Looking to have some fall family fun?  Head to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Lancaster PA.  Last weekend my family and I visited the family friendly farm that has something for everyone.

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is a 15-acre farm, with 50+ Farm Fun activities, including the Hay Chute Slide and Straw Bale Racer, Jump Pillow, Farm Tour Wagon Ride, Petting Zoo and Farm Experience Center, Corny’s Ball-cade, and everyone's favorite the Corn Maze.


They have thought of everything to keep everyone having fun!  Forgot your stroller or the kids tired of walking rent a wagon for the day.  Kids hungry their are plenty of options for the family to get something to eat or drink.



Cherry Crest has been open for 20 years and this year the corn maze is a locomotive just like it was 20 years age.  I loved the fact the there were 3 options when going through the maze,  Easy, intermediate and advanced.   The advance takes the longest to complete 3.5 to 4 hours and the easy takes under 30 minutes.   There are different stations that you can visit while going through the maze where you can get clues on how to get out of the maze.   If you get hungry to need to use the bathroom while in the maze no worries they have food and bathrooms in the maze.




After the maze you can enjoy the many activities around the farm the will certainly tire your family out after a day at the farm.  Looking for more adventure?  Hop on the Strasburg Railroad you can by tickets inside the farm and catch the train.





On October 31st Cherry Crest Adventure Farm will hold Pumpkin Madness Fest

The Pumpkin Madness Fest begins at 12 noon with Corny’s Costume Parade – for kids who come in family-friendly costumes (no masks permitted). Cherry Crest’s mascot Corny will be joined by the Pumpkin Princess for the parade and to greet guests throughout the day.


Pumpkin Madness proves you can get very creative when it comes to smashing pumpkins. Activities include:

• Reverse Pumpkin Darts – where you will hurl pumpkins at a board filled with pointy darts!
• Pumpkin Shotput Contest – carefully monitored, where competitors with the farthest throws in their category win a Cherry Crest Adventure Farm season pass!
• Pumpkin Ring Toss - based on the classic carnival game with various levels for different ages.
• Notes from the Sky Pumpkin Drop – where your pumpkin is hurled from the top of a giant boom lift and crashes onto the target below. The bigger the pumpkin the better the splat! People really have fun with this as they can write messages on their pumpkins which are read over the microphone before they’re dropped!
• Pumpkin Smashing – with a big rubber mallet – very therapeutic for all ages!
• Pumpkin Bowling – for kids age 10 and under.
• Pin-the-Face-on-the-Pumpkin – a play on Pin the Tail that’s perfect for small children.
• Flyby Pumpkin Pie Drop – at 3:45 p.m.,where you can watch parachuted pies fall from the sky, just for fun!
• Flyby Candy Drop – at 4 p.m., where kids age 12 & under can grab all they can as a plane drops the goods from 200 feet.
• Monster Pumpkin Drops:
• at 3 p.m. see a 800+ pound pumpkin fall from the giant crane.
• at 5 p.m. the Grand Finale Giant Pumpkin Drop starring the largest pumpkin we can find. The largest to date – at 1,744.5 pounds – is the record to beat this year!

No worries if you can't make it for a visit this fall, they will open again in the spring for more fun adventure.


For more information:  http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com

Location:   150 Cherry Hill Road, Ronks, PA 17572

* Disclosure: Thanks Cherry Crest Adventure Farm for arranging for our complimentary visit to facilitate this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Be transported back into the early history of American culture with the Strasburg Rail Road, America’s oldest short line railroad and a designated heritage site. Founded during the first term of President Andrew Jackson, Strasburg Rail Road can trace it's roots back to 1837 when it began hauling freight, most likely by horse-drawn cars. Locomotives began to rumble down the tracks and through the Amish farms and countryside in the 1850s. In 1958 the railroad was purchased by railroad buffs and set toward a goal of preserving this piece of railroad history.


But putting all the history aside for a second, the Strasburg Rail Road is all about fun with some learning mixed in. My family and I were recently invited to visit and take the trip back through time. Just showing up at the station we felt like we stepped back into history. From the preserved buildings to the uniforms train personnel wear, it really got my kids excited to go for a train ride.

If your a kid at heart you need to check out the Choo Choo Barn –Traintown, U.S.A.® - located in Strasburg, PA. This is one of the largest,most engaging, custom model train displays in America.  Featuring more than 150 animations and 22 operating trains, this 1,700 square foot, handcrafted, work-of- art is packed with action as it details the many familiar landmarks and scenes Lancaster County.

My family and I could have spent hours finding new details as we walked through this amazing display.  We were so impressed about how no detail was forgotten. I really liked how they incorporated homes and attractions that you see in Lancaster.  You can see a moving Ferris wheel, with soldered seats and custom lights, tiny trees and stalks of corn and live fish swimming in a pond. The creativity and attention to detail is nothing short of amazing. They even had an animation of a fire rescue with firemen putting up ladders, going into a burning house, saving a person and squirting water on the home to put out the fire.

Recently my family and I visited The Amish Village in Ronks, PA.  I remember visiting the Amish Village when I was young and I was excited to share this experience with my kids.  The Amish Village is an authentic living museum showcasing Lancaster County’s Amish community, the oldest and largest in the nation. The 12-acre Amish farm and homestead, located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, gives visitors a unique look into history and into this beautiful and peaceful culture.

Farmhouse
Our tour started in the 1840's Amish farm house, our tour guide walked us through the rooms of the house and explained may of the Amish customs and the reasoning behind them.  I was fascinated with how they use some of our modern day appliances without electric by converting them over to propane. My kids enjoyed learning about the clothes the Amish women wear. They loved the simplicity of the Amish wedding dress.

This guided tour lasted about 25-minutes and we learned about the history of the Amish, their religion, family life and cultural traditions and why they choose not to use some modern conveniences.

Recently we took a trip to one of our family's favorite Lancaster County attractions, Dutch Wonderland. We love it because it has fun for all ages, from the youngest member of your family to the oldest. It has the traditional rides you remember as a kid (slides, bumper cars, roller coasters, carnival rides) and a water park to cool off during hot summer months. It also doesn't hurt that it is only 2 hours away.

"A Kingdom For Kids!"
It’s not just a slogan – it’s a commitment to young children and their families that beyond the castle walls is a place just for them called A Kingdom For Kids! With 35 rides and attractions, my 8 year old and 5 year old never found a ride they didn't love.

The park is laid out very nicely with a park-like setting that makes you feel that you are on leisurely stroll rather than an intense scramble to get on the next ride. To assist you in what rides are appropriate for your children they have polls that list the height requirements posted before each ride.  Some of the rides even allow you to ride with your child.