dips, apples, and other goodies as you make your way through the store. Once you are done shopping, they have a snack bar where you can purchase your favorite fall snacks and enjoy some fresh air at the outdoor seating area near the animals. If you are ever in the area, you need to check out this location.
I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite farms located on Long Island and in central New York! Fall is a great time of year to get outside and admire the fall foliage for the short amount of time that we can. These farms provide great outlets to partake in a variety of fun fall festivities before this short, enjoyable season is over. I am looking forward to exploring new farms in the upcoming years. For more fun fall activities, be sure to check out my posts from the previous years! Oh, and scroll down to enjoy this very cute picture of Bella pretending she's a pumpkin 🎃
PS: Every farm discussed, along with most farms in general, have apple cider donuts available for purchase. I finally tried my first one just this year (why did I wait so long?!) and it was AMAZING. Definitely make sure you have at least one this season!
Many more adventures to come,
Ashley
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