It’s
pumpkin patch time and of course that means What to do in Southern Oregon is
going to hit at least two or three fall celebrations! Ok, maybe even more because WE LOVE
FALL! Of course we always check out our
Medford pumpkin patches right here in the Rogue Valley, but this year we wanted
to tackle a new one so we decided to spend the day at Fort Vannoy Farms in
Grants Pass. If you live in Medford, to some it may seem a little far to drive
to a pumpkin patch, but this isn't just any pumpkin patch. This is the amusement park of pumpkin
patches! I’m not kidding; we were
smiling from ear to ear the whole day!
When
we got there we went directly to buying our tickets. We started our little pumpkin patch adventure
with getting Olivia and Ilias' wiggles out by running around the hay pyramid. It was actually a FREE activity that ended up
being Olivia's favorite thing to do all day.
In the same little area were rubber duck races and a mini hay maze that
both kids had fun doing, both of these activities were also FREE!
We
then went over to the zip line and we were the only ones in line so we got on
the free hayride out to the zip line loading area right away. Ilias and Gary got harnessed up first and
headed out on another tractor ride up to the platform. When they came down they had huge smiles on
their faces and Ilias immediately asked me if he could go again. Now the boys don't get to have all the fun,
it was my turn and I've got to be honest with you, I was nervous. The ride out was actually calming because the
view just gets better and better as you get above the farm. As I climbed the tower I had butterflies in
my stomach and I when I got to the top I almost gasped because the view was
simply breathtaking. I felt like I was
on top of the world and then I remembered that I would be flying down a cable, plummeting
to the earth in just a few minutes. The
young man up there to help was super sweet and patient and let me take my time
psyching myself up to go. He gave me
some very good tips, telling me to just sit down and lift my feet if I didn't
want to jump off of the platform and that is exactly what I did. It was amazing! Flying through the sky, with the wind flying
through my hair, a chill in the air and a bird’s eye view, a perfect moment. It was so exhilarating and one I hope to
repeat in the near future. Once we got
our harnesses put away we hopped back on the hayride to the farm and immediately
jumped on the cow train.
Now,
the cow train is not just for the little kiddos. All four of us hopped on and we could not
stop laughing. It was like a roller
coaster, with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns and even a tunnel, but
you are sitting in cows with names like Buttercup…and Dude. We went so fast over some of the hills that
my cell phone flew right out of my pocket.
It was pure childhood fun and we loved every moment.
We
decided that after the train we needed a break so we did a little duck racing
and then got the HUGEST cotton candy that was gone in under ten minutes.
 |
| Seriously! Look at that face! |
After our little treat, it was time for us to
take on the Pumpkin Chunkin'. Seriously
this was soooo fun! Even if we didn't do
it ourselves it was so fun just watching.
Ilias carefully picked out his pumpkin…, the rounder the better, shaped
more like a bullet according to him.
They put the pumpkin in the cannon and then you line things up, honk the
warning horn, and then push the button.
What happens after that is awesome, amazing, fantastic, and all of those
other adjectives we use to describe an experience that is one of the coolest
we've EVER had. If you hit the bus you
hear a huge boom and watch as your pumpkin is obliterated. Ilias and Gary both hit the bus. It was truly so cool! They also have an apple cannon; not as
magnificent in destruction but still crazy fun to watch! Gary and Ilias had so much fun that after we
conquered the corn maze, they bought two more tickets to use the pumpkin
cannon. After the pumpkin chunkin' and
apple cannon we tackled their corn maze.
The
corn maze was HUGE; we had to use the map because we would have gotten lost,
lots of twists and turns, and dead ends.
If you get lost, don't worry, Fort Vannoy Farms has Search and Rescue
volunteers at the farm in case anyone gets lost and needs help getting
out. They even have a drone to use to
find people. I'm not kidding! Our corn maze pro (Ilias) gave it huge thumbs
up, promising to bring his cousins with him so that could conquer it
together. With that I have two tips for
you. Number one; make sure that you have
everyone use the facilities before you head into the maze. It is long and we had to zoom to the end halfway
through so that Olivia could get to the potty.
Number two, make sure that you have water and maybe even a snack if you
have the kiddos with you. Always
essentials to survive anything that takes more than ten minutes, for some
reason kids think that they need to be sustained constantly (and somehow I
forget that a lot). :)
If
we were to name our favorites of the day, I don't know that any of us would
have just one thing because the whole day was our favorite. From the friendly employees, to each
activity, Fort Vannoy Farms has thought out every single thing. They also have face painting, a food truck,
and even have a huge seating area to sit down under a canopy to rest. And when you watch the kids play on the hay
pyramid they have chairs around it so that you can sit and enjoy watching. When you go, plan to spend at least half of
your day having fun! We already want
to go back, it was well worth the drive to Grants Pass, and the drive out there
is absolutely beautiful once you get out of town.
If
you want to go Fort Vannoy Farms is located at: 5791 River Rd, Grants Pass MAP
Fort Vannoy Farms is open every day 10am to 6pm. The Corn Maze ($6) and Pumpkin Patch is daily 11am to 6pm | They will have the Haunted Corn Maze on Saturdays and Sunday, October 21st, 22nd, 28th & 29th, 7pm-11pm, tickets are $10 per person.
Admission
is FREE and the cost of activities are as follows: Zip Line $8 | Cow Train $5 | | Pumpkin Chunkin' $5 | Apple Cannon Blaster (3 shots) $5
Find all of the details on all of the Fall Festivities, Pumpkin Patches, Halloween Fun in Southern Oregon on our website at www.whattodoinsouthernoregon.com!
No comments:
Post a Comment