After I read the article on corn mazes, the kids and I checked out the website of the farm in Fredericksburg, Belvedere Plantation. Besides the Cornfield Maze, the website shows lots of other fun things to do as part of their Fall Harvest Festival. Norman and Boo were most intrigued by the pedal cart track and the zip line. We decided we would spend a whole day there trying everything, including picking our own pumpkins (we've never bothered getting pumpkins for Halloween before). Needless to say, the weather didn't cooperate with our grand plans. We arrived when they opened on Saturday and were informed that most of the attractions were closed due to an anticipated thunderstorm, but that the farm might be opening at 4:00 if the weather cleared up. We could play in the Fun Barn, check out the animals, and shop in the market (including pumpkins that were already picked). The kids were pretty disappointed, but we decided to explore a bit then come back if they opened later in the day.
The Fun Barn was full of hay, with ropes to swing on. This kept all four of us entertained for quite a while.
We wandered over towards the animals, but were sidetracked by the Little Farmers Corral -- a play area for young children, with a small tricycle track. They pedaled furiously around the track, racing each other and a couple of other children their age.
The animals were a bit of a bust. I was expecting a petting zoo type setup, where you could mingle with, or at least touch, the animals. They were all fenced in with signs warning you not to put your hands in the enclosures since the animals might bite. Boo was not amused. She wanted to pet the sheep, geese, bunnies, ...
Then the clouds started spitting on us, so we headed back to the barn for more swinging, and some digging in the hay. Once the kids were tired out, we headed to the market for a snack. Yummy doughnuts (apple for Norman and pumpkin for Boo) with frosting and sprinkles, and apple cider in apple-shaped sipper cups. I bought a jar of rhubarb jam as well. We sat on the covered front porch while the kids ate, and talked with some fourth-generation farmers (who usually work the pig races).
We learned a bit about the farm's history, and about agritourism. We also learned that it was okay for us to go pick our own pumpkins despite the weather! Once the kids were finished eating, we ambled off down the long dirt road to the pumpkin patch. The kids happily looked for the perfect pumpkins in the drizzle while Simon and I snapped pictures.
Here's Boo with her selection:
And Norman with his:
One last picture as we started the long walk back to the marketplace to pay for our pumpkins. I was getting crabby here because I couldn't get the camera to focus on them while they were walking, thus the somber faces.
When we returned to the campsite we discovered that there was no electricity. The kids at a nearby cabin invited Norman and Boo to make s'mores with them, which kept them busy until the power came back on. After that we sat on the bed and played some card games. The weather had cleared up by 4:00, so I called the farm's hotline; they were indeed opening for the end of the day. As we were gathering ourselves to head over, it started to rain again, much harder than it had earlier in the day. Ugh! It just wasn't meant to be. The kids weren't disappointed about not being able to do the corn maze, but they were disappointed about missing out on the pedal cars and zip line. Fortunately, there's always "next time".
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