Family Makes Memories at Area Hayrides

If you are a parent of young kids, you've probably done the apple picking, the pumpkin picking, and all the other rituals associated with fall. From fundraisers to exploring parks and new places, we’ve kept busy, but did manage to recently squeeze in trips to two places for a fall hayride. 

Parker Gardens: Crazy and Fun

Parker Gardens in Scotch Plains may not have the most attractive hayride or the best maze, but the warmth of the staff and their commitment to fun made it one of those trips we won’t forget. Everything there really catered to letting kids do kid things,  all while making parents a little nervous and making us think to ourselves: is this safe? But, we let go and enjoyed what they had to offer. 

Pumpkin Decorating: A great hostess to our party danced and decorated with the kids. She was a lot of fun, and you could tell by the kids' faces that they were having a great time. 

Hayride: Our crazy driver, Steve, was awesome. He sang the whole way there, above the noisy tractor sounds, and serendaded us with a little bit of everything, including renditions from Sponge Bob. It was a bumpy ride on a mess of hay, with fake spiders that the kids all clamored to search for.  This is the part where we kept yelling at the kids to sit down.

Maze/Slingshot: The maze was not high, but the kids couldn’t get lost since it was so low.  We had one casualty of the pumpkin slingshot, so just make sure you watch your kids if you visit.

Sledding:  Yes, sledding.  They have a huge dirt hill at the end of the hayride that is coated in hay. They take out sleds and the kids and some lucky parents (who could pry a sled from a young one's tiny hands), just coast down the hill. It is very slippery, so again, be careful. 

Williams Nursery: Well-Maintained and Safety Conscious

We had visited Williams Nursery in Westfield before, but only to pick out some flowers or herbs. Looking forward to visiting again, I accompanied my middle son and his school, ABC Nursery. Once we arrived, they were pretty efficient about getting us through, but a couple people were a little rough around the edges. Extremely safety conscious, the staff gently helped both parents and kids into the hayride, and if you were anywhere close to the path of the tractor, their booming voices warned you to stay out of the way. The place was very well kept, and they really did a great job with the hayride (neat stacks of hay). The spooky decorations were also fun.

At the end of the ride, we picked out our pumpkins, took a group picture, using an astounding number of Radio flyer wagons for the kids to cart around their loot. Our favorite part was the maze, and just being with the other kids.

In our household we were split. The middle child really enjoyed Williams Nursery, while the oldest favored Parker Gardens.  My oldest, Eric, is a bit of a daredevil, and was more than happy to keep on sledding at Parker, while Matthew preferred the smooth and calm hayride of Williams Nursery.  We will have to wait until the baby of our family finally talks to get the final verdict. 

I have to thank the wonderful parents and teachers from ABC Nursery School in Short Hills and my friends from the MOMS Club of Springfield for letting me share some of these great pictures.

Sheila Sayah is a wife and mother of three who regularly blogs about playgrounds on her site, www.njplaygrounds.com.