Fall Fun Fest @ Pigeon Roost Farm
hebron, oh
This past Sunday was a rare day in our household. No sports, homework finished before noon and mother nature decided to provide us with the perfect fall backdrop (73 degrees with a slight breeze). So instead of relaxing around the house and catching up on the 350+ hours worth of shows that are currently choking the life out of our DVR, we decided to call up my sister and head out to Pigeon Roost Farm which is just about a 20 minute drive from our home, because of course we always have to be doing something!
The ole lady found this place on the net and I'll be honest, I was hesitant after I found out the cost was $10 per person (I'm thinking this is a little extreme for a hay ride and a corn maze), but I will say all worries were put to rest once we arrived and looked over the hill down into the valley filled with all sorts of things to do. It was at that moment that I transformed from a 36 year old cheapskate back to a kid again.
Once you enter, the kids are immediately given a choice they cannot refuse. To get from the top of the hill to the valley below where everything is located, you can either take the steps or...
...the much more attractive slides!
The "Rooster Races" dual slides allow 2 kids to race to the bottom on a slick surface using burlap sacks while the "Turkey Tunnel" is a single person tube slide. Both are guaranteed to shoot their riders well beyond the exit and the kids couldn't get enough of these. Plan to have to tell them several times "Come on, there's more to do here!" and good luck with them listening. Vegas tried the "Rooster Races" with no sack and almost took a pretty agressive spill at the bottom, but kept his balance and ran back to do it all over again.
The "Fall Frontier" section is where you will find the majority of the activities. A giant field with various things to do evenly spaced out. The place can be packed but still feel like its not.
All of the kids loved the "Black Mamba" which was essentially two long pipes connected to a frame they would stand on and use momentum to cause it to swing back in fourth wildly, like a battering ram. Once they wore this out they ran to the "Tumble Tube Races" where they raced each other in the giant tubes (think giant hamster balls) which was pretty cool. A huge cylinder they would stand in and make roll forward while racing against the pipe next to them. We all got a kick out of seeing who would trip up first and end up being rolled up the "walls"
Mj and Jaydence spent most of their time between the Basketball hoops and the giant fort where kids would toss things off the top, defending against "intruders".
Vegas and I enjoyed watching the rubber duck races and trying to keep Sydney from grabbing the ducks out of the water!
They also have food stands selling your typical fare (Burgers, Dogs, Italian Sausage etc.) however the bonus here is they also sell Pumpkin Donuts, Pumpkin everything for that matter & Funnel Cakes (Yes yes yes they also have Ice Cream, Cherry and Whip Cream toppings). The Cheeseburger was one of the best I've had in awhile, but a bit on the pricey side ($6), meanwhile the Italian Sausage was OK but I've honestly had better ones out of gas stations (just being honest). If your looking for a giant Flintstones sized Turkey Leg as I was, sadly you won't find one here.
The Hayride was relaxing, providing a few moments of downtime and allowed the kids a moment to plot out what they would do next (In between posing for pictures of course).
By the way, it wouldn't be a true country experience without a good ole outhouse eh? Just remember to bring your own toilet paper as the corn stalks can be rather rough this time of year!
So at the end of the day, I stand corrected, Pigeon Roost Farms "Fall Fun Fest" is much more than just a hayride and corn maze, it's a way to spend the day outdoors with your family and allow the kids to have real fun, you know the kind of fun that doesn't involve them staring at a cell phone all day.
Now the observant reader will notice that the kids look older or younger depending on the picture and our clothes seem to change. Well that's a testament to how much we enjoyed this place as the pictures were taken over a year span with 2 different visits, our first being October 2016 and the second a year later and you can bet your bottom dollar we will be going back again this year, and so should you!
