No place does fall like New York State! What better way to get into the seasonal spirit than with a visit to one of the state’s beautiful farms? Whether you prefer to get lost in a corn maze, journey into an orchard to pick your own New York apples, or make friends with adorable farm animals, get in on classic farm fun for the whole fam. Let the gourd times roll and check out these 16 family-friendly fall farms. Discover even more with our blogs on 11 Family-Friendly Fall Weekend Trips You Can Afford and 12 Unforgettable Farmstays Across New York. Photo credit: @katherine708_ on Instagram
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Why not spend the day at this family-owned orchard named best apple orchard for 2024 in a national poll? Since 1911, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette has been growing some of the best apples around. Take the wagon ride out to the scenic orchard where you can pick from 19 varieties of apple ranging from honeycrisp to red delicious. Settle down at a picnic table to refuel with a bite to eat from the 1911 Tasting Room and Tavern, where parents can also sample 1911 Established hard cider, or pop into a bakery for freshly-baked sweet treats (like Beak & Skiff’s famous apple bread). Afterward, let the little ones burn off that sugar in the kid’s treehouse. LaFayette; open Monday-Wednesday 10AM-6PM and Thursday-Sunday 10AM-8PM through October.
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For 35 years, Harbes has been serving up classic fall family fun in Mattituck, Riverhead, and Jamesport! This North Fork farm has it all with pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, corn mazes, fall hayrides, and, for those who are brave, a haunting night maze. Everyone can get in on the country fun at Harbes Barnyard Adventure, filled with eight acres of exciting activities. Jump to new heights on the bounce pillows, launch apples from the apple blasters, take a musical hayride, play giant foosball, and meet the baby chicks, bunnies, ducks, sheep, and goats. Mattituck, Riverhead, and Jamesport; hours vary by location and attraction.
For more than 168 years, Fly Creek Cider Mill has been producing some of the most delicious ciders around with a 2024 best cidery award to prove it! A trip to the tasting room is a must for parents with cider mill tours and hard cider, spirits, and apple wine flights, but there’s also tons of fun for the little ones. Discover hidden gems in the mining sluice, race rubber duckies, zoom around the paved little-trike track or climb the wooden tractor in Tractorland, feed the ducks in Millpond, and more. After burning off some energy, end the day with a cider slushie or apple cider donut from the Mill Store which also sells fresh bags of apples, homemade pies, and Fly Creek famous sweet cider to take home. Fly Creek; open daily 9AM-6PM.
Spend a day at this eight-time winner of best apple orchard by Times Union! Take to the orchard and inhale the fresh scent of New York apples as you fill a bag of your own or explore unrivaled views on one of the Indian Ladder Nature Trails. Make your way back to the farm and refuel with a bite to eat from the pizza garden or Annabel’s BBQ food truck, or sample farm-brewed beers and hard ciders in the tasting room or biergarten. The kids are sure to love the friendly farm animals like chickens, goats, turkeys, cows, sheep, and Simon the donkey! Altamont; pick-your-own open daily 9AM-4:30PM. Check website for other attraction hours.
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Hurds in Modena is the place to be for all things agri-tainment! Start off with classic farm fun and frolic through the scenic orchard and pumpkin patch to pick your own apples and pumpkins. Then check out dozens of family fun activities including a two-acre corn maze, friendly farm animals, tractor-pulled hayrides, cow train, bounce pillows, pony rides, gem mining, and more. For little thrill-seekers, soar through the farm on the mini zip line or take the family on an off-roading adventure aboard one of the golf cart farm tours. Modena; open Friday 10AM-7PM, and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 10AM-4PM through October 28.
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Old McDonald has a farm… in Sackets Harbor! Since 1986, Old Macdonald‘s giant pumpkin patch has been the place for picking out the perfect jack o’lanterns. Fall on this farm means getting lost in the 10-acre corn maze, biting into warm apple cider donuts, and taking the 25-minute scenic storybook hayride, where you can feed the adorable cows. Listen for a quack-quack here and a moo-moo there as you get to know the farm’s 200 animals including ducks, goats, cows, bunnies, llamas, and even reindeer! Plus, admission includes access to other fun activities like bounce pads, a kids zipline, mega slide, and mini golf. Sackets Harbor; open Wednesday-Sunday through October 31.
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Experience the ultimate day on the farm at one of the region’s largest u-pick apple orchards! 2024 marks Becker Farms’ 130th anniversary, promising a season packed with all kinds of fun. Journey out into the picture-perfect orchard to pick from 12 varieties of apples, choose a jack o’lantern-to-be from a pile of plump pumpkins, or indulge in warm apple cider and donuts. Littles are sure to fall in love with farm animals like Jenny the mini cow or Ham Solo and Piggy Smalls, the pot belly pigs. For thrill-seeking families with older kids, venture into Becker Farms’ haunted forest on a spine-chilling nighttime hayride (October 18-20 and 25-27). Gasport; open weekends and Monday, October 14 from 11AM-5PM through October 27.
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Enjoy all things autumn at Critz Farms in Cazenovia! The Fall Harvest Celebration runs from mid-September through October and includes all kinds of activities for the whole family. Pick your own apples throughout the 4.5-acre orchard or take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect jack o’lantern-to-be. Make barnyard friends with the baby calves, ponies, piglets, or llamas in the animal area, wander through the gigantic corn maze, get to know the farm on a guided tour, or sample craft beer and cider made on site while you grab a bite to eat from the cafe. Plus, Critz farms and tap room are both pup-friendly! Cazenovia; Fall Harvest Celebration runs through October. Hours vary by activity.
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Rulfs Orchard is the ultimate family farm destination! Open since 1952, this farm surrounded by vibrant Adirondack foliage has it all. Climb aboard the pumpkin hayride to the u-pick pumpkin patch or head out into the orchard for apples. Visit the petting zoo and say hi to friendly farm animals like Chloe the horse, goats, alpacas, and donkeys Rufus and Bob. Wander through the “Highland Cow” themed corn maze and if you’re up for a challenge, experience the corn maze at night during Flashlight Nights (October 12 and 19). Be sure to stop at the farm market for warm donuts and grab one of the fresh-baked pies to-go. Peru; open daily Monday-Saturday 6am-6pm and Sunday 6am-5pm.
Fun for the whole family awaits at Pumpkinville in Great Valley. If you’re looking for a plump pumpkin, you’re in the right place! Pick your own from the sprawling pumpkin patch or choose from the wide selection of those already picked. There’s all kinds of activities to keep the kids entertained; go for a spin on the Happy Horse Carousel, ride the Pumpkinville Express or Cow train, visit the farm animals, pan for gems in the water sluice, aim at hay bale targets at the corn cannon, and more. This year you can even catch a pumpkin carving demo from the Food Network’s winner of Outrageous Pumpkins, Eric Jones! Great Valley; open daily 9am-7pm through October 31.
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Fall fun is in town at Hank’s Pumpkintown in Water Mill! Snap photos of the fam picking their own apples and pumpkins and then head over to the maze park for even more family fun. Get lost in the giant corn maze, grab a seat on a narrated hayride or family corn train, watch pig races, zoom down the combine slide through a real harvester, catch a performance by Ollie the Talking Tractor, and more. On your way out don’t forget to stop at the hot pink tractor decorated with Pink Porcelain Doll Pumpkins; a portion of proceeds from each sale are donated to Breast Cancer Research. Water Mill; open daily 9:30AM-5:30PM through October 31.
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Spend a day in Hudson Valley apple country at Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson! Comb through the orchard for u-pick apples or take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and fill a wheelbarrow with the prettiest picks. There’s fun for everyone with over 30 farm attractions to explore. Get to know the goats, rabbits, donkeys, llamas, and alpacas in the petting farm, wander through the giant corn maze which presents a unique design each year, play mini-golf, watch apples and pumpkins fly high from cannons, and so much more. Don’t forget to snap a pic with the 13 ½-foot tall “original” world’s largest garden gnome on your way out! Kerhonkson; open daily 10AM-6PM except Wednesdays through November 3.
Bring your country dreams to life in Plattsburgh! Immerse yourself in the pick-your-own pumpkin patch, navigate through the corn maze, take a horse drawn carriage ride from the Belgian draft horses, or visit the petting zoo to meet the pygmy goats, chickens, llamas, donkeys, and pot belly pigs. Throughout the fall season, be sure to catch one of the living history demonstrations showcasing blacksmithing, corn shelling, rope making, and candle dipping. Plattsburgh; open for fall through October.
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Plan a day filled with smiles at Wickham Farms in Penfield! Just under 15 minutes outside of Rochester, this family-run farm has been creating fall memories since 1986. Take a hayride out into the orchard and pick from more than 13 apple varieties or head to the pumpkin patch to hunt for the biggest of the bunch. Get to know the locals and pay a visit to the fuzzy and friendly farm animals or Zach the talking tractor. Admission also includes access to more than 30 activities like the corn maze, jumping pillows, zip line, and mini golf. Don’t leave without trying Wickham’s famous (and Insta-worthy) fall Shake Up (pictured). Penfield; open Thursday-Tuesday 10am-7pm through October 31.
Eighty acres of fall fun can be found in Bethel! Located 13 minutes from the grounds of the famed 1969 Woodstock Music Festival and now Museum at Bethel Woods, Cunningham Family Farm is a Catskill fall staple. Escape to the pumpkin patch to pick your own and make your way through Sullivan County’s largest corn maze! Be sure to check out some of the other barnyard activities such as hay rides, gem mining, giant checkers and chutes and ladders, a hay bale pyramid, and more. Swan Lake; open weekends 11AM-5PM through October 31.
Twenty minutes outside of Saratoga Springs, a fabulous fall adventure awaits at Ellms Family Farm! With acres filled with more than 40 attractions, there’s something for everyone. Pick your own pumpkins, let the tiny tots take a ride on the MooMooChooChoo, get digging on the mini excavators, explore the farm on a trolley tour, and much more. Don’t miss out on family-friendly competition with a game of pumpkin bowling or paintball. Ballston Spa; open Saturdays and Sundays, and Monday, October 14 from 10AM-6PM through October.
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