See our 2010 Pumpkin Patch Guide here

The information below is from 2009.  Please click here for our 2010 Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze Guide

Chapel Hill, Durham, Carrboro, Raleigh NC
Fall Fun & Halloween Events Guide 2009

Farms & Pumpkin Patches

Ganyard Hill Farm, now located at 319 Sherron Rd. in Durham.  Opening for the Fall 2009 Season on Friday, September 25, 2009 through November 1, 2009.
Ganyard Hill Farm provides Elementary School Field Trips and Family Farm Amusement and is a popular annual Fall destination for many local schools and families.  Offering pumpkins, hayride tours of the farm with a complimentary pumpkin, cornfield mazes, giant haystack, a cotton field for cotton picking, farm animal feeding, hay maze, corn fields to pick, shuck and feed the animals, educational murals about bees, pumpkin plant life cycle, cows, chickens, a picnic area, and more (all included in the price of admission). A one of a kind place that offers a true farm experience!  Family groups are welcome to drop in and enjoy all the activities any time during open hours during the fall season. No reservations are needed.  Fall Hours of Operation: Monday?Sunday 9:00am 'till dusk.
General Admission is $12.50 per person, ages 2 to 102 (Special rates for School Field Trips.)
Directions to Ganyard Hill Farm lin Durham.  
(In case you haven't visited Ganyard Hill Farm in a while, please note that the Farm moved to this location in Fall 2005)
www.pumpkincountry.com
www.ganyardhillfarm.com
(919) 596-8728.

Come Pick out your Pumpkins and make it a Fall Family Tradition at
McKee's Cedar Creek Farm!

See more McKee Corn Maze images

Great Fun for the entire family in the country!  A favorite annual tradition for local families.  The 14 acre cornfield maze has 2 mazes to amuse young and old alike.  Also available:  mums, pumpkins, corn stalks, corn, straw, gourds, and other fall decorations.  Farm Animals, shady picnic area, wonderful children's play area, and Maple View Ice cream!

Open for the Fall 2009 Season on weekends beginning Saturday, September 26, 2009.   Please visit the McKee CornField Maze website for more information.

Admission: General, $8.00, Children under 10, $6.00, Children 3 and under, free.

McKee Maze 2009 Hours of Operation

September 26 - November 1, 2009:
Fridays 3-8pm
Saturday 10-8pm
Sunday 1-7pm
Hours will vary during the weekend of the haunted maze.

McKee Maze Haunted Trail and Cornfield: 
October 23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st
Dusk to 9pm  ($10.00 admission - no discounts.)

www.mckeemaze.com
(919) 732-8065.

Directions:
From Durham, take Guess Rd. approx. 10 miles to Hwy 57.  Turn left on Hwy 57.  Go approx. 2 miles.  Turn left on Kiger Rd.  Go 1.5 miles on Kiger.  Turn right on drive.  Watch for signs.

From Raleigh/I-40:  Take I-40 to Hillsborough. Exit off of I-40 on Hillsborough Exit.  Turn right on Hwy 86 traveling through downtown Historic Hillsborough.  Cross over Hwy 70.  Go 0.5 miles.  Turn right on Hwy 57.  Travel 8 miles to Kiger Rd.  Go 1.5 miles on Kiger.  Turn right on drive.  Watch for signs.

From Burlington/I-85:  Take I-85 to Hillsborough.  Exit off on Hillsborough Exit 164.  Turn left on Hwy 86 traveling through downtown Historic Hillsborough.  Cross over Hwy 70.  Go 0.5 miles.  Turn right on Hwy 57.  Travel 8 miles to Kiger Road.  Turn right on Kiger Road.  Go 1.5 miles on Kiger.  Turn right on drive.  Watch for signs.

Hill Ridge Farms, (A favorite Fall family tradition!),
703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville, NC 27596. 
(A little further afield; not far from Wake Forest, NC.)  
Directions to Hill Ridge Farms.

www.hillridgefarms.com
(919) 556-1771 or 1-800-358-4170.

Hill Ridge Farms 2009 Fall Season: 
September 19 - November 15, 2009
7 Days a week, 10am - 5pm

GREAT VALUE! $10.00 General Admission (includes Pumpkin to take home with you); ages under 2 FREE

Farm animal corral, barn, train rides, pony rides, gemstone panning, antique farm equipment, catfish feeding dock, hay rides, pumpkin patch, and much more! 

The Hillridge Farm fall festival is open 7 days a week, and features covered hay rides and pumpkin picking as well as pony rides, a moon bounce and music in addition to the farm's year-round fun.  Also explore a 3-acre corn maze and the Giant Slide!

New in 2009:  STROLLER-FRIENDLY and wheel-chair accessible paved concrete sidewalks.

See Photos of Fun Activities at Hill Ridge Farms!

Choose General Admission or the Superpass for a full day of family fun on the farm!

General admission is $10 per person (children under 2 free), and includes educational farm exhibits, covered wagon hayride and free pumpkin from patch, picnic grounds, large sand box with for little ones to play in,  fish feeding dock, kiddie park playland, farm animal corral, and lots of scheduled special events.  Giant pumpkin seed guessing contest.  Also visit the farm's old-fashioned country store for sweet treats, old-fashioned toys, gifts, pumpkins, and more.

The Hill Ridge Farms SUPERPASS is good every weekend during the Fall Harvest and Pumpkin Festival and includes the following:

- Hill Ridge Farms Express - unlimited train rides
- Unlimited time in the Kiddie Park
- One Hayride with FREE Pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch
- One Gem Stone Panning Bag - sift the dirt into the water sieve for beautiful treasures!
- Unlimited rides on the Giant Slide!
- Farm Animal Corral
- Fish Feeding Dock
- Picnic & Playground Area

All for $20 per person.  (The $10.00 General Admission pass includes everything EXCEPT the Gem Stone Panning bag and the unlimited train rides.  Gem Stone Panning bag and unlimited train rides are included with the SuperPass.)

617 NC Hwy 98E, Bunn, NC 27508.  Directions to Vollmer Farm.  (According to the website, "Please note that as of April 2007 the ONLY electronic mapping that will correctly get you to the farm is Google - http://maps.google.com." ) Directions:  Go 10 miles past Zebulon on 64.  Take the Middlesex/Spring hope Exit onto Hwy 98 and head north for 4 miles.  The farm is on the right.  This is 1 mile south of the intersection of Highway 39 and Hwy 98 just south of Bunn.  More about Vollmer farm

Vollmer Farm is a favorite tradition for local families, and well worth the drive!  The Vollmer Farm is a Certified Organic Farm, and produces strawberries, blueberries,  vegetables, and pumpkins, as well as beautiful flowers, including lovely sunflowers!

Vollmer Farm Fall 2009 Season:
September 26th through November 1st
Open EVERY Weekend
Saturday: 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Have endless Fun on the Great Pumpkin Jump
at Vollmer Farm! 

Animated image courtesy of Vollmer Farm

From the website: "The Great Pumpkin Jump is a 40 foot x 70 foot in-ground jumping pillow that is a fabulous fun and fitness activity for ALL ages!  . . . Jumping Pillows have been popular for years in Europe, Australia and New Zealand and have been gaining popularity in campgrounds and farms across North America. The Great Pumpkin Jump is the largest pillow in North Carolina; we hope you'll agree it's fabulous!!"  Also in the Back Forty are the Udder Run Barrel Train (the train cars look like cows!)  and Uncle Russell's Snack Shack. 

READ MORE DETIL about the FUN Vollmer Farm activities.

Vollmer Farm Back Forty Activities
(Admission to the Back Forty Includes:)

Hay Ride
2 Playgrounds

Great Pumpkin Jump
Puzzle Corn Maze

Udder Run Barrel Train
No Left Turn Rope Maze

Duck Races
Rat Racers

Tot Rocket Zip Line
Farm Animals

Windmill Mountain - 100 Foot Underground Slide

Corn Crib - Over 100 Bushels of Corn

Click here to read more detail about all of the Vollmer Farm activities listed above, and to see Vollmer Farm's Photo Gallery.

During your visit to Vollmer Farm, visit Uncle Russell's Snack Shack and Aunt Mary's Market and Ice cream shop for great fall gifts, 8 flavors of ice cream made here on the farm and homemade waffle cones.  Vollmer Farm is a Local Family Fall Tradition (as well as Spring and Summer organic berry picking!) for good reason:  Vollmer Farm offers a full day of great fun for the whole family!  Click here to read more detail about all of the Vollmer Farm activities listed above, and to see Vollmer Farm's Photo Gallery.

Visit Vollmer Farms website for hours.

www.vollmerfarm.com
(919) 496-3076.

Halloween Events at 
Local Museums, Zoos and Amusement Parks

Halloween Village at the Museum of Life + Science

October 14 - November 1, 2009
433 Murray Avenue, Durham, NC 27704
(919) 220-5429
Saturday, October 24, 2009, 10am - 5pm

The Halloween Village (traveling exhibit) is a large, intricate and whimsical Halloween village display with a number of moving parts and a train, on display inside the Museum of Life + Science from Oct. 14 - Nov. 1, 2009.

Boo at the Zoo at the North Carolina Zoological Park
4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205.
Saturday, October 24- Sunday, 25, 2009 - BOO at the ZOO - A magical weekend featuring, games, music, face painting, treats, costume contest and plenty of Halloween fun.  One of the zoo's most popular events!  This safe daytime addition to nighttime trick-or-treating will be presented in the plaza areas of the zoo. Clowns, jugglers and magicians will rove these areas entertaining visitors of all ages.
(800) 488-0444.

Natural History Halloween at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 W. Jones St., Bicentennial Plaza, Raleigh, NC 27601

Sat., Oct. 31, 2009, 11am - 5pm
Ages 2-12 with adult

A Museum Halloween celebration for kids ages 2 to 12 full of live animals and fun crafts! Change your fears to fascination while meeting snakes, spiders, gators, and other live animals from the Museum's collection. Special games and fun activities will make this a Halloween to remember. Lunch, cold drinks, and home-baked goodies will be available for a small fee (all proceeds benefit the Museum's Junior Curator program).

www.ncmuseumofhistory.org
(919) 807-7968

Chapel Hill Durham Raleigh NC
Children's Halloween Costumes

Blueberry Forest Toys
Beautiful high quality silk costumes!  Locally-based online toy store offers beautiful 100% silk costumes, dragonfly wings, fairy costumes, butterfly wings, fairy wings, mermaid costumes, wizard costumes, wizard hats, capes, knight costumes, and more!
www.BlueberryForest.com