Fall Festivals, Pumpkin Patches, Harvest Fairs, Corn Mazes and Hay Rides Right Here in New York City 2011

Celebrating the harvest is a fun fall activity, and you don't even need to leave town to do it. While they're certainly plenty of wonderful fall fairs and festivals on Long Island and in New Jersey, you can enjoy an authentic harvest experience right here in New York City.

Local festivals bring country fun to the five boroughs with pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes and other autumnal activities. So put your gas money into the college fund and hit these harvest spots and fall fetes, all accessible via the MTA.

One word of warning before you leave home: Hurricane Irene took a toll on many local farms, so we're looking at a potentially poor pumpkin crop this year, which means these patches may be kind of bare. Happily, most of these festivals offer plenty of other seasonal attractions.

Corn Maze

Amazing Maize Maze – Floral Park
Every weekend and Columbus Day through October 30 11am-4:30pm
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway
$9 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-11, free for kids under 4
I did this maze with my son when he was just four-years-old. I kept waiting to hear him whine, "Carry me!" But we had so much fun that complaint never came. Before you embark on your adventure, staff from this working farm explain how to find hidden clues and solve tricky puzzles that will help you successfully navigate this three-acre corn maze. If you've got older kids who enjoy a challenge, try doing it by flashlight: On Saturdays October 8 and 15, the maze stays open until 9pm.

Big Apples

The Annual Apple Festival – Canarsie
Saturday, September 24 noon-4pm
Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, 5816 Clarendon Road near East 59th Street
$5 for adults, $3 for kids
Celebrate our city's signature fruit at NYC's oldest building, which is now a museum dedicated to early Dutch life in this town. Enjoy fresh-pressed cider, fritters, a live jug band and other retro fun.

Apple Festival – Floral Park
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Sunday, October 2 11am-4 pm
FREE
Enjoy all kinds of apple antics. Watch as the farm bakes the country’s largest apple cobbler, try a cider-pressing demo or just bite into the crispy fruit. Food, children’s games and hay rides are also on tap.

Pumpkin Patches

Pumpkin Patch – Floral Park
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Every weekend and Columbus Day through October 30 11am-4:30pm
Pumpkin prices are based on weight
Admission to this working farm is always free (unless there's a special event). Families can wander through the fields to find the perfect jack-o'-lantern.

Pumpkin Patch – Historic Richmond Town
Decker Farm, 435 Richmond Hill Road
Every weekend and Columbus Day through October 30 11am-4pm
$5 per person, $16 for a family of four plus cost of pumpkins. Prices are based on weight.
This 19th-century farm stand is part of Historic Richmond Town. We've never been, however, readers have complained that it's not that great, especially since you need to pay to get in. Also to get there, you need to take a shuttle bus from the parking lot, and reportedly it doesn't always run when it's supposed to. So call ahead to confirm times and proceed with caution.

Fall Festivals, Kid-friendly Haunted Houses and More

Oktoberfest and Crafts Fair – Sunnyside
Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Avenue between 48th and Heiser Streets
Saturday, October 8 noon-4pm
FREE
Details for this annual fest are still being worked out. In the past, this lovely park—which is usually only open to members—hosts a public festival with a pumpkin patch, seasonal food, live music and a fair featuring handcrafted items for sale.

New York Restoration Project’s Harvest Festival – Harlem
Sherman Creek Park, Harlem River Drive and Dyckman Street at Tenth Avenue
Saturday, October 15 2-6pm
FREE
Celebrate nature’s bounty with a pumpkin carving contest at this beautiful waterside park. Pumpkins and carving tools are provided, but you must register by October 1 by emailing events@nyrp.org. Other activities include art and garden workshops, live music and family photos.

Fall Kids' Fest – Flatiron
Madison Square Park, 23rd Street at Madison Avenue
Saturday, October 15 11am-2pm
FREE
Children can don their Halloween costumes for a parade led by a Big Apple Circus clown, and then hit the pumpkin patch to pick and decorate a jack-o'-lantern. This popular annual fest also features live music, games, arts and crafts, face painting and snacks. Arrive early! It gets mobbed fast.

Rockaway Fall Festival – Rockaway
Bayswater Park, Beach 32 Street and Beach Channel Drive
Sunday, October 16 noon-3pm
FREE
This annual shindig features pumpkins to pick, costume making, pony and hay rides, live entertainment and refreshments.

CarnEvil – Staten Island
Greenbelt Recreation Center, 501 Brielle Avenue
Friday, October 21 4-6pm
FREE
Don't let the name scare you off: This tame fight fest is aimed at families. (The more mature haunted walk for adults kicks off at 7pm.) After school, hit the spot for crafts, games, face painting and a pumpkin patch.

Halloween Festival – Bayside
Fort Totten Park, Cross Island Parkway, Totten Road to 15 Road
Saturday, October 22 noon-4pm
FREE
This Civil War fort turns into Halloween headquarters with games, rides and a pumpkin patch.

Halloween Harvest – Canarsie
Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, 5816 Clarendon Road near East 59th Street
Saturday, October 22 noon-4pm
$5 for adults, $3 for kids
This historic Dutch farm marks the season with music, stories, games, face painting and a costume swap. There will also be a market filled with produce from the museum's garden, including a limited number of pumpkins for sale (call in advance to reserve one!).

Pumpkin Carving Workshop – Staten Island
Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Avenue
Saturday, October 22 at 1pm
$9, includes pumpkin
At this hands-on sessions, children ages 8 and up can pick a pumpkin and learn how to carve it. Advance registration required.  

Halloween Haunted House – Floral Park
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Saturday, October 29-Monday, October 31 4-7pm
$4
You never know what you'll find—or what will find you—in the farm’s creepy haunted house. Afterward, go for a hay ride, down some cider, and buy your pumpkins and apples. Children ages 4 and up.

Children's Fall Festival – Floral Park
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Sunday, October 30 11am-4pm
$5 admission but there are additional fees for various activities
One of my personal favorites, this massive bash features traditional games like sack races and trinkets-in-the-haystack, live music, pig races, and arts and crafts. Families are encouraged to attend in costume. This is the perfect day to hit the farm's Amazing Maize Maze and Halloween Haunted House.

Check out our Fall Fun Guide for other awesome seasonal activities.

For full coverage of apple picking, pumpkin picking, strawberry picking and farm fun info in the tri state area, check out our Pick Your Own Guide.