Anonymous
Post 09/28/2015 12:25     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Anonymous wrote:Do any of these places have something that is a little spooky, like Goosebumps or the Disney Haunted Mansion, but not full out screaming ax murderer haunted house?


Calleva sponsors a haunted forest that by the looks of things has now gone to the dark side in terms of spookiness:
http://markoffshauntedforest.com/?page_id=9

Wheaton Park and Cabin John do the train rides. One is tame for little kids the other is more spooky but not Friday the 13th scary. I forget which is which.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2015 09:18     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Do any of these places have something that is a little spooky, like Goosebumps or the Disney Haunted Mansion, but not full out screaming ax murderer haunted house?
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 23:52     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Anonymous wrote:We go to Summer's in Frederick with a bunch of kids and do the flashlight corn maze. Then have smores by the fire. If you go before sunset you can get your pumpkins then.

There is a place in PA that has a huge corn maze and they have towers throughout where you have to get your ext ticket stamped. I think there are 10 of them. But you can't exit until you get all 10. Many older kids go and do team races. I will have to look it up. We went a few years ago. It was crazy fun. Took a solid 90 minutes.


Cherry Crest?
http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com/Activities/The-Corn-Maze/
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 23:08     Subject: Re:Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Same question, looking for MD farms though, thanks.


OP here -- we are open to MD or VA -- willing to travel for fall fun.

The problem with Cox Farms -- and we've been going for TEN YEARS! -- is that they don't update or add anything new. The slides are great for the younger elem. kids, but by the time you're 9, they are not that interesting. My 11 yr old had the best time petting the baby billy goats and watching the new born piglets. But, the hayride and cornundrum are the same old same old, same old! Nothing new in 10 years. They are getting too tall to enjoy the rope swings and if you look around, it's mainly the preschool and K-2 yr olds everywhere. We need more! But, not just an incredibly complex corn maze... some kind of challenges/activities/shows that interest the older kids.


We went there today (Cox Farms), and not only do they not change anything, it was was so obviously not taken care of. I mean, come on $15 a ticket, maybe throw a few pennies in the penny pit. And make sure the water is running on all the water things (farm chores, duck races). If you aren't going to improve, at least keep up.

Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 15:30     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Anonymous wrote:How would Whitehall be for younger children? We have a 4 and 7 yo and have done Cox Farms every year. My 7 doesn't like large crowds and it is never a great day for him, but my younger child enjoys it.


My 2 and 6 year old loved it. I loved that it wasn't crowded!

I honestly can't imagine a 13 year old liking any of these places. They're way too childish. Take him to a haunted forest or something like that without the 9 year old. There's a cool one at Ridgefield Farm in Harpers Ferry.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 15:21     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
How would Whitehall be for younger children? We have a 4 and 7 yo and have done Cox Farms every year. My 7 doesn't like large crowds and it is never a great day for him, but my younger child enjoys it.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 15:05     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
We go to Summer's in Frederick with a bunch of kids and do the flashlight corn maze. Then have smores by the fire. If you go before sunset you can get your pumpkins then.

There is a place in PA that has a huge corn maze and they have towers throughout where you have to get your ext ticket stamped. I think there are 10 of them. But you can't exit until you get all 10. Many older kids go and do team races. I will have to look it up. We went a few years ago. It was crazy fun. Took a solid 90 minutes.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 14:38     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Went to Whitehall today. The corn maze was challenging and fun. Less crowded and crazy than cox farms. The owners and people who work there are friendly.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 12:33     Subject: Re:Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Anonymous wrote:Same question, looking for MD farms though, thanks.


OP here -- we are open to MD or VA -- willing to travel for fall fun.

The problem with Cox Farms -- and we've been going for TEN YEARS! -- is that they don't update or add anything new. The slides are great for the younger elem. kids, but by the time you're 9, they are not that interesting. My 11 yr old had the best time petting the baby billy goats and watching the new born piglets. But, the hayride and cornundrum are the same old same old, same old! Nothing new in 10 years. They are getting too tall to enjoy the rope swings and if you look around, it's mainly the preschool and K-2 yr olds everywhere. We need more! But, not just an incredibly complex corn maze... some kind of challenges/activities/shows that interest the older kids.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 12:24     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
I actually think that Cox is one of the better ones for older kids, the other ones we have been to seem to have a few smaller slides and petting zoo and geared to the 6 and under crowd. Maybe do homestead or one of the farms where you can pick apples and then make a pie?
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 10:40     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
The moonlight maze aspect of these two places is fun. I had fun doing something like this with friends when I was in my early 20s.

http://www.lawyersfarm.com/ (Thurmont, MD)
This one has a pumpkin cannon.

http://www.cornmazeintheplains.com/nightmaze.html (Afton, VA)



Anonymous
Post 09/27/2015 10:27     Subject: Re:Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Same question, looking for MD farms though, thanks.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2015 22:04     Subject: Re:Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Whitehall farm has a pumpkin patch and over 150 acres of beautiful farmland. The festival has lots of activities and almost no one knows about it, because this is their first year. You won't have to wait in long lines, and your kids will love their corn maze - pictured below. The fall festival is open tomorrow or any weekend in October. For more info., go here: https://www.whitehall.farm/events.html
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2015 22:03     Subject: Re:Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
Whitehall farm has a pumpkin patch and over 150 acres of beautiful farmland. The festival has lots of activities and almost no one knows about it, because this is their first year. You won't have to wait in long lines, and your kids will love their corn maze - pictured below. The fall festival is open tomorrow or any weekend in October. For more info., go here: https://www.whitehall.farm/events.html
or ask me snarky questions in the comments below.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2015 21:48     Subject: Recommend a pumpkin patch/fall festival/farm for older elem. kids and middle schoolers
We've done Cox Farm for 10 years. It's getting a little old and clearly, my kids are getting too old for it. Is there any other fall festival/farm that has activities for the 9-13 yr. old set? I need something more than a corn maze b/c they are not going to be entertained by walking in corn stalks for hours on end. A easy/med. corn maze would be fine, but we need other fall activities too.

Does this exist?

Any other suggestions for enjoying fall outdoors with the older kids?