Best Pumpkin Patches in Austin, TX for 2014

One of our favorite things to do in the fall around here is to find the Austin Pumpkin Patches.  Here is your list of all the Pumpkin Patches we could find in the Central Texas area.

Austin Area:

Austin Oaks (Austin): Open October 13th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch & Photo Opps
• 4220 Monterey Oaks Blvd., Austin, TX
• Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Sunday: 10:30-11:00 a.m. and 12:30-1:30 p.m.

ACTS Church (Lakeway): Open October 4th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• 1304 RR 620, Austin, TX
• Monday - Friday (noon-6:30) Weekends (10 am - 6:30 pm)

Bethany Lutheran Church (Austin): Open October 12th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Storytelling & Children's activities
• 3701 W. Slaughter Ln, Austin, TX
• Mon-Sun (10 am - 7 pm)

Hawaiian Falls (Pflugerville): Open October 3rd - November 2nd

• FREE Fall Festival each weekend
• Friday (3 pm - 9 pm), Saturday (10 am - 7 pm), Sunday (10 am - 5 pm)
• 18500 N SH 130 SVRD SB, Pflugerville, TX

First United Methodist Church of Georgetown (Georgetown): Open October 6th -  31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Hours (9-dusk)
• 410 East University Ave, Georgetown, TX

King of Kings Lutheran Church (Round Rock): Open October 13th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Hours Vary (check the website)
• Fall Festival on Nov 2. (1-3 pm)

Kyle United Methodist Church (Kyle): Open October 12th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch 
• Monday - Friday, from 2:30 - dusk, Saturday, from 9 a.m. - dusk, and Sunday, from noon - dusk p.m. 
• 408 West Lockhart, Kyle, TX
• Fall Festival on October 18 (11:30 am - 1: 30 pm)

Manchaca United Methodist Church (Manchaca): Open October 4th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Mon-Fri from 2:30 - 8:00 pm, Saturday 10 - 8 pm, Sunday 1 pm - 8 pm
• MUMC Fall Festival (October 25, 2014) from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.   
• hay ride, children's games, a moon jump, food, a cakewalk, crafts, prizes, clowns, music and more (FREE).
• 1011 FM 1626 at Manchaca Rd, Manchaca, TX

Red Barn Garden Center (Austin): Pumpkins available all Fall

• Pumpkin Patch
• Sat. October 18th : Inflatables & Barnyard Animals from 10 am - 4 pm
• 12881 Pond Springs Rd, Austin, TX

St. John's United Methodist Church (Austin): Open October 14th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Hours Vary (Check website)
• 2140 Allendale Rd, Austin, TX

St. Mark United Methodist Church (Austin): Open October 18th - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch (daily til 7 pm)
• 601 W Braker, Austin

St. Richards Episcopal Church (Round Rock): Open September 27th - October 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Benefiting NetsforLife, The Round Rock Serving Center, and St. Richards Episcopal Church
• Sun-Fri (noon-dark); Sat (9am-dark)
• 1420 E. Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX

Tarrytown United Methodist Church (Austin): Open September 29th - pumpkin sell out

• Pumpkin Patch
• Monday to Friday (2-7 pm), Saturday (9 am - 7 pm), Sunday (12-7 pm)
• 2601 Exposition Rd, Austin, TX

YMCA Camp Twin Lakes (Cedar Park): Open October 1st - 31st

• Pumpkin Patch
• Weekdays: (9:30-12 & 4-7:15); Sat (9-4); Sun (12-4)
• Fall Festival (Oct 19): Inflatables, Hay Rides, Petting Zoo, Vendor Fair and more
• 204 E Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park, TX

Outside Austin:

Barton Hills Farms (Bastrop):  Open Weekends September 27th - November 9th

• Pumpkin Patch
• 5 acre Corn Maze
• Live Bands
• Frontier Games
• Saturdays 10 am - 10 pm; Sundays 10 am - 5 pm 
• Adults $11; Children $8 (Save $1 by purchasing online)
• Read about our experience here

Elgin Christmas Tree Farm (Elgin): Open Weekdays 

• Hay Rides
• Hay Jumping
• Mazes
• Kiddie Train Ride (weekends only)
• Pumpkin Painting
• Animals to Visit
• October Fall Fun: Weekdays & 1st & 4th Weekends - Admission $6
• Pumpkin Festival: 2nd & 3rd Weekends - Admission Adults $8; Children $6

Evergreen Farms (Elgin): Open All Weekends in October

• Pumpkin Hunt
• Wagon Rides
• Petting Zoo
• Pumpkin Launcher
• Train Ride
• Pumpkin Maze
• Rides on an authentic pumper fire truck
• Saturdays (10 am - 5 pm) & Sundays (1 pm - 5 pm)
• Admission is free; Select activities have a fee ($2.50 - $5)

Silo Christmas Tree Farm (Temple): Open Weekends in October

• Kiddie Train Ride
• Maze
• Hay Ride
• Pumpkin Painting
• Feed the Farm Animals
• Pony Rides
• Stuff the Scarecrow
• Weekends 10 am - 5 pm
• Admission is canned food or monetary donation; Purchase tickets for activities ($2-$15)

Sweetberry Farms (Marble Falls): Open September 27th - November 2nd

• Texas Hayfield Maze
• Stuff Your Own Scarecrow
• Scarecrow Island Hayrides
• Sweetberry Express Barrel Train
• Horse Rides
• Berry Bounce
• Pick your own Pumpkins
• Free Admission; Activities are individually priced ($2.50 - $16.50)
• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday (8:30 am - 5:30 pm) Sunday (1:00 pm - 5:00 pm)
• Closed on Wednesdays
• Read about our experience here

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, we decided to have a fun adventure.  So this Spring Break, we will be having a St. Patrick’s Day Photo Scavenger Hunt!  My kids love scavenger hunts, so I like to create fun ones for them to do - it is, after all, essentially FREE! All it takes is a little bit of prep work to create a fun experience for a group of kids.

St.  Patrick's Day Photo Scavenger Hunt:

• You can do this with a large group of friends, or just your family.  If you do invite others to your hunt, just ask them to wear tennis shoes and bring a digital camera (a small hand-held camera is ideal).    
• A little pre-work is involved in creating the actual list of "finds".  I went to the local park we were holding the scavenger hunt at a few days prior to get some ideas for the list.  It allowed me to select a few clues that would personalize the hunt better.  I was looking for unusual rocks, sculptures, or landscapes that they have to find.  (see the list we used below) 
• I like to also include activities they need to photograph as well, for example, all teammates creating a word out of their bodies.  
• To give it more of a St. Patrick’s Day theme, I added “find a four leaf clover”, “find a pot of gold” and “find all the colors of the Rainbow”.  Hide some gold chocolate coins for the kids to find for a fun surprise. 
• Assign points to all the clues
• Keep the hunt easy – allow the kids to naturally partner with who they would like to. Explain the rules, set the timer, and let them go!
• We generally give them a half hour - an hour, depending on the list
• Get creative with the prizes!  We found funny St. Patrick’s Day themed goodies to give the team who earned the most points. 

Everyone enjoys the fun of a hunt! Throw a party afterwards to show everyone's pictures  and serve some very St. Patrick-sy snacks - leprechaun green cupcakes, gold chocolate coins, green kool-aid (what else?).


There you go! A fun and easy St. Patrick's Day Party for kids!

St. Patrick's Day Photo Scavenger Hunt:
(change these as they fit the location you are doing your hunt at)

• Rock with a tree growing out of it
• Someone swinging as high as they can
• Mom taking a drink from water fountain
• Trees with white
• Find the colors of the rainbow (take a picture of each one!)
• Baseball backstop
• Bridge over a creek
• Pointed rock
• Tree stump
• Greenest patch of grass
• Lying down in the fold in the earth
• Someone going across the jungle gym
• Picture of someone wearing a green shirt
• Someone doing a cartwheel
• A picture of someone wearing sunglasses
• All team members standing on a flat rock
• Spell your initial with your body
• Looking for a leprechaun
• Tree with the triangle
• Picture of “gold”
• Someone going down the slide
• Picture by the park sign don't step on the flowers!

Friday Daydreamin': Christmas Favorites

Happy Friday friends! Time for Friday Daydreamin'! My favorite day of the week as I get to armchair vacation through all of your lovely photos!!

I have been a busy bee writing all about my favorite holiday this past week - Christmas!!  I just love going through all my pictures and remembering all the fun things we have done with the kiddos around the holidays.  So I thought I'd share a few with you this month.

When the older kids were smaller, we had a tradition to take them to have Breakfast with Santa at the downtown (and original) Neiman Marcus in Dallas. My kids looked forward to this event all year - they loved having Santa come to their table and talk with them.  Just look at these girls' faces.....

What Christmas memories do you have caught in a photo? Share them with us by linking up! I'd love to see them!

Hungry for more travel photo adventures? Please visit Travel Photo Thursday from Budget Travelers Sandbox and Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

Brighten Mother's Day with Flowers from FTD & BHG! (Giveaway)

Hey friends! Mother's Day is a little over a week away!  Still stumped as to what to get mom?  The dear woman who birthed you, still loved you through your teenage years, and now is there for you when ever you call??  Yep- that woman deserves to be treated like a queen!

Why not brighten her day with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers?  FTD, celebrating over 100 years as America’s flower experts, and Better Homes and Gardens, America’s favorite home and lifestyle magazine, have partnered together to offer an exclusive collection of fresh flower arrangements and plants that are designed and delivered by an FTD florist or delivered straight from the grower in a beautiful gift box. In addition, the collection features “Editors’ Choice” arrangements, designed by Better Homes and Gardens editors. For Mother’s Day, all Better Homes and Gardens Flowers by FTD^® come with an additional gift that is sure to make moms feel even more appreciated: a free one-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens.

I was sent this beautiful arrangement a few days ago and it has be such a delight to have on my kitchen counter. It brings a smile to my face each time I walk into the room.

The FTD Blooming Vision Bouquet by Better Homes and Gardens

And in celebration of Mother's Day, FTD has just launched a new Mother’s Day Getaway Sweepstakes on the FTD Flowers Facebook page where, amongst other prizes, one Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to Morgan Bay Beach Resort in St Lucia. Prize includes a 4-night stay in a one-bedroom (double occupancy) Oceanview Suite with Morgan Bay’s all-inclusive program for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, unlimited beverages, all on-site activities, nightly entertainment, and more! I'm all over that!!

Let me help you brighten your Mother's Day by offering to one reader a $50 coupon code to FTD. You can order a gorgeous arrangement like the one above you your sweet mommy or get something beautiful for yourself (I won't tell!!). 

Just enter a comment below telling me you want to win! That's it! (If you don't have a blogger account, please make sure to leave your email addy so I can get in touch with you if you win!!)

Want an extra entry?  Facebook or Tweet about it to your friends and leave me a comment telling me you have - easy peasy, right??

Contest will end Wednesday, May 9 at midnight (CST) and I will announce the winner on Thursday, May 10th.  

I hope you win!!