Pumpkin Patches Near NYC! #FallFun
Just because you’re in NYC, you don’t have to miss authentic fall festivities. There are tons of spots right outside the city to get your fill of apple picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, and corn mazes this fall season.
It’s true — New York City in the Fall is certainly a sight to see, but walking through paths of colored leaves in Central Park can only get you so far. I had a hunch that I would have to do some poking around outside the city to get the full fall experience that I was looking for. So I recruited my boyfriend, who I knew would be the perfect companion to have by my side for a romantic day of outdoor autumn adventuring at the Queens County Farm.
Travelling Outside The City
I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this place was to get to from the city. I met Paul at the Starbucks in Penn Station, in front of the Long Island Rail Road board, where we hopped on a train heading to Port Washington — only $29.00 round-trip for both of us. We got off at the Little Neck stop 30 minutes later, crossed the street, and got on the bus that took us straight to the farm!
The second we got off the bus, we knew we had stepped foot into a seriously magical suburban dream, fully equipped with beautiful autumn-touched trees, oodles of farm animals, and bus-fulls of school kids running around and holding their parents’ hands. We crunched out onto the crisp fall ground and took a well deserved long, deep breath of the freshest autumn air imaginable.
Farm Food!
One of the best part of visiting a farm? (Besides the horses…) Farm food! We were starved for lunch by the time we arrived so we hit the food tents for our first stop. As a tip, I would definitely advise bringing a pocket full of cash, because this farm is cash-only and the ATM is a couple of blocks away.
We grabbed a hot dog, hamburger, gyro, and two sodas… and in the spirit of the season, we also ordered a couple of corn on the cobs, dipped in a melting pot of steamed butter and topped with all the seasonings the universe has to offer. Like a couple of good farm-lovin’ folks, we snagged a picnic table in the middle of the field and sat down for lunch in the warm autumn sun.
Farm Activities
The farm itself is free to enter, and most of the activities are pay-as-you go. Alternatively, there is a package deal that gives you access to the petting zoo, hayride, pumpkin patch, and corn maze. The corn maze sounded super appealing at first, but the extremely long line to even get into it made it look way less attractive. The petting zoo overflowed with more toddlers than farm animals, so we just decided to check out the pumpkin patch and the hayride instead!
Pumpkin Patch & Hayride
The pumpkin patch presents the most picturesque image of fall possible, leaving you to wander around and beam at all of these plump orange gems. What’s even better is strolling around the farm grounds, holding hands, soaking in the trees, crunching through the fallen leaves, and enjoying a slice of the simple life.
After walking around for a bit, we were ready to pop a squat and be carted around by huge tractors on their signature hayride. For only $3.00 each, we got to see the entire scope of the farm sitting atop of bales of hay. We gazed over the edge at the beautiful field and glowed, talking about what a lovely day we had spent together at the farm.
Okay, Your Turn — go, go, GO!
Queens County Farm is open daily from 10am-5pm, but the hayride and pumpkin patch is only open on the weekends until the end of the fall season, so get going while you still can. Don’t be intimidated by travelling outside the city. This was a super easy location to get to and well worth the travel to spend the day on a farm — a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of city life. And the perfect way to celebrate the 2015 fall season!
