With that said, my kids LOVE these places – petting zoos, horseback rides, pig races, and tractor-pulled hayrides complete with kettle corn and face painting.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact they can pick apples from real trees and actually stroll through the patch searching for their pumpkin. This connection to the earth is important. So much so that for two years we’ve planted seeds, watered the sprouts, gotten excited about vines as they creep along, danced when they flowered, but then they don’t flourish beyond that point.  So, it’s off to the pumpkin patch we go.

Our favorite is Jonamac Orchard. In addition to horseback rides and a petting zoo (weekends only), they have a great playground with fun slides.

Here’s a blurb from their web site:

…get lost in our 10-acre Corn Maze with 3 miles of pathways and 2 bridges. The kids will love our Barn Yard activity area with a huge bale pile, peddle tractors, sand pile, corn bin, play barn, bunny barn, mazes, tube slides and other fun activities…you can visit our Petting Zoo and take a pony ride. On weekends the Apple Train will be running and you can try your marksmanship skills at our Apple Launcher.

They also have special events on weekends:

October 10-11 they have Antique Farm Equipment
Weekends of October 17-17 and 24-25 offer live music

Jonamac Orchard and Pumpkin Farm

This event info was moved to my Examiner page.

Naperville Public Library’s Halloween Spook-tacular Story Time

Although those can be fun, it was refreshing to simply go to a quiet orchard where people are smiling, holding hands, carrying their children on their shoulders – all having a fabulous time. I didn’t miss getting fleeced by the typical pumpkin farm/apple orchard combo and their circus of the petting zoo, kettle corn, hayrides, and face painting.

The apple trees are lined up in rows beyond their backyard, which is their parking lot.  Each peck (a bag that when filled with apples weighs about my limit to carry) is $12. Use of their red wagons is free. We filled three with plans for baking apple pies and making apple sauce.

Our neighbor referred us to this well-kept secret. I hope you enjoy yourselves as much as we did.  It’s worth the trip to Lang’s Orchard.

Then, to top it off, we get to visit with horses outside as they room their pens and in the barn as volunteers care for them. If you’ve got questions, these loving humans are happy to talk about these gorgeous creatures.

There’s nothing like boosting my kids up on the railings so they too can get a close look at the horses’ long eye lashes and witness the intelligence in their eyes.  Imagine how much children benefit from such wordless connections with other intelligent creatures.

Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides are offered through November 8, 2009 on Wednesdays from 5 to 7:15 PM and again on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 3:45 PM.

Danada Equestrian Center is snuggled in the forest preserve east of Naperville Boulevard north of I-88, south of Butterfield Road in Wheaton.

My daughter went to the first one, which was remarkable. They read two Award-Winning Books, did an “ad-lib” story where the kids tossed out ideas for categories, which the librarians used to tell a story, and they got to make a craft that tied into one of the books they read.  Huge smiles as the kids pranced out, each with butterflies on their fingers.

There’s still some open spots for the two remaining sessions. Registration is required (need to be card holder).  Here’s a blurb from the library’s calendar:

The Monarch Award is a children’s choice book award for children in grades K – 3. Join us as we read some great stories and have fun with crafts and activities. For children in grades K – 3.

Check it out!