Pumpkin Picking Out East

A few falls ago for the long weekend, we had no soccer games scheduled. Jason was in town and we had a huge list of things to do for the three days off. As it turned out Saturday and Sunday were a complete washout, forcing us indoors most of the time. This actually worked in our favor, because we dropped the kids at my parents house for a date night. Of course, followed by some uninterrupted sleep the next morning. I could have slept for three days straight to catch up, but I gladly accepted the much needed one night.

By the time Monday rolled around, we were itching to get out! So we set up some appointments to look at houses out east. If you’ve been following along, we were on a long search for a second home for what felt like an eternity. After seeing a couple, we headed to Hank’s Pumpkintown, for pumpkin picking and fun in the field.

I guess everyone on Long Island had the same idea, because the place was more like crazy town. We’ve visited Hank’s a few times in our many summertime trips out east, but never for a day of actual pumpkin picking. We’ve never seen it so packed. It’s one of our favorite spots to find the perfect pumpkin, go on wagon rides, play on bounce houses, explore the apple orchard and so much more in the fall season!

But if you are looking for a place to go pumpkin picking, or apple picking, I would definitely suggest checking out Hanks. They are a local farm the entire family will love! Their market offers pies, cookies, donuts, fresh produce, cider, and for the first time the kids tried a caramel covered apple. They played in the corn maze, on the giant slides, and in wooden play areas. In fact after all that fun, they probably would’ve been content without taking home pumpkins.

Have you ever had apple cider donuts in late October? There’s just something about them that makes it feel like you’re at a fall festival or farm market and it takes me right back to my childhood. We love a place that has u-pick pumpkins, their own apples and is a family-owned farm. Fall activities feel like they come and go so quickly, so making sure we make it out to the best places before the end of October is essential for us! And Hank’s Pumpkintown is a great idea for fall fun, as it’s become a family tradition in our home.

Take a look at the little turtle I spotted while we were in the field. The kids went nuts!

Our rule we have when pumpkin picking- if you can carry it, you can take it home. Ryder was so determined to get a jumbo pumpkin, that he was struggling a little and Gemma stepped in to help him out. They carried it all the way to car, which was parked over a half mile away. Late September to late October are prime time for fall festivities. We like to do a lot of pumpkin painting and carving for October family fun, so we need a bunch of pumpkins! It was great that Hanks was open Monday. It made the long weekend easier. This allowed us to leave New York City to go to a local pumpkin patch that is open weekends.

I just admire fall so much. I tend to say the same about summer, but there’s just something about the changing of the seasons! Also, everything to look forward to as the year ends. We made pumpkin muffins and ordered Halloween costumes! They leave the most contagious smell in the apartment!

This post was originally published October 14th, 2016.*

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