Fall Fun; brought to you by pumpkins, kettle corn, & hayrides

Seriously guys, how is it already the week of Halloween?! I mean, I swear it was just September, & I was longing for all the fun October would bring. Now it’s somehow the last week, & I’m just starting to check some items off the fall bucket list! And seriously, can we talk about the weather?! One day I’m bunddling in cozy sweaters, & the next I’m sweating from my front door to the car. Is it just me, or has this whole month thrown ya’ll for a loop too? I’m just sitting here confused, thinking about what I’ve been doing the last three weeks as one of my favorite months passed me by. I got nothin on good reasons for slacking in the fall fun department, oh, well, other than having three jobs & two kids. But in all seriousness my priorities have been wack this month. It’s pumpkin spice latte drinkin , apple pickin, Halloween cookie bakin season, & it’s high time I get on board before the train leaves town & doesn’t roll in again for a long 11 months. 

First up for me, checking the dang weather app ahead time, so my kid’s teacher doesn’t have to ask me to send her with a sweater, or so she isn’t sweating on the playground in long sleeves & wool tights 🤦‍♀️Both accounts have happened more than once this month, but running late just seems to be my life now. And when your rushing out the door in attire that was fitting for yesterdays temps, you don’t really realize your under or over dressed till you’re walking through the school parking lot thinking “son of a.. not again.” It wasn’t always like this folks. I was the girl who showed up annoyingly early for everything, bc tardiness gave me anxiety. However, becoming a mom has lowered my standards tremendously for just about everything. So, much like everything else…I’m late to the Fall fun, but that’s not stopping me from squeezing in all the Halloween must dos this week. Better late than never, so if you’ve been missing out too, now’s the time to join the fun!

Because I refused to let another weekend pass me by without the participation in some seasonal activity, we headed to Holiday Farms in Ridgland, SC. Nothing like a good old fashion pumpkin farm experience to kick start the fall festivities. 

The pumpkin pickins were a little slim, but still better than I expected for being a few days pre Halloween. We normally get some big, fat pumpkins tailored to carving & full of tasty seeds, but we had to settle for smaller ones this year. The good news is, we still got plenty of seeds for toasting (I’ll share my recipes tomorrow). The size may not be what we’re used to, but the quality of pumpkin was definitely still there. They had plenty of perfectly shaped little guys that were all included in the price of entrance for each person, so all in all a successful patch trip.

Ok, so I was a little premature with the successful trip comment, because we all know it wouldn’t be a hit if the food was a bust. Real talk, the lunch options were pretty much what you would expect from fair food, good but nothing to write home about, or in this case to blog about. However, they do let you bring in packed lunches, & their snack game is on point. My husband & I used to love funnel cake years ago but never get it anymore since it always seems to be oily or gross now. We gave in here, because we heard other people raving about it, & we’re glad we did. It’s the way funnel cake is supposed to taste, & the goodness doesn’t stop there. My daughter’s addicted to popcorn so, of course, she wasn’t letting us leave without a jumbo size kettle corn, so we have her to thank for that amazing treat. The snacks were great, but the activities will have us coming back for years.

The farm was full of activities for all ages. Tractor hayrides, corn mazes, petting zoos, bounce houses, slides, carnival games, steer roping... I could go on, but you’re already excited to go, so I think I can stop. It’s the do-it-all & then some experience at Holiday farms. With corn grinding, pig & duck races, barrel car rides, & more, everyone will find something that strikes their fancy. For my 4yr old it was the tricycle racing track, for my 16 month old it was the snow cones, & for my 30yr old (my husband’s basically an extension of my children) it was throwing a baseball at some stacked milk bottles. For me, it was the pumpkin patch. Maybe it’s the OCD in me, but I’m a sucker for the hunt of perfection. 

A hunt I don’t enjoy though, is an ATM hunt. Lawd knows I’ve rolled up to patches before, eager kids in tow, only to be directed back to my car & to an ATM for entrance cash. So, more awesomeness...they take debit cards! You also won’t be hit with a fee for every ride, game, & activity. Unlike most farms where you’re shelling out non stop cash or trying to keep track of tickets you had to purchase, at Holiday, everything is included with your entrance fee ($12 a person ages 3 & up). That means your kids can ride the train 32 times, have endless bounces on the trampoline, & everyone gets their own pumpkin. 

You’ll be having so much fun, you might almost forget the obligatory family patch photo, but rest assured. There are over ten perfectly decorated photo stations set up to remind you all along the way so you won’t miss out or wait in long lines. Honestly, I kind of sucked at photo journaling for you today, which I definitely regret, since I really want y’all to appreciate how awesome this place is. Now you’ll just have to go see for yourself though! Clearly my lack of photos is a testament to how much fun we were having. 

So, if you haven’t hit up a pumpkin patch yet, I highly recommend this one. Heck, even if you have, you should still check this one out. After all, just like Halloween candy, you can’t have too much fall fun. So, make the trip & then come back to the blog for how to make a salty sweet snack with those pumpkin guts.