Stop By The Farm

Apples & Pumpkins & Mazes, Oh My!

There’s something about the warm days and cool nights of autumn that beckons people back to the farm. In North Carolina, the fall months mean mouth-watering mountain apples, picking out the perfect pumpkin, getting lost in a cornfield maze or taking the whole family on a hayride.

Here is just a sampling of some of the best places in NC to enjoy fall fruits and fun on a farm with the family. Be sure to call ahead to make sure the farm you want to visit will be open when you get there!

Mountains

Darnell Farms, Bryson City
This active farm, located by the Tuckasegee River, offers pick-your-own seasonal produce, a corn maze that opens mid-August, horseback riding, wagon rides, bluegrass music and even camping. Nearby is the Appalachian Trail and Fontana Lake.

Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Fairview
This farm just ten miles southeast of Asheville has all the fall family fun you could ask for, including a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, disc golf, a petting zoo, and a picnic area.

Sky Top Orchard, Flat Rock
At an elevation of 3000 feet, this orchard has a wide variety of pick-your-own apples available as well as pumpkins and grapes in season. There are also hayrides, barnyard animals, and scenic picnic areas to make this an outing the whole family can enjoy.

Deal Farms, Franklin
Visitors to this farm six miles west of Franklin in western North Carolina will get a hayride out to the entrance of a giant corn maze. Once you’ve navigated the maze, you get a free mini-pumpkin and a chance to pick and purchase a regular-sized one. Then, stop in at the farm stand and get fresh fruit in season… and even some homegrown sorghum syrup.

The Pumpkin Patch at Blue Mountain Farms, Glade Valley
Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany County, this farm features pumpkins, a U-pick pumpkin patch, tractor-pulled hayrides, a kids pumpkin decorating area, and refreshments.

Johnny Wilson Farm, Granite Falls
From pumpkins in the fall to Christmas trees during the holidays, this farm provides both crops and activities for the whole family. There’s a corn maze that’s more than one acre in size, a corral maze with a tunnel, and a tram ride that will take you through 60 acres of farmland. Located just off 321A between Hickory and Lenoir.

Creasman Farms, Hendersonville
This third-generation family run farm near Hendersonville comes alive in the fall with plenty of pumpkins and gourds to pick, as well as a wide range of apple varieties. Kids can also pet the goats and see the ducks on the farm.

Grandad’s Apples N’ Such, Hendersonville
Located on 18 acres of apple and peach trees, this family-run business is open every day between August and mid-November. It features freshly picked apples and pumpkins in the fall (as well as U-pick fields), along with apple pies, caramel apples, local crafts, and more.The kids might also get a kick out of feeding Yodi the llama.

Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, Hendersonville
Hendersonville’s original ‘pick your own’ orchard is open from mid-August through mid-November, with 22 varieties of apples to choose from, as well as grapes and pumpkins. The Stepp family invites you to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy wagon rides and the apple-themed gift shop.

The Historic Orchard at Altapass, Little Switzerland
The granddaddy of NC apple orchards, this historic farm at mile marker 328.3 of the Blue Ridge Parkway turned 100 years old in 2008. Altapass is more than an orchard, though, it is an Appalachian Cultural Center that celebrates the people, music, art, and natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and there’s a special event here nearly every day of the apple harvest season (September & October).

Foothills Corn Maze, Morganton
Open for its third year in 2009, the Foothills Corn Maze prides itself on providing a day for the whole family at an affordable price. Besides the maze itself, there are hayrides and a pumpkin patch. The Foothills Corn Maze is located just 1.5 miles from Interstate 40 in Morganton.

Blue Ridge Corn Maze, Pisgah Forest
This agritourism attraction just outside of Brevard promises six acres of ‘cornfusion’ to its guests. With themes like ‘tools of the trade’, the folks here turn up the fear factor in October for the “Shock in the Corn” haunted maze.

Piedmont

Green Level Gourd Farm, Apex
Virgil Jockisch grows 15 varieties of gourds and his wife Sandy decorates them at the Green Level Gourd Farm, but during the month of October, this fifth-generation farm south of Raleigh hosts spooky hayrides, a pumpkin patch, donkey rides, a small corn maze, and many other activities for the whole family.

Smith’s Nursery, Benson
This Johnston County nursery and produce farm just off of Interstate 40 (Exit 319) opens to the public in mid-September for pumpkin picking, goat walks, hayrides, and fishing. During the Fall Festival (October 24), visitors will also be treated to bluegrass and folk music, storytelling, and pumpkin painting.  

Vollmer Farm, Bunn
This family farm between Raleigh and Rocky Mount is always growing fresh produce and open for school groups, but when fall begins folks here open their infamous “Back Forty” playground to the public, and the fun really begins. A Great Pumpkin Jump, a 40-foot underground slide, duck races, and a “Tot Rocket” kids’ zip line are just a few of the activities the family can enjoy after picking out that perfect pumpkin.

Hubb’s Corn Maze, Clinton
This corn maze is actually four mazes, ranging from a shorter, easier maze for children, to two longer mazes for those looking for a challenge, to a dark deep woods maze that will be used exclusively for ‘haunted maze’ nights in October. In addition, this farm 40 minutes east of Fayetteville will have pumpkins, pony rides, and plenty of popcorn!

Lineberger’s Maple Springs Farm, Dallas
If you’re looking for fall produce or fall décor, this farm just outside of Gastonia might be just what you’re looking for! Apples, pumpkins, gourds, and muscadine grapes are all available. There’s also a small corn maze for kids, a playland and nature trail, and hayrides out to the pumpkin patch.

Ganyard Hill Farm, Durham
The folks at Ganyard Hill invite you to stop by this fall for a hayride and picnic. Wander through the Pumpkin Patch and pick your own pumpkin, come early enough in the season and you can pick cotton, too. You can also feed the barnyard animals, get lost in the Cornfield Maze, or tumble in a giant haystack.

Hector’s Creek Farm, Fuquay-Varina
Beginning in late September, this fifth-generation family farm (in the same family since 1882) becomes a fall family fun center, complete with a corn maze, a corn cannon, hayrides, pedal karts, and a barrel train. Kids can even stuff their own scarecrow, if they dare, and the fun lasts into early November.

Ken’s Korny Corn Maze, Garner
With more than 2.5 miles of paths, this popular corn maze just south of Raleigh will give you some great exercise and keep you guessing at the same time. Meanwhile, there are small mazes for the kids, hayrides, and family games such as miniature golf and pumpkin bowling, making this farm a ten-acre fall playground!

J. Razz & Tazz Farm, Gibsonville
With a corn maze opening in September and a Haunted Forest in October, this farm in eastern Guilford County (between Greensboro and Burlington) provides fall fun for the whole family. A pumpkin patch, Halloween hayrides, bonfires, a children’s play area and a cow train are just a few of the choices Razz & Tazz provides.

Maize Adventure, High Point
The Maize Adventure in High Point promotes itself as ‘an adventure in getting lost’, and the centerpiece of the farm is definitely the huge corn maze. But the family fun doesn’t stop there, as Maize Adventure also provides guests with a pumpkin patch, gem mining, and a fossil dig.

The Amazing Maize Maze, Huntersville
The Rural Hill Farm in Huntersville puts on a vast array of events every year, and one of the most popular is the Amazing Maize Maze, a huge corn maze that will test your knowledge as well as your directional skills. Open every day from mid-September through early November, with nighttime ‘flashlight mazes’ on selected evenings (bring your own flashlight).

Country Time Carriages, Indian Trail
Just east of Charlotte, this little farm hosts a huge 13-acre corn maze where answering questions correctly will help you find your way out. Also on site are a hayride, corn cannon, cow train ride, and bonfires complete with marshmallows for roasting!

Riverbend Farm, Midland
Located just 17 miles east of Charlotte, this farm opens to the public in October for covered wagon rides through the farm to an 18-acre pumpkin patch. There’s also a ‘magic’ pumpkin, a goat walk, an old-timey ice cream parlor, and even a pumpkin slingshot! (Three tries for a dollar).

Aw Shucks Corn Maze, Monroe
This popular corn maze and pumpkin patch in Union County (just east of Charlotte) opens in mid-September every year with a newly designed maze and a host of other activities for both kids and adults: hayrides, a fishing pond, duck races, a horseshoe tournament, a turkey shoot, and more.

Gross Farms, Sanford
If you’re a big fan of big corn mazes, then this is the place for you. This ten-acre labyrinth will test your puzzle solving skills, and when you’re ready to take a break, you’ll find a pumpkin patch, hayrides, and plenty of activities for the little ones. Gross Farms is conveniently located between Fayetteville and Raleigh on NC Highway 87 in Sanford.

Hill Ridge Farms, Youngsville
Every September and October, this family farm just outside of Raleigh celebrates its Fall Harvest & Pumpkin Festival, complete with hayrides, a pumpkin patch, a kids playland, and live music. Of course, there’s also plenty of farm-made products to enjoy, including Hill Ridge specialties like homemade butter cream fudge, apple and pumpkin butter, and fruit preserves.

Coast

Mike’s Farm, Beulaville
This popular Onslow County year-round agritourism destination wears its fall colors proudly, starting its hayride and pumpkin patch season early in October. But there’s much more in store for visitors to this farm just northwest of Jacksonville, including a barnyard full of friendly animals and a bakery that is famous around the region for its wonderful fudge and other treats.

Briley’s Farm Market, Greenville
With both a large (3.7 miles of trail) and a small corn maze, this Pitt County farm has something for every degree of maze-solver. Fall activities also include a U-pick pumpkin patch, hayrides, gemstone mining, a playground and pony rides. The farm also stages a haunted farm event on selected nights for those brave enough to enter.

Strickland’s Farm Produce & Corn Maze, Tabor City
Located in Columbus County on Highway 904 between Fair Bluff and Tabor City, Strickland’s promises a trail full of switchbacks, dead ends, and junctions that will constantly make you wonder which way to go. Hayrides are also available.

R & J Farms, Washington
This maze just east of Washington in Beaufort County has attractions for everyone in the family, including U-pick pumpkins, hayrides, bonfires, kiddie mazes, a playground, a pumpkin house, and volleyball and basketball courts. Open from early September to mid-November.

Griffin’s Amazing Maize Maze, Williamston
Near the Martin County town of Williamston, this seven-acre corn maze is guaranteed to keep you moving for at least an hour. There are also pumpkins available for purchase, and food and drinks in case all your wandering makes you hungry.

added: September 8, 2009

updated: October 7, 2010