Pumpkin Picking, Fall Festivals, Harvest Fairs, Corn Mazes and HayRides Right Here in New York City

Getting ready for Halloween with a visit to the pumpkin patch is a favorite Fall activity for kids, but let's face it, even if you drive to a country farm, you're just picking a pumpkin that's been shipped in from somewhere else and rolled onto a field. You can get just as authentic an experience right here in New York City on some really local farms or at one of the fun Fall Festivals that bring a little country life to the city with pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes and other Fall fun activities. Put your gas money in the college fund and hit these pumpkin patches and fall festivals right here in NYC.

Queens is the home to the only working historical farm in the city. The Queens County Farm Museum is best this time of year and offers a variety of events and ways to enjoy the Fall season. Kids can enjoy hay rides, apple and pumpkin picking, and a County Fair without ever leaving the 5 boroughs. Kids can enjoy pumpkin picking every weekend in October at the Queens Farm Museum, but there are some special events that make a visit to the farm extra fun:

27th Annual Queens County Fair 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. A traditional county fair with blue ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts and crafts, and more. Enjoy the Amazing Maize Maze, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, Big Apple Circus Variety Acts, make-your-own-scarecrow, hayrides, petting zoo, and carnival rides. Saturday and Sunday September 19 and 20. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for kids

Apple Festival   A large variety of apples, apple products, and freshly pressed cider will be available. The nation's largest apple cobbler will be baked on site. Enjoy cider pressing demonstrations while leaning fun apple facts at this delightful event. Sunday, October 4, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Admission is free

Children's Fall Festival This is my personal favorite. Youngsters are invited to wear their costumes and enjoy traditional games, including sack races and trinkets-in-the-haystack, plus pony rides and a petting zoo. Craft vendors usually display and sell fall items, food, and country western music and dancing make this event fun for people of all ages. Admission is $5 but get there early; this event fills up fast. Sunday, October 25, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Also, Saturdays and Sundays September 19 – November 1 The Amazing Maize Maze is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enjoy getting lost in a 3 acre interactive corn maze. The adventure begins with a “stalk talk” to prepare you for the challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles and making your way out of the maze. This maze is super fun but not for really little ones or the potty training variety. There are NO bathrooms until you exit the maze! Adults, $8. Kids 4-11 $5.

Other Pumpkin Patches, Harvest Festivals and Fall Fairs:

Also in Queens you can head over to the Pumpkin Patch, Oktoberfest and Arts & Crafts Fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park. Pumpkins, food, music from The Strung Out String Band, and handcrafted items including clothing for kids and adults. Saturday, October 10th, 12-5PM FREE.

We've posted a bunch about the Queens County Farm, but you've probably never heard of the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum in Brooklyn. It's New York City's oldest structure and home to a museum about early Dutch life in NYC. On Sunday, September 20th, you can check it out at the free Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum Apple Festival where there'll be games and crafts, apple fritters and cider pressing, and workshops on cooking fresh produce from their weekly Farmers Market and an authentic local Brooklyn jug band. A little bit of the Hudson Valley right here in New York.

How about a Fall Festival by the beach? The Rockaway Fall Festival will have a pumpkin patch, costume making, pony and hay rides, entertainment and refreshments. Sunday, October 4, 12-4pm.

On Staten Island you can go Pumpkin Picking at the Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival. There'll be pumpkin decorating, puppet shows, a carousel and more. Saturday, October 10 from 12-5PM No admission, but fees apply to some activities.

At Staten Island's Decker Farms you can also pick pumpkins and take a hay-ride or try the corn maze. October weekends, $5 per person or $16 for a family of four.

Details haven't been released yet for Madison Square Park Fall Kids Fest but expect a pumpkin patch, live music, food and lots of great entertainment. Saturday, October 17 FREE

At the Harvest Festival in Carl Schurz Park, enjoy a hayride, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin and cupcake decorating and a concert by Big Jeff and the Bouncy People at 2pm. Saturday, October 17, 12pm-2pm. FREE

Brooklyn's Old Stone House Harvest Festival will have pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting and more in Park Slope's JJ Byrne Memorial Park. Sunday, October 18, 11-3pm. FREE