Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!
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| Pumpkins by M Doege: Wikimedia Commons GMU Free Documentation License |
The best way to get a fresh, local pumpkin is to pick it yourself at a nearby farm. Several farms in the greater Cincinnati area make the task even more enjoyable with an offering of festival activities from hayrides to dancing. Here are a few farms that can make your pumpkin picking experience an adventure for the entire family.
9669 State Route 48, Loveland, Ohio
513-697-9173
Blooms and Berries Farm Market is located in Loveland, Ohio, a community nestled among Warren, Hamilton and Clermont counties. It's an easy drive from Cincinnati and nearby cities.
"Fall on the Farm" festival takes place from September 20 through October 31. Your family can take a hayride, play pumpkin paintball, travel through the corn maze, and more before choosing your pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.
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| Pumpkin Garden Photo by: Frenchtowner Wikimedia Creative Commons License Share Alike 3.0 |
You can also enjoy freshly pressed apple cider, food and lots of fun family activities. Admission: Weekdays - 7$, Friday and Saturday- $10, Children under 2 free.
Open Mon - Sat - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
1737 State Route 131, Milford, Ohio
513-575-2022
Shaw Farms is located just east of Cincinnati in Milford, Ohio. They hold their "Fall Festival" from the third week in September (hours 9 am to 6 pm) through October (hours 9 am to 7 pm.)
Choose a tractor or horse-drawn hayride through the scenic 160 acre farm. Children will enjoy picking out their very own pumpkin. They'll also have fun playing with farm animals, wandering the corn maze, and participating in interactive activities. Admission to the farm is free. Activity prices vary:
- Corn Maze - $5.
- Hayride: Tractor - $3. Horse - $4.
- Little Blue Train - $2.
6922 Four Mile Road, Camp Springs, Kentucky
859.635.3636
Kentucky is just a river and a bridge away from Greater Cincinnati. Once you reach the Bluegrass state, Neltner's Farm & Greenhouses is just 15 miles away on the AA Highway. The farm has been a Kentucky tradition since 1892.
If you visit during October, you can pick your own pumpkin and participate in their annual fall festivities. Your family can ride in a horse drawn wagon, ride the new Barrel Train, and enjoy live entertainment, a petting zoo, home cooked food, crafters and much more.
Weekends, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. admission, age 3 and up, $5.
Weekdays, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
103 Gibson Lane, Wilder KY
859-781-5502
Sunrock Farms is an educational farm that offers Pumpkin Patch Tours each October. Your family can travel by hay wagon to the pumpkin patch to pick their very own pumpkin. Afterwards your children can milk a goat, gather eggs, hold bunnies or visit an alpaca or an emu. Tour: 2 hours, $10; 1 hour, $7; Infants under 1 year, free. Hours vary, see sunrockfarms.org for information.
