Friday, September 18, 2015

5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres


Fresh air, pumpkin spice and campfire are all smells you can expect to experience at Enchanted Acres, located outside of Sheffield, Iowa.  I have been lucky to have experienced this pumpkin patch grow over the last few years.  Yesterday, the kids and I had a great time checking out everything new for 2015 with the North Iowa Bloggers, and we wanted to share with you our Top 5 ways to have some Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres:
  1. Explore the Playground - This might seem like a simple thing, but the playground at Enchanted Acres is the first thing my kids want to go to when we arrive.  There are tractor tires to climb on, a sandbox with lots of shovels and toys, ladybug tire swings, and a few sit and scoot toys to drive around.  The playground is a great place for kids to simply run around and have some fun.
    5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Playground
    MP and JP enjoying the playground
  2. Use Your Imagination at Books in the Barn - Books in the Barn was a new activity at Enchanted Acres last year that my family loved coming out for.  Each week has a new book theme where the kids get to listen to the book, make a craft related to it and eat a snack that is associated with it.  This weekend is "Teddy Bear Picnic", so be sure to bring your teddy bear!
    5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Books in the Barn
    LP at The Lorax Books in the Barn last year
    He's eating his Truffula Tree Cotton Candy next to his paper plate Lorax
  3. Take A Silly Photo - Enchanted Acres is full of photo opportunities.  I swear every angle you turn is photo worthy.  When we came home from the pumpkin patch yesterday I asked the kids what their favorite part was.  LP said he loved pretending to be a witch!  From witches, to ghosts, to a pumpkin coach - there are many face cutouts that the family can have fun taking photos in.
    5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Photo Opportunities
    LP the Witch
  4. Meet Nibbles the Goat - Nibbles the goat is the unofficial mascot of Enchanted Acres.  She is a pygmy goat who loves people, especially if you give her some goat food!  She oversees the pumpkin patch, along with several other goats.  You will have to go checkout their home.  The goats have a lot of fun ramps and bridges to play on that bring entertainment for both them, and observers.
    5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Nibbles the Goat
    LP feeding Nibbles
  5. Decorate a Pumpkin - Each week there is a different pumpkin decorating workshop you can participate in.  From decorating with duct tape, to glitter, to paint - it is a fun activity to participate in where the mess stays literately in the barn and you can bring home the final product!  
    5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Pumpkins
This is just the start of fun you can have at Enchanted Acres.  With the North Iowa Bloggers we also enjoyed going on a hay rack ride and making campfire pizzas and pies.  I can't wait to bring the kids back to explore the Enchanted Forest and look for fairies and to fire the pumpkin cannon.

5 Ways to have Fall Family Fun at Enchanted Acres - Hay rack ride with the North Iowa Bloggers
The North Iowa Bloggers on a hay rack ride
Abbey of Mind, Body, Babies, Laura of Cat Tales with Laura,
Becky of Knotty Things, Katy of Learning As I Go and Alicia of Fit & Farm

Shannon Latham, owner Enchanted Acres, has 30 varieties of pumpkins
Owner, Shannon Latham,
explaining the 30 varieties of pumpkins
Enchanted Acres opening weekend is this weekend and on Sunday, Enchanted Acres is a part of the Franklin County Farm Crawl.  Enchanted Acres is open 9am to 5pm Thursday through Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays through November 1st.  To get the full schedule, check out the Enchanted Acres website, and make sure to "Like" them on Facebook.  It is a great spot to keep up to date on their latest news and special offers.

I also have to put a special plug in for next Saturday, September 26th as Enchanted Acres is hosting the Make-A-Wish Iowa Fall Ball.  We'll have inflatables, face painting, balloon animals, horse drawn carriage rides, etc. and the gate admission will be donated to Make-A-Wish Iowa!  I hope you come out to support our local Wish families and future Wish children, as well as Enchanted Acres next Saturday.

Make-A-Wish Iowa Fall Ball September 26, 2015 Enchanted Acres

What is your favorite way to have fall family fun?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

6 comments:

  1. That looks like so much fun! We are definitely going to have to hit up a pumpkin patch next month!

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    1. We love going to our local pumpkin patch and always take my mother-in-law every year. Her birthday is at the end of September, so we take her for her birthday and buy her pumpkins and mums as her birthday gift.

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  2. I love Enchanted Acres! I was bummed to have missed you!

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    1. We missed you! But it was fun having a lot of our newer bloggers in attendance!

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  3. You know that I love Enchanted Acres as well. What a great place Shannon has created and I love how each year it gets bigger and better. Thanks for sharing your great photos!

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    1. It is fun to see how it grows each year. I remember talking with her probably 8 years ago when it was just a dream!

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