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One of the things I miss most about Kentucky are the Fall festival pumpkin patches. In Kentucky, there are real pumpkin patches — you know pumpkins actually growing from the ground on a vine. We would have to take a tractor-drawn wagon out to the massive fields. It was SO much fun!
However, in Texas most pumpkin patches are picked pumpkins usually placed on pallets or in bins. It’s still fun to ‘pick’ a pumpkin but it just isn’t the same. I guess they aren’t a fan of the weather here.
This weekend I did get a bit of nostalgia at Barton Hill Farms. Even the drive between San Antonio and Bastrop Texas where Barton Hill Farms is located had me thinking about Kentucky. A lot of open fields, cows, and of course horses all had me primed for this fun family fall adventure.
Let me tell you — Barton Hill Farms is GORGEOUS. It is all located on the banks of the Colorado River and everything you want in a Fall Festival is here (minus my Kentucky pumpkin patch).
Necessities
They have several concession stands throughout the property including a station for frozen wine and snow cones. We didn’t get a chance to sample any food but it looked good from what we could tell. You are allowed to bring in snacks and water bottles, just no cooler or alcohol.
Oh yeah, and there is even live music!
Worry about the sun? Barton Hill Farms has plenty of shaded picnic tables with sun shades! And a whole slew of porta potties for when nature calls.
Corn Mazes
Barton Hill Farms has two corn mazes — one for little kids and another that takes more thought to get through (5-acres!).
Normally, I love doing corn mazes but we had to cheat and use the map they gave us. Boo! We were short on time and had to make sure we made it out in a timely manner.
It was still a blast but I prefer to do them without a map if I can. It’s always fun getting lost in a controlled environment. In the real world, I hate it 😉
Slides
There are several of the classic drainage pipe slides throughout the property.
My boys spent a good while just going down the slide — over and over and OVER again 🙂
Rat Rollers
Another fun thing you can do with a drainage pipe is run in it like you are a rat on an exercise wheel.
From big to small the kids seem to like this one. It’s a great way for the kiddos to get some extra exercise too 😉
Backyard Games
There are a ton of backyard games you can play together as a family at Barton Hill Farms too. We tried our hand at tetherball, but I also saw corn hole, roping practice, bowling, tic tac toe, bean bag toss, and several others.
The Ball Zone
Then there is an area for ball fans. That’s all boys, right?
My boys threw balls till their heart’s content — baseballs, basketballs, and footballs.
The Jumping Pillow
Now, this is super fun for all ages — even for adults!
They had two jumping pillows based on height. My youngest refused to go on it, though, because he couldn’t go on the same one as his brother. Got to love kids 😉
Wilbarger Willage
My boys also loved playing in this neat, GIANT tree house at Barton Hill Farms.
There are several ways to get in and out of this wood masterpiece.
Not to mention, fun holes you can use to spy on your parents 😉
Flower Fields
You won’t want to miss the fields of flowers either!
I hear there are a couple of trains that go through the fields but that’s something else we will have to do next year.
I could have spent a lot of time messing around with the flowers — taking pictures. It’d be a great spot for a family photo!
That’s right I am already planning on going again next year — it got me. It fulfilled my Kentucky Fall fix!
I suggest coming when they open if you get the chance to. Two hours was not nearly enough to experience everything, but we made the most of it.
Hopefully next time we won’t have baseball taking up our morning!
I’ve always wanted to take family photos with sunflowers. It’s already on my to-do list for next time!
Pumpkin Patch
And of course, there are pumpkins!
I really like that they are a flat price and not by weight. So you can pick a BIG pumpkin and not worry about it costing $25.
Final Thoughts On Barton Hill Farms
For $12.95 online or $15.95 gate price per person, this Barton Hill Farms Fall festival is well worth it. They have enough activities to keep kids of all ages entertained for several hours. It’s most definitely somewhere we will be coming back to!
And for how popular it is, I never felt like we were overcrowded and it was quite easy to just jump in and play something. The parking lot had a ton of cars but were guided to a spot really quickly too!
Next weekend is the last weekend (through November 4th) they are open this season — so pack up the family and head on out — you won’t be sorry!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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Barton Hill Farms does look like a lot of fun. I’ve not been out west at all, but I would miss the fall extravaganza in the country areas like we have here. Nice activities for all ages, it sure looks worth the trip to Texas. I had lived in FL for a while, and I soooo missed “real” fall!
I miss the changing of the leaves too 🙁
My family and I did something similar last weekend, but in Illinois! We missed out on the flowers, though and your farm looks like it has a few more things. It really is a great family fun-filled time!
We never got to go out into a field to pick our pumpkins, but we haven’t lost out on much. I’ve grown them at home, and those things are sharp!
I tried to grow some in Kentucky but they never got very big. Do you grow a lot of pumpkins?
Hard to beat the comfort a farm can bring during this time of year. Glad you guys had so much fun!
Yes, it is…we had an amazing time!
This looks like a lot of fun. I don’t think I’ve ever done a corn maze but they look fun .
It’s a lot of fun getting lost together. A lot of them also tend to have little scavenger hunts.
The farm looks so clean! I would want to explore such place like this. Perfect for family bondings.
Yes, it is totally great for family fun!
During the fall we always go to the local farm to pick pumpkins. We also enjoy taking road trips to look at the fall foliage.
We used to do the road trip thing too when we lived near pretty fall trees. They are great for taking pics with!
It looks like such an amazing little place in the fall. My daughter and I love going to Oak Glen out here which is very similar. Although I love the lake there and the play area looks so fun.
The river was SO pretty. You don’t have access to it from the farm but it makes a great background!
These are the kind of places i love in the fall. A bit organic with a splash of kid fun. YEah I would be sad too if I had to pick my pumpkin from a stash instead from a patch.
Yeah I do miss my Kentucky pumpkin patches but this did the trick
We have something similar here and I love it. I don’t have kids so it is not so fun without children. But still a great day trip!
Yes, this is something I would still totally do even if I didn’t have kids.
We love to go to pumpkin patches, they are always nice. We also love to go apple picking and pick some delicious apples.
I’ve always wanted to go apple picking. I never did get the chance when we lived in Kentucky. I wonder if there are any apple orchards here?
There are a few apple orchards near our house and we have gone there many fall seasons. I then have apples galore and I make, bake and eat apples.
What is your favorite thing to make with apples? I’d love a recipe 🙂
We love to go apple picking at a local orchard. This has been a tradition ever since I was a little girl!
Sounds like a lot of fun! I want to go apple picking one day
This looks like a fun place to visit. I enjoy apple picking and baking in the Fall!
What is your favorite thing to bake in the Fall? Recipe please 🙂
Looks like so much fun such great photos. I know my kids to love to visit the farms in Fall.
Thanks, Cindy! We all had a great time
It definitely looks like a whole lot of fun, I’ve never been out that way but may need to add it to my bucket list after this fabulous read.
You would have a great time, Rikki! I think it’s worth it 🙂
This is my family’s favorite time of year. We love to ride in the country and look at all the trees with the beautiful leaves turning color
I love looking at pretty trees in the Fall. My whole neighborhood was full of them in Kentucky
This fall was decorated our porch for Fall & Halloween more than past years. It was very fun and festive. We also created a “Haunted Garage” for our friends and family to tour the weekend before Halloween. It was a blast
Sounds like a great Halloween! What all did you have in the garage?
Fall is my favorite season.
We have that in common, Vicki 🙂
I live in KY, so I know the pumpkin patches that you miss! But it looks like you found a fun one in Texas!
Yes, this was a good substitute! I don’t even think the kids remember the ‘other’ way lol
This looks like it was so much fun. I love fall activities like this.
It was AWESOME! I’m glad we squeezed it into our busy day.
We love to go to the corn maze in Buford, Georgia. It is a great way to educate our children about agriculture and farming! It is a family-friendly atmosphere where we go on hayrides and pick a pumpkin.
You are so right, Debbie. These outings are very educational too!
I don’t have chlidren and I am disabled so my fall activities are limited. I talk on the phone to my niece and her children around our birhday times in the fall. Halloween is nice as I get to see pictures of the kids in their costumes. This year they went out to a farm to go apple picking so I was able to see pictures of that 🙂
I’m glad you get to enjoy the time your family has through pics. I wish there was something you could participate in too, though!
We like to go to the apple orchard in the fall. Lots of apple cider, donuts, and apple picking!
Do you mean apple donuts? That sounds good!
My family loves to take fall drives to see the color changes. We also like to take bike rides or walk on our local trails.