Farming is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun, as visitors to Ridgefield Farm in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, discover. Families flock to this spot, where kids can pretend they’re pirates and run wild through the pumpkin patch. At Ridgefield — which says it wants to provide “your farm experience for every season” — such behavior is encouraged.
Join in the farm fun starting with apple picking in early fall. Ridgefield grows 17 varieties, some of which can be picked through October; all are grown on dwarf trees, so they are within arm’s reach.
Start a Halloween tradition by taking your kids to the annual Pumpkin Fest, beginning September 29, to make their selection from all shapes and sizes. While there, don’t skip the giant corn maze. From mid-September through late-October, there is a Flashlight Corn Maze & Pirate Hayride. Family nights are Fridays, 7–10 p.m.
As the temperature begins to drop and the leaves disappear from the trees, everyone anticipates the approaching holidays. Ridgefield Farm grows four varieties of Christmas trees and provides families the opportunity to grab a saw and a wagon and head out on the grounds to cut down the tree of their choice. Many turn the hunt into a family tradition and return year after year.