PLEASE NOTE: This post was written in 2015, and while it should still give you a good idea of the overall experience, it may also contain some outdated information. Please be sure to check their website for the most current information, especially about things like hours and menu items. For the 2017 season, the corn maze and activities will begin September 20th.
2015 Post:
Last Saturday I wasn’t planning on doing an outing for the blog. All I really wanted to do was go on a nice family drive and pick up some fall decorations for our house.
I’d heard about a place in Southwick, Massachusetts called Meadow View Farm that sold beautiful, large mums for reasonable prices. The farm was only about a 40 minute drive from West Hartford and I thought we could stop at Salmon Brook Park on our way and let the kids play for a bit before we finished our drive to Southwick.
BUT, as I was researching the farm and looking for details on their hours and pricing, I realized they had more than fall decor available.
Meadow View Farm was also home to a corn maze, play-yard, and more. Nice! Suddenly my fall decoration outing turned into a full morning of family fun.
When we arrived at the farm, we saw a variety of signage directing us toward a pathway that would take us to the Corn Maze and Lil’ Red Shed. We followed the road and found plenty of parking available right near the play area.
We walked up to this building and that is where we were able to get more information about the fall activities on the farm and also pay for our entry. The farm offers three levels of entry. You can just use the play-yard which is $2 per family. Or you can add a hayride to your play-yard experience and the total entry is $5 per family of 4 (and $2 for each additional person). And if you are interested in trying out the corn maze, the cost is $7 for ages 12 and up, $5 for ages 3-11, and FREE for little ones under the age of 3. It is important to note that credit cards are not accepted here. Cash or check only.
On the day we visited, we didn’t have time to check out the maze, but I did see that they offer three different levels of maze difficulty. It was nice to see that there was a maze designed just for the younger crowd. The green area in the picture below is just 0.3 miles.
Once inside, there was a lot for my kids to play with and explore.
They loved climbing aboard this monster truck and the monster farm tractor as well.
Plus there was a regular playscape, climbing web, and slides.
I think my kids’ favorite attraction, though, was the corn box. We had never seen one before and it ended up being a really fun experience. My kids were playing in the corn box for a while and then I even got in on the action. I decided to check it out and put my bare feet inside. It felt like a mini-massage on my feet so I hung out with my toes in the corn box while the kids played (seriously, you have to try it!).
But be forewarned. There is a white powder that is also in the corn box and gets all over whoever is playing inside. My legs were covered in the white powder and it eventually got on my clothes and even on my nose (as the nice lady across from me kindly pointed out). My kids, however, were covered in the white powder from head to toe. It wasn’t a problem at all, but I was happy that I had some baby wipes in my bag and could give them a quick wipe down when they were done.
Another fun feature of the play-yard was this teepee. It was huge and there were things for the kids to explore inside and out.
After playing for a while, we were ready for our hayride. We made our way down behind the red shed where we checked in and loaded up for our ride.
Our driver was lots of fun and told us all about the farm and its’ history. He also warned us that we needed to be in the lookout for some animals during our ride. Well my kiddos were rather excited about this piece of information.
As we rounded the first turn, the driver asked if we saw anything in the water.
Do you see it? … My kids certainly did and they enjoyed pointing out quite a few other animals along the way (don’t worry, the gator isn’t real).
Half way through the ride we made a stop at the pumpkin patch. There you could walk around and explore and if you want, pick a pumpkin to take home. Pumpkins ranged in price from $1.50 – $8.00 and you could pay for them back at the red shed.
We also were able to grab a cute family photo while we were there. I almost got everyone to smile. . .
Back in the play-yard, I stopped into the Lil’ Red Shed to see what was available for sale. Inside they had beverages, ice cream, and popcorn for sale along with a large variety of fall decorations.
They also had these great picnic tables spread throughout the property where you could sit and enjoy a treat from inside or something you brought from home.
As I mentioned before, we weren’t able to enjoy the corn maze on this outing, we just ran out of time. But with one of the mazes being just 0.3 miles, we certainly need to come back and try it.
And in case you were wondering, I did have a chance to stop back at the Meadow View Farm stand and grab mums and pumpkins to begin my fall decorating. The mums were HUGE and at a price of 3/$12 I thought they were worth the trip! I love it when an outing makes both me and my kiddos happy!
Oh and if you are looking for more fun fall activities, don’t forget to check out our 2015 Fall Bucket List for more inspiration.
Meadow View Farm
120 College Highway, Southwick, Massachusetts
Phone: (413) 569-0814
Find them on Facebook
Hours:
- For the 2015 season, the fall activities will take place:
- Mid-September through October
- Wednesday – Sunday from 10:00 am – 6:30 pm (last chance to enter the corn maze is at 5:00 pm)
- Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Pricing:
- For the 2015 season, the fall activity pricing is:
- Play-Yard Only: $2 per family
- Play-Yard and Hayride: $5 per family of 4 ($2 each additional person)
- Play-Yard, Hayride, and Corn Maze
- $7 per person 12 and up
- $5 per person ages 3 – 11
- Free for children under 3
Details:
- Stroller Friendly: YES.
- Coffee Mug Friendly: YES.
- Restroom: YES. A port-a-potty is located in the play-yard.
- Baby Changing Station: NO.
- Parking: YES. Plenty of free parking is located right next to the play area.
- Food for Sale: YES. They sell beverages, ice cream, and popcorn.
- Outside Food Allowed: YES.
- Cash Required: YES. All purchases at Meadow View Farm are cash or check only. No credit or debit cards are accepted.
- Dress Code: NO.
- Age Recommendations: All ages.
- Evening/Weekend Hours: YES.
- Discounts: None that I know of.
- Birthday Party Venue: YES.
- Other Details:
- The corn box is tons of fun, but everyone who enters leaves covered in a white powder. Bring baby wipes to clean the kids off and maybe bring an extra change of clothes if you are heading somewhere else afterward.
- Leashed pets are welcome at the farm.
- Connecticut Children’s Medical Center – The state’s only free-standing hospital that offers comprehensive, world-class health care to children. Based in Hartford, Connecticut Children’s also provides services at several locations throughout the state.
- The Little Green Tambourine – Located in Canton, CT, this healthy living creative arts studio offers a variety of opportunities for kids to learn and play.
- Mandell JCC – The Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT, welcomes and serves families and individuals of all ages, stages, backgrounds and faiths. Our fitness, wellness and recreation, arts and culture, camp, early childhood education programs, classes, clubs and services are open to all. You Belong Here!
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