Pumpkin Picking and Fall Farm Festivals in Long Island

Jeremy's "baby pumpkin", originally uploaded by cassandracox.

Summer weather is hanging around, but I'm still anticipating the coming Fall weather and Halloween. Soon it will be time to hop in the Zipcar and head out of the city for some pumpkin picking and Fall Farm Festivals. Here’s a list of some of the best pumpkin picking and Fall farms on Long Island with soe special reasons that it will be worth a trip.

Harbes Family Farm: 715 Sound Avenue, Mattituck
Visit the Mattituck location for a Wizard of Oz themed corn maze, a mini-maze for the tiny tots, pony rides, wagon and hay rides, and the best Fall sweets and treats on Long Island: Harbes offers roasted corn and homemade candy apples ~ YUM! Plus, if you go Friday September 19^th, you can catch a FREE Brady Rymer concert at 3:30.

Schmitt’s Family Farm: 29 Pinelawn Rd, Mellville
Located in Mellville, Schmitt’s offers a hay pyramid (for climbing and sliding down), a corn maze, wagon ride and farm tour, farm animals, and having nothing to do with Halloween or Fall, a pirate ship themed playground (a favorite of my kids). Schmitt’s also has one of the most well-organized pre-picked fields of pumpkins, with the pumpkins organized by size. By the way, for grown ups only: Schmitt’s also offers one of Long Island’s spookiest Haunted Houses and a Haunted Corn Maze if you have someone to watch your kids.

White Post Farms: 250 Old Country Rd. Mellville
With their Fall Farm Festival starting this Saturday, September 20^th, White Post offers the most interactive Fall festival on Long Island. With sing-a-long hayrides, a stage performance that allows your very own future Broadway star to perform in, pony rides, kids karaoke, games and activities for your kids to play, White Post is one of the most popular and biggest Fall farms. Plan a full day at White Post though, if for no other reason, you’ll spend an hour trying to peel your child out of the bouncy-houses. My son enjoys the train ride most of all since it circles around the indoor animal farm.

Fritz Lewin Farms: 1989 Sound Avenue, Calverton
If your definition of “pumpkin picking” means actually going into a pumpkin field and picking a pumpkin from the vine, this is the best (and one of the only) spots. This time of year you can also find all kinds of vegetables to pick plus apples and some other fruits. Short on the carnival type atmosphere, this is the real deal in terms of a Fall farm.

Hicks: 100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury
More nursery than Farm, Hicks is probably the closest and simplist alternative for city-folk. Last year, my son visited Hicks for his pre-K field trip and had a blast, and you can be in and out of Hicks in a reasonable time frame as well. A friendly “Otto the Ghost” adventure tour, a horse drawn hay ride, children's story hours, and a small petting zoo all add to less spooky and more friendly atmosphere, which makes Hicks one of the best spots for younger children to visit. With bins of pre-picked pumpkins and an easy to find and get to location, Hicks is also one of the most convienient.

Also check out our post on where to do pick your own apple picking in New York.