Wanderlusting: Fall Farm Fun at Sherman Farms

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”– Henry David Thoreau

Unexpected Fall Fun 

I honestly thought that apple picking would be the extent of my autumn basicness aside from hiking amongst the changing leaves. With trips cancelled, it wasn’t like there was much opportunity. So when my brother asked if we wanted to go to Sherman Farms, a local farm in the area that is the local hang out during the fall I immediately said yes!

It has been awhile since I visited Sherman Farms. It is a third generational family owned farm which began as a dairy farm. They have since expanded to cattle, fruits and vegetables as well as seasonal activities that are perfect for families. They have a farm stand where you can purchase produce and other goodies as well as a garden that is great for a quick visit and I have been to that much more recently. They also have a 12 acre corn maze, as well as a farm playground, human fooseball, corn hole, and food. These activities are located at a separate entrance from the farm stand further down, and I think I was in high school the last time I went. In August they have huge sunflower fields which I was sad to miss this year. It is a local haunt that hadn’t been on my radar, but definitely is now and I was excited to visit again.

Sherman Farm 

In the COVID era, they require you to preorder tickets and of course to wear masks. Though once inside it is optional. Much like with apple picking we went right when they opened and everyone was doing a great job social distancing. It did get crowded as the day went on and thankfully the kids were done so we left before it got to crazy.

You go through a mini barn where you check in and it acts as a gateway to all of the festivities. The corn maze, while set back, is the first thing you see with the sprawling husks reaching towards the sky. Scattered around are activities for kids and adults alike to do.

We walked around exploring a little bit. There is a huge blow up trampoline that the kids played on before they made a beeline for the playground, which is where we hung out pretty much the whole day. They were content to run up the stairs in the miniature farm house and slide down one of the two slides, and repeat the whole thing. Thankfully there were benches that we could sit on and watch them.

They did have swings which as a kid was my favorite thing to do, and even as an adult I love doing it. At one point I even got my mom to join me. They had excavators that the kiddos could play in the dirt with, and they rode in the cow cart that was just for kids.

Pumpkin patch

After a couple hours we rounded up the kiddos to pick out pumpkins. The pumpkin patch is sprawling quintessential New England with mountains in the distance, slowly and vibrantly changing their colors. It was positively picturesque and of course I had be basic extra and take all the pictures. My nephews and niece are amazing picture takers and they are such great sports about humoring their auntie. Piper especially not only loves taking my pictures, but loves having hers taken as well.

There were not just a lot of pumpkins to choose from, but a wide variety. There were the traditional orange ones which each kiddo picked their own to carve, Carter picking the biggest one which was half his size! There were also more yellow ones as well as white ones. And then of course they had ones with the warts, which I always feel are perfect for Halloween. They are truly creepy, but also kinda cool!

Corn Maze 

After we picked pumpkins we grabbed a bite to eat, before attempting the corn maze. Thankfully they have two. A large one that literally takes hours, and a smaller one that is for kids and had cute trivia and farm jokes as you walked through.

I admit I am not a huge fan of mazes. You have to go with the right people, who are easy going, directionally aware, and maybe, or maybe not y’all have had some boozy coffee to kinda lighten the mood a little bit. (just sayin’) I love my family, but it is filled with strong personalities who aren’t necessarily directionally savvy. Also going with littles can be stressful as they want to run around and without fail they all want to go in separate directions. So the smaller maze was MY perfect speed, and we actually found the way out relatively quickly and had NO meltdowns. Success!

Side note: This might be the worst or best dating advice, but going through a corn maze (or haunted house, or even a road trip) is a great way to discover if you are compatible and not going to tear each others eyes out. Again just sayin’.

That Farm Life 

After the corn maze, we played some of the games like human football and my favorite, corn hole. After that, the kiddos wanted to spend more time at the playground, before we headed home. Without fail, irregardless of where we are, the playground is where it is at, not that I can blame them, because I love playgrounds too!

It was the perfect fall day spent doing the perfect fall activities. I have been obsessed with the show Yellowstone, and even joked, that I was going to found myself a cowboy. I know, I know, a farm is not a ranch and it is not likely here in New England, but a girl can dream, especially in 2020. And with the mountains, I was definitely feeling some of those vibes. I am so happy I got to rediscover Sherman farms and create some positive happy memories this year.

Have you gone pumpkin picking, gone to a corn maze or gone to a farm in general this year? How do you feel about corn mazes?