Places to Go - Frying Pan Farm Park (Herndon, VA)

(The girls loved the space to run and T loved the mud).

Frying Pan Park "preserves and interprets" a 1920s through 1950s local farm. In the spring, the farm has several baby animals, when we went three weeks ago we saw two litters of piglets (so cute). (Click here for the entire 2011 birthing schedule). We also saw cows, goats, peacocks, chickens, bunnies, horses, etc. - T especially loves to check out all the animals. And all three kids love the farm's play tractors, which they can "drive" for long periods of time. A lovely, stroller-friendly loop-trail goes around the farm and through the woods, which makes for a nice walk. And the farm has a general store (with lots of toys for sale, so be careful when you enter with kids) and two playgrounds. Really, a great place to visit.



If you're interested in other Washington DC area farms click here for more posts on our favorite local farms.

Places to Go - Claude Moore Colonial Farm Market Fair (McLean, VA)

This weekend Claude Moore Colonial Farm hosts its autumn market fair and if you haven't had a chance to visit yet, I highly suggest you check it out. At the farm, the year stays perpetually 1771 and you are but a small family farmer trying to make your way in the world. Upon arrival at the farm, you follow a dirt path (it's somewhat stroller accessible, but there are a lot of bumps in the dirt path, so if you have young children a carrier may be best) through tobacco fields and past lingering chickens until you arrive at the farmhouse. For anyone who has ever thought that their house is too small (and i feel this daily) a visit to the farmhouse is quite the reality check. The whole house is about the size of a small modern-day bedroom - with a kitchen downstairs and a sleeping area lofted above.

After you visit the farm, the wonders of modern day living will become abundantly clear. For example, we last toured the farm in the summer (hence the sundresses in the pictures) and witnessed one of the farm's female volunteers cooking inside over an open flame in 90 degree heat - how unfun is that? (By the way, if you're a photographer, the house is a wonderful place to take pictures, tons of filtered natural light through the windows makes everything glow). The farm also has cows and pigs and a few crops beside tobacco. For more information - http://www.1771.org/. Self-guided tours are offered throughout the year.

The best time to visit, however, is on one of the three occasions in May, July, and October when the farm hosts a market fair. A market fair is like a small, toned-down renaissance festival (yes, there are people in costume, but they don't lord their roles over you). The fair has a variety of activities for children and adults - fencing demos, puppet shows, a tightrope walker (who was amazing I must add), CHEAP beer, wonderful food (grilled over an open fire), a craft section for children, various games (the three-legged race with their cousins was one of the highlights of the girls' summer), etc. Plus the fair is small enough that you don't have to be super-vigilant about watching your children (i.e. you can RELAX a little and have fun). I can't say enough good things. My husband literally looks forward to these for weeks ahead of time and has started to invite all his friends to come with us. Admission if $5 for adults and $2.50 for children, but if use the attached link, there's a 50% off coupon - http://www.1771.org/market_fair.htm. It's really a great deal.

Places to Go - Clark's Elioak Farm (Ellicott City, MD)

Upon arriving at Clark's Elioak Farm, my first reaction was along the lines of "????" As one of my friends phrased it, "it's sort of like an old mini-golf course but with no golf." Or, as my other friend phrased it, "this is truly bizarre." Not that our reactions matter. F (my oldest daughter) leaped out of her booster seat and immediately started hugging me while declaring "thank you, thank you so much mom, it's beautiful. the most beautiful place i've ever seen." P (my almost-4 year old daughter) asked, "mom, are we at Disney World?" When I told her no, she declared, "but how could Disney World ever be more beautiful than this?" Keep in mind, this whole exchange occurred in the parking lot.

As soon as we entered and started exploring, the kids became even more excited (if that's possible). The farm has a petting zoo, a HUGE rainbow slide, a whole "toddler" section with lots of push toys, a cow train (which costs extra), a mini wood playtrain, and more. The whole place is more or less stroller friendly, though prepare for some bumpy terrain. And I really think kids of all ages would love it.

Plus, the farm sells its own grass-fed beef (and I am a BIG fan of grass fed beef) and has a huge pumpkin patch. On weekends (we went on a weekday), the farm hosts a ton of special activities - click here for more information - http://www.clarklandfarm.com/2010%20Fall%20Events.htm

In addition to all of the above activities, the farm also has an "Enchanted Forest Maze" with gingerbread houses and various other fairy tale structures along the way. Much fun (though prepare to duck under tree branches, some of the paths are quite narrow, which really does give the feeling of being in a maze).



So where does all this stuff come from? According to the website, "Once upon a time, there was a wonderful storybook park in Ellicott City, Maryland called The Enchanted Forest. Opened in August 1955, it thrilled and delighted generations of families from far and wide throughout the next 30 years. The Harrison family created this magical land to delight children of all ages and it was an important part of many families' lives for years . . . Sadly, it closed to the
public in the early 1990s, leaving a void for all of us. In the summer of 2004, the owner of the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center,Kimco Realty Corporation, very graciously agreed to give us the items as long as we made every effort to remove all of the items from the park. So we started the process of moving the items to the petting farm and restoring them to their former glory . . . . Many Clark's Elioak Farm staff and a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers work in the cold of winter and the terrible heat of summer to restore these items. It is a massive job that has taken the talents of staff and volunteers and monetary donations."



Holding hands with boys? Seriously? They grow up so fast. At least the baby's still chasing chickens.

Places to Go - Oxon Hill Farm (Oxon Hill, MD)

Oxon Hill Farm is a working farm (or a model of a working farm, I'm not sure what the difference is) operated by the National Park Service and located right outside of Alexandria and within minutes of National Harbor (which makes for a great farm/lunch outing). The great part about Oxon Hill is that all the animals are spread out, so your kids can run around a little (unlike, Frying Pan Farm in Fairfax, VA, which is also great, but since the animals are so close together, the kids tend to run through it quite quickly). Further, it's free (which is always a plus). They have a small visitors center, which is full of toys for young children to play with and buy (my kids love it) and a barn full of old farm equipment that kids can sit and play on.

They are SUPPOSED to have daily activities, such as wagonrides, meet the dairy cow, and chicken feeding programs, but the day we went all such activities were canceled with NO NOTICE. We were actually sitting on the wagon, waiting for the driver and finally another parent said "guess they're not running them today." When we finally found a ranger, he just said "not today" and wouldn't answer any further questions. So make sure to call ahead.

All this being said, we had a lovely time. The whole place is stroller friendly. The bathrooms are really clean (always a plus with young children) and there are picnic tables on a beautiful mowed field next to the parking lot.


For more information, click here - http://www.nps.gov/oxhi/

Places to Go - Great Country Farms (Bluemont, VA)

This summer we joined a CSA with Great Country Farms, which comes with unlimited free admission to: the farm, farm activities, and the you pick fields. As the farm has a petting zoo, a HUGE jumping pillow, rope swings, a corn crib (sort of like a sandbox), tons of playground equipment, huge slides, mini-tractors, a water play area, and tons more, we've gone quite a bit. I've really come to love this place. Plus, every week they open up something for picking in the fields - strawberries, peaches, raspberries, and, when fruit is off season, veggies such as cherry tomatoes and green beans. The whole place is stroller accessible, except for some of the picking fields (which your reach by hayride) and EXTREMELY kid-friendly (if that wasn't obvious already). This weekend they're hosting "the Big Dig" Annual Pancake Breakfast and Potato Harvest, where you dig for your own fresh potatoes (did you know that most store bought potatoes are a year old, from last year's harvest?). Sounds like fun. For more info -
http://www.greatcountryfarms.com/index.php/annual-events/the-big-dig.html

Whatever you decide to do - have a great three day weekend! I'll be back with more posts on Monday.