Autumn has arrived in New England! It’s time to put on your jeans and sweaters, pack up the kids, and head out to the local apple orchard for some apple picking’... or pumpkin patch to for your Halloween pumpkins! With so many fall festivals & fairs, theatrical performances & concerts, and museum exhibits...there are hours of family fun! I do my best to search the web for FREE or low cost events, which are really the best kind of events for whole family! Enjoy!
:) Melissa
Apple Picking & Pumpkin Patches:
Our favorite thing to do in the FALL is to go apple picking, get pumpkins & other root vegetables and see some farm animals! Many farms and orchards have hay rides, trolleys, farm animals, and many other surprises. Visit each website to find out hours, events and pricing.
There are so man great farms and orchards in the New England area...Here is a great Google Map with all the orchards! http://www.applepickingboston.com/
Below is a PDF you can download with all the locations in MA! http://www.boston.com/travel/special/ene/apple/applepickin.pdf
Here are just a few...send me a comment or email if you want to add in your favorites...
Belkin Family Lookout Farm
89 Pleasant Street, South Natick www.lookoutfarm.com
The Farm is open every day from 10:00 - 5:00. Pick your own fruit, enjoy train rides, moon bounce, caterpillar rides, burlap maze and hay pyramid. Weekends also include live kids' entertainment, face painting and more!
Honey Pot Hill Orchards
144 Sudbury Road, Stow, MA 01775
Great apple and pear the week of September 19, picking is open daily 10 to 5. Now picking MacIntosh, Cortand, Empire and Bosc Pears. Visit the Farm store, hedgemaze, tunnelmaze and farm animals open daily 9 to 6. Cider donuts, caramel apples, apple & pumpkin pie. Soft serve ice cream and peach smoothies.
Weekend hayrides 10 to 5 & Weekday hayrides 12 to 5.
Tougas Family Farm
234 Ball Street, Northborough www.tougasfarm.com
Our barnyard, playground, weekend wagon rides, and farm kitchen are family friendly activities all will enjoy. After apple picking, come visit the barnyard to see the goats climb their mountain of stone and then enjoy farm fresh homemade baked goods, ice cream, and apple cider donuts at the Tougas Farm Kitchen. Fun for the whole day, a perfect Massachusetts vacation & New England experience
Nashoba Valley Winery (yes! a winery!)
100 Wattaquadoc Hill Road, Bolton www.nashobawinery.com
Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon
April 1 thru December 31
Monday through Friday 9-7 and Saturday & Sunday 9-6
Monday through Friday 9-7 and Saturday & Sunday 9-6
Seasonal Picking Schedule:
Sept 17th - Oct 30th:
PYO Pumpkins (daily) - pick, then pay
Hayrides to pumpkin patch (weekends only), $3 pp ages 3 & up
4-H Animal Barn: Petting zoo is FREE; donations to Sunnyrock 4H welcome.
Fall Festivals:
Sept. 30 - Oct. 10
207 Boston St., Topsfield, MA
978-887-5000, weekdays $10, weekends and holidays $12, under 12 with adult free, www.topsfieldfair.org
Entertaining visitors since 1818, this is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the United States. Throughout the many tents and barns on the extensive grounds, you can observe, pet, and learn about farm animals including pigs, sheep, horses, rabbits, goats, even bees. (Source: Boston.com)
The Big E
Sept. 16 - Oct. 2
875 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield, MA
413-737-2443, adults $15, 6-12 $10, 5 and under free. Special events priced separately. www.thebige.com
The Big E Cream Puff and the Craz-E Burger are only two reasons to visit The Big E, the largest fall festival in the region. This 17-day extravaganza features carnival rides, a circus under the big top, Mardi Gras parade, reconstructed 19th-century New England village, shopping, crafts, live entertainment (Reba McEntire tops this year’s roster), and foods from around the world like shepherd’s pie, corn cake pulled pork muffins, and deep-fried bacon-wrapped hotdogs. (Source: Boston.com)
Newport Yachting Center's International Oktoberfest
Oct. 8-10
4 Commercial Wharf, 401-846-1600, adults $20 Sat or Sun and $12 Mon, under 12 free, 3-Day Weekender Pass $40, www.newportwaterfrontevents.com
Newport, RI may be known for yachting and sumptuous mansions by the sea, but it’s no snob when it comes to embracing beer. When fall rolls around, the Yachting Center celebrates the flavors of the season at this annual festival. Two stages on the waterfront feature spirited Bavarian oompah bands, German dance troupes and yodelers, and Rhode Island’s own Alpenblumen dancers. (Source: Boston.com)
Connecticut Garlic and Harvest Festival
Oct. 8-9
Bethlehem Fairgrounds, entrance at 304 Route 61, 203-266-7810, adults $6, seniors $5, under 12 $1, www.garlicfestct.com
Garlic lovers rejoice! The seventh annual festival is a two-day garlic gala. Garlic specialty food vendors will be selling all manner of dips, cheeses, spreads, and oils, or stop by fresh produce vendors to pick up a head or two to take home. Lectures will discuss how to grow and cook with garlic, including tips for no-fuss gourmet meals. (Source: Boston.com)
STORY TIME for Babies & Kids!
Here are some great libraries South of Boston...many which have special programs, musical guests, magicians or puppeteers! Be sure to check your local library for times and events in your town or state!
Walpole Public Library
Baby Book Time - Babies up to 2 1/2 yrs old. Monday mornings at 10:30 am
Preschool Story Time - Children 3-5 yrs. Thursday mornings at 10:30 am.
Music, Movement & Me - Children up to 4 yrs old. Tuesdays at 10:30 am.
Wrentham (Fiske) Public Library
Baby/Toddler Playgroup - Birth to pre-walkers with Mom, Dad or caregiver meets on Fridays at 9:30. Toddlers (walkers) to age 2 1/2 with Mom, Dad or caregiver meets on Fridays at 10:30. Meet new friends, play with the new toys and gym equipment purchased with funds from the Friends of Fiske!!! Come join the fun! No registration required just DROP IN. If arriving before 10AM please ring doorbell.
Foxboro (Boyden) Library
Story Time - Tuesdays. Ages 3-5 yrs. 10:00 a.m.
Mother Goose on the Loose Story Time - Tuesdays and Thursdays. Infant - Age 3 11:00 a.m.
Story Time -Wednesday Group Ages 3-5 1:30 p.m.
http://www.boydenlibrary.org/childrenspage.html
Mother Goose on the Loose Story Time - Tuesdays and Thursdays. Infant - Age 3 11:00 a.m.
Story Time -Wednesday Group Ages 3-5 1:30 p.m.
http://www.boydenlibrary.org/childrenspage.html
Norfolk Library
Babygarten - Wednesdays at 10:30 am at Lafayette, Pretlow, Downing branches (or 11:00 am at Park Place and Janaf branches). Infant to 24 months. Spend the morning singing and playing with your baby! Babygarten features actions rhymes, movement activities, shared book reading, and playtime. This program is especially for babies and toddlers and their caregivers. No registration is necessary.
Babygarten - Thursdays at 11:00 am. Check the website for locations.
And GoNewEngland.com has a great fall foliage map, for all of you "leaf peepers" - those who enjoy just driving around looking at the beautiful red, orange and yellow leaves! Visit their site for more ideas.
Here are more Fall Fun ideas from the WICKEDLOCAL.COM CALENDAR
September
“King Richard’s Faire” is a Renaissance fair featuring knights jousting on horseback, fire eaters, stage performances, costumed minstrels, dancers, jugglers, a zoo, rides and showcase of Renaissance crafts and clothing. It runs now through Oct. 30, in Carver.
Nearly 200 years old, the Topsfield Fair has the usual animals and agricultural exhibits, games, rides and music, plus pig and duck races, Bengal Tiger encounters, and blacksmith, beekeeping and furniture making demonstrations. It runs Sept. 30 - Oct. 10, in Topsfield.
October
Check out “A Day in Pompei,” an exhibit of ancient daily life revealed in more than 250 artifacts and body casts of people and animals, buried after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Interactive stations and multi-media presentation recreate the city’s buildings, sight and sounds, as the exhibit runs Oct. 2 - Feb. 12, at the Museum of Science, in Boston.
It’s time to dance – “Yo Gabba Gabba!” is a live music and dance stage show featuring characters from the pre-school television show, performed Oct. 2, at Agganis Arena, in Boston. See a sample video below!
Celebrate fall on a working farm operated by Mass Audubon Society, at the Farm Festival, Oct. 4-5, in Lincoln. Visit barnyard animals, pick local produce, hear live music, watch artisans and ride in a hay wagon.
Every major cultural organization in The Fenway hosts indoor and outdoor celebrations and performances in music, dance, theatre, and art at Open Our Doors Day, a free event, Oct. 10, Huntington and Massachusetts Avenues, Boston.
You want an old-school circus? It’s got to be Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus, a classic three-ring circus featuring elephants, trapeze artists and other performers, Oct. 12 - 16, at TD Garden, Boston.
The Boston Book Festival is a celebration of books where kids can meet picture book and fiction authors, see favorite story characters, and hear stories. It’s Oct. 15, at various locations in Copley Square. Free.
This “Peter Pan” is a unique multi-media stage production from London where hi-resolution video inside a 360-degree tent gives the audience the feel of flying over 1904 London to Neverland. It plays Oct. 18 – Nov. 27, City Hall Plaza, Boston.
Or check out Tony Award-nominee Cathy Rigby in her “Peter Pan,” as she stars in this theatrical production of the classic story, Oct. 28-30, Hanover Theatre, Worcester.
November
The story of “Peter and the Wolf” set to music by Prokoviev is a highlight of classical musical, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with pre-concert family activities on Nov. 12, at Symphony Hall, in Boston.
The Pumpernickel Puppets bring alive the stories of Sir George and the Dragon and Three Billy Goats Gruff, on Nov. 19, at TCAN, in Natick. (Source: Wickedlocal.com)
I hope this has given you some great ideas for fall, family fun!
Have a Happy & Safe Fall Season!
:) Melissa
I hope this has given you some great ideas for fall, family fun!
Have a Happy & Safe Fall Season!
:) Melissa
