Fantastic Fall Festivities

It has been fall for some time. I would have to say this is my favorite time of year. The weather is the most accommodating for being outside (which I love) and there are so many fun things to do, some pretty cheap, some can cost a bit, but it's worth it in the long run. There are several fall festivals that happen around here. There is the Marshy Point Nature Center Fall Festival. It is held in September; sorry you missed it, but think of it for next year. There is plenty to do and see. We went for the first time this year, and we had tons of fun. There were lots of demonstrators, animal handlers, and a whole crafting area for busy hands. This festival doesn't cost much, there is no entry fee, not parking fees, and they only charged for some of the crafting activities, food, and stuff to buy. The music there was especially good too, not only did they have a typical "cover" type band, but they had a full 20 piece band too! If you don't like hot dogs for lunch I would suggest bringing one. 

There is another great festival at another Nature Center at Oregon Ridge in Hunt Valley. It is a further drive but can be well worth it. They host the Honey Harvest Festival, so if you or anyone in your family is allergic to bees I would suggest not going to this one. Full of Honey goodness and some apple cider things as well, this festival is fun for the family and also doesn't cost you much unless you plan on buying lots of honey, and some of the other things that are sold. Inside the Nature center itself is a busy Honey mall with several different venders. They also demonstrate honey extraction inside as well. Outside they have live music, you can make honey ice cream, and see cider pressing. If you decide to go see a hive keeper at work, keep your kids from getting too close. The hive keeper is all dressed up, everyone else is not. If there is a problem, the center is well stocked with bee sting remedies. This is another hot dog lunch, so pack something if that's not what you want.

There are two other places/ festivals that I want to touch on, and these are the ones that can quickly cost you a lot if you're not careful, or if you have a large family. Chapel Hill Farm. They have events going on every weekend starting mid September going until the end of October. There are Hay rides, pony rides, a little train, mini hay maze, petting zoo and the like. They have some live music and a few demonstrators. We went yesterday and had tons of fun. Every thing costs $2, and plenty of those things they will charge the adult going with the kid. There are lots of pumpkins and other things for sale, and they have decent food, if you're willing to pay. Here's the thing, I don't mind paying, and the farm has a fantastic petting zoo they don't charge for the rest of the year. There is never any pressure to buy things, so I want to support a great local resource, I don't mind going one time a year and spent $20+ if I get to enjoy this place for free the rest of the year. 

The last festival I wanted to mention is Huber’s Farms on Philadelphia road. I have been to the farm plenty of times, but I still have not done the Haunted Hayride. I haven't for two reasons. They charge $14 a ticket, and from what I gather it can be kinda scary. I have young kids still and don't want to deal with the nightmares that might accompany. However, I do plan on going when my gymnast is a bit older. I do love Huber’s and I’ll go into that another post, so they are another place I'd like to support. Their Haunted Hayrides run weekends in October. They also have a great little produce stand there.

Sorry I wrote this a little late and you had to miss the first two festivals I mentioned, but it is not too late for the last two. There are still two weekends left in October, so I hope you can get out there and have some fun!