We are huge fans of Halloween in our household and I'm excited that this year toddler is able to get on board and get excited about the season! Last year I took him to Fall Festival at Brantwood Farms in Brantford and he loved the hay ride, seeing the animals and having a bit of fun.
This year, my friend suggested we take the boys to Merry Farms in Lynden to check out their pumpkin patch. We went on Saturday morning and although it was supposed to be a little bit chilly, the sun was out and shining down which made for the perfect visit and beautifully lit photos. We bundled up in fall jackets and hats and were plenty warm enough!
Admission to the Merry Farms pumpkin patch is $12/person and admission includes all activities except for face painting and food. There are over 25 activities for families to enjoy and a family could easily spend five hours there. We were on toddler timelines and spent around two hours there and managed to pack in a bunch of activities but we had to move around pretty quickly. If the boys hadn't needed to go home for their naps we could have stayed longer.
During our time at Merry Farms we did the giant slides, the wooden train playground, the giant sandbox, the corn pit, the giant pumpkin bouncy pillow, the sound garden, the tree houses, petting baby pigs, bouncing on farm hoppers, the corn maze, and a wagon ride through the farm.
Each of the activities held my 2.5 year old's attention, but his top three were probably the giant slides, the giant bouncy pumpkin and the wagon ride that was pulled by a tractor. We loved that the area seemed safe and that the boys could run off and find activities as we strolled behind them while chatting.
We arrived around 10am and the pumpkin patch was not too busy yet, but by the time we left just after noon it was getting pretty busy. Arrive early to take advantage of a little bit more space at all of the activities. Merry Farms has their schedule posted on their website for quick reference with times and admission prices!
Here are a few tips to make your visit to Merry Farms and enjoyable one:
If it's been raining, wear rain boots. It was pretty dry when we were there but there were some puddles that were totally tempting for the toddlers. I'd forgotten toddler's rain boots at preschool for the weekend however, and he did just fine in shoes.
Take snacks, or plan to enjoy the food that's available at the farm. Our toddlers were running around full tilt all morning and were hungry and exhausted after two hours of fresh air and exercise. I was glad I had an apple and granola bar for him in my bag!
Wear bright fall colours. There are lots of really pretty photo opportunities throughout the farm, including a pumpkin wall and a tractor surrounded by fall decor, and of course the pumpkin patch itself. Some of my favourite photos of my little guy are from the fall when he's surrounded by bright orange pumpkins and colourful mums.
We loved our visit to the Merry Farms pumpkin patch. I'm pretty sure a visit to a pumpkin patch will be an annual excursion in our household and can't wait to see where we end up next year! Leave a comment below with your favourite Hamilton-area pumpkin patch so I can add it to the list of options for next year!
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