Fun for Little Kids
The weather has been dreary and rainy seemingly every day. We were excited to when we finally got a sunny weekend to take the kids to do something fun. Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is the perfect place to spend the day. Located in Ronks, PA it is only a few minutes from my mom’s house, so we planned to take a small hiatus for dinner with her and my dad, and the rest of the day was scheduled for farm fun. We loaded up the stroller and the diaper bag and headed out to Lancaster.
We started the day off with just Hannah and Tyler. Isaac opted to spend the daytime hours with my parents and come to the farm later. We brought along our stroller but the farm has wooden wagons you can rent if you are willing to pull your children around. Our first stop was the Farm Experience Center and Discovery Barn.
Pigs, goats, chickens, a turkey and rabbits were a hit for our little ones, but the best part was inside the barn. Under supervision of the Cherry Crest staff, they got to hold and pet baby chicks.
Tyler loved the goats and other animals. We had a small container of food for them and they would nibble the pieces right out of your hand.
There were so many attractions that appealed to the little ones. Our favorite area was probably the Lil’ Farmers Playland. This area had swings, a sandbox, and a giant corn crib.
Another favorite was Sproutville, a tiny town. It features a post office, an ice cream shop, a grocery store, a small school, a vet clinic, a mechanic shop and a barn. Each one had every costume or prop needed to engage the kids in pretend play. The kids spent almost an hour there and would have spent even more time, if we would have let them.
It also had a diaper changing and nursing station which even had extra wipes and diapers if you were caught in a jam.
Fun for Big Kids
Isaac came with us when we returned to Cherry Crest A in the evening. We knew he would want to do their famous corn maze, but there were lots of other attractions that appealed to him.
Isaac enjoyed the tug of war, the sports area (shooting various sports balls at targets), shooting paint guns at targets, and the supreme favorite of both Hannah and Isaac: the barn yard blasters.
You get bucket of apples and blast them through giant cannons at targets. Isaac got a few bulls eyes! We also tried the Battle Zone area where we had air-soft guns that shot foam balls sort of like paintball. I was extremely reluctant to go with Isaac, but ultimately he persuaded me and it was actually a lot of fun.
The Corn Maze
The crown jewel of Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is their corn maze. It sits on five acres and has 2.5 miles of paths. The maze is different every year. This year’s theme was board games. There are three ways to experience the maze- easy (following yellow poles), intermediate using clues or advanced where you have to make your way through on your own. The maze starts with a little chat from an employee explaining how everything works which was helpful.
It was dark when we did the corn maze and so we had to make our way through by flashlight which We made it through in about an hour. It was a lot of fun.
Hannah especially loved finding the clues and the little mailboxes hidden throughout the maze. The maze also features drink stations, porta potties, a play area for kids, and a full on snack bar.
Tips/Tricks
We opted to buy lunch at the farm, but you are allowed to bring your own food and drinks in. There are picnic tables everywhere. We even saw some people just set up a picnic on a blanket in the grass.
They offer pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, slushies, popcorn and all kinds of other goodies but we highly recommend the apple cider donuts. We were enticed by their smell as soon as we walked through the gates . We bought warm ones to eat straight away and brought a half dozen home for later.
Final Thoughts
Lancaster county has so many wonderful destinations for families (read about our other adventures) Dutch Wonderland and Little Horse Farm.
We had an amazing time at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm and spent almost the entire day there. We arrived shortly after 10 am and stayed until close at 10pm. All three of our kids found numerous activities that held their interest. Both of the kids asked if we could come back again, and we definitely plan to. The time passed so quickly.
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is open from 10 am-10 pm Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of October and the first weekend of November. You can find more information HERE on their website.
Have you been to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm? What were some of your favorite things you did. Do you have any tips you would like to share we did not include in this story? We would love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below and make sure you subscribe to our blog to keep up to date on our latest adventures!
The next Destination With Sunshine we will review is : The Academy Of Natural Sciences.
Disclaimer: We received complimentary admission to the farm to make this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
