One of my favorite fall activities is exploring pumpkin patches with my family. Getting to Virginia's beautiful countryside provides a wonderful break from the city's hustle and bustle. For this reason, I was excited to meet a new family farm, Wayside Farm in Berryville, VA.

Not only is the city's name adorable, but their location is the best I've seen! It was an easy, short drive that took only an hour from Vienna. And once we arrived, I couldn't believe this farm's scenic location was right off busy Route 7.  Everywhere we turned, there was a view of the mountains. As we got out of the car and approached the rustic barn entrance, the only sounds I heard were laughter and a pumpkin cannon. My family was warmly greeted leaving us feeling very comfortable and welcome. Right off the bat I knew Wayside Farm was not going to be a “commercial-farm” experience. It felt more like we were visiting Grandma’s farm, and this is exactly what I’m looking for when I take trips to the countryside. 

​After walking through the beautifully decorated barn entrance, our eyes feasted on the huge 120-acre farm. My kids went bananas and didn’t know where to begin. There are barnyard animals, pedal tractors to ride around, a combine harvester converted into a slide, see-saws, a corn kernel pit, pumpkin bowling, a pumpkin playhouse, pumpkin cannons, a 10 to 15 minute hayride, a “real” 10-acre corn maze, and more. What helped make these activities even more enjoyable was that the farm wasn’t overcrowded. My children could freely run from activity to activity and not wait in line. It was perfect.

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​There are quite a few climbing structures for your active and adventurous children. And when they are ready to take a little break, they can sit back and cheer on their favorite pig at the pig races; an event we’d never seen before. After the pig races, the farm was echoing with “Ooo” and “Ahhh” from the kids watching pumpkins of all sizes being dropped and smashed from 40 feet in the air.

After spending two and half hours at this pumpkin patch, we were ready for lunch. Something we needed to remind our children as they didn’t want to leave. My four year old even stated, “I want to come here every day.” After reassuring him that we will be back next year, we checked out their pumpkins. Their assortment included pumpkins of all shapes and colors (they looked manufactured they were so pretty). So with our pumpkins in hand and smiles on our faces, we left Wayside Farm. See you next year! 

​Visit Wayside Farm and receive 20% off admission when you mention Go Kid Trips! The farm is open to visitors from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and Columbus Day through November 1st. 

Wayside Farm
5273 Harry Byrd Hwy
 Berryville, VA 22611
www.waysidefarmfun.com

You can also register for their 5K Pumpkin Run taking place October 25th. It will raise money for the Loudoun Breast Health Network. This family-friendly event starts at 8:30 am with an obstacle course for children under age 10 and will be proceeded by the 5K run/walk around the farm. Immediately following the race, runners can enjoy the corn maze, pig races, pumpkin smashing, hayrides, and pumpkin picking. 

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About the Author:  Danielle Larkins is a stay-at-home mom and blogger at tiny-trots.com. She resides with her family in Northern Virginia.

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Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic is coming to the EAGLE BANK ARENA (formerly the Patriot Center) in Fairfax, VA from October 21-25, 2015.

The show celebrates Disney traditions with the classic characters Mickey Mouse, Minne Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy plus over 30 well known characters and moments from movies including "Let it Go" from Frozen, "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story, "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King, moments from Finding Nemo, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, an ensemble of princesses and more!

Show information:
Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
Eagle Bank Arena (formerly Patriot Center)
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
 
Dates and Times of Performances:
·       Wednesday, October 21 @ 7:00 p.m.
·       Thursday, October 22 @ 7:00 p.m.
·       Friday, October 23 @ 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
·       Saturday, October 24 @ 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
·       Sunday, October 25 @ 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
 
Tickets start at: $20
To order tickets by phone:  1-800-745-3000
To order tickets online: www.ticketmaster.com

*Ticket pricing is subject to change based on market demand.
To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to DisneyOnIce.com.


Win a Family 4 pack of tickets to the Wednesday, October 21st show at 7:00 PM below:

Disclaimer: I am a Feld Family Ambassador. I receive free tickets for my own family for sharing this information. All opinions are my own. The Walt Disney Company is neither a sponsor nor endorser of this sweepstakes.

It had been 1,433 days since my husband and I last spent a night away from our three kids (but who's counting?) so we were overdue. Celebrating our 15th anniversary seemed like the perfect excuse to get away and that's how we found ourselves at this gorgeous spot, the Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire.  

When you've gone so long without a grown-up vacation, it was a little bit of a culture shock to transition from a floor filled with muddy soccer cleats to THIS, but I adapted.  Nestled near the base of Mount Washington (the highest peak in the Northeast), this grand resort was built in 1902 and is famous for hosting the international Bretton Woods agreement that founded the International Monetary Fund. Now owned by the Omni, the hotel has been updated with modern amenities while honoring its historic past.  In addition to exhibits in the room where the agreement was signed, there are original antiques and historical anecdotes identified throughout the hotel.  [If visiting be sure to look for the old telephone and grandfather clock and read about the turn-of-the-century "Princess" who still has a table set for her every evening in the dining room.]

Whitehall Farms in Clifton, VA is Fairfax County's latest spot for agritourism, and is hosting Fall Fun Days on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October.  The farm has been in the Vazquez family since the 1960s and is filled with scenic pastures, beautiful woodlands, streams, and animals.  Admission to the Fall Fun Days includes a large non-GMO corn maze, moonbounces for the kids, visits with farm animals (pigs, chickens, and cows,) a round-trip hayride through the woods to the farm market, cornhole and more. There are additional fees for face painting, food, feeding the farm's darling cow, Henry and picking your own pumpkin from the field (65 cents per pound.)

We were impressed by the knowledgeable farm staff, always available and eager to teach both the adults and the kids about environmentally friendly farming practices and answer questions about the farm and animals. We found the hayride through the woods serene and pleasant, with the trees as the backdrop, not tacky decorations. The overall atmosphere is more low key than some of the region's mega festivals, but here it is about visiting a working farm, interacting with the animals, learning something new, having fun and of course, picking your very own perfect pumpkin right of the vine.  Here are our pictures from our visit:

Traveling might be fun, but when your kids are tagged along, you might find it difficult to rest even when someone else is driving. This means that you will have to think about some activities that can keep your kids busy while you are driving or resting.

Here are some of our top suggestions:

1. Portable gaming consoles This is one thing the child will enjoy and will not disturb you until they are tired. This means that you will enjoy your time traveling, and your children will be busy. At the same time, it is a safe activity and keeping a watch on them is easy too.

2. Make the most of a lap desk With a book and colors on the lap desk, your kids will be busy coloring, drawing and writing things in the book. So, give them the accessories and they will be busy for some time. If you do not have a car-seat lap desk or it is not in good shape, you should opt for an inexpensive alternative, cookie sheet!

3. Give them the camera If they love photography, give them a camera and let them create memorable clicks during the journey. To make sure that they are focusing on the clicks for a long time, you can tell them that they will get a little gift if they manage to click at least five good clicks.

You can buy the gift from Overstock.com at a reasonable price. If you are planning for an expensive gift, check out the sale section at Overstock.com. If that section is not good enough, you should look for coupon codes that are available at popular coupon sites. Coupon codes for Overstock.com from ChameleonJohn.com are always available. Don’t worry about it.

4. Give them something to decorate:

• Give them a jar and let them decorate it with stickers.

• Give them a book and let them decorate it with stickers and draw something good on the cover
  

• Give them a bottle and let them decorate it with available supplies in their carry bag.

Let the use their creativity and decorate the item.

5. A Map:
Give them a map and you will notice that they will soon be busy asking you questions related to the destination you are planning to visit. Before they prepare a set of questions for you, you should give them a set of locations to be spotted on the map.

This will not only keep them busy but will even improve their knowledge about the destination.

6. The ‘collection’ box
Give them a box and tell them that they have to collect memories in that box. They can collect train tickets, movie tickets, inexpensive plastic ornaments, paper notes, and other mementos from the trip. Collect it and take it back home. Once home, they will have some memories in their box and will stay entertained for some time, even after the travel.



Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by ChameleonJohn.com. Written content was created by their marketing managers and shared on this site. All opinions are our own.

Before heading out on a National Tour, Caps for Sale, the Musical is on stage at Adventure Theatre MTC for a limited three-week premiere engagment from September 11-27, 2015.  This show is a spin on the classic children's storybook with vivid scenery, an entertaining plot line, and a truly animated cast.

Caps for Sale, the Musical follows a different storyline from the book. The peddler is much more than a flat character selling caps, but instead is a misunderstood man filled with dreams and struggling for acceptance in his small town.  The villagers are too caught up in their ways, but when monkeys come to town, everything changes. Will the peddler gain their friendships or will the monkeys wreak havoc? Find out in this warmhearted tale filled with catchy music, funny scenes and loveable characters.

We would recommend the show for ages 3-8, although my almost nine year old also enjoyed the performance. At a running time of about 50 minutes (with no intermission,) the show is just the right length to keep young kids engaged while parents get value from their children's many smiles and laughs. My eyes were on the stage the whole time, and along with my children, I was very much wide-eyed, at the edge of my seat

If you haven't been to Adventure Theatre MTC in Glen Echo Park, then you are missing out on the perfect, intimate venue for young children to see live theatre. The stages and actors are up close, and there are also opportunities to meet the cast after the performance.  Plus, the theatre is just steps away from the historic Dentzel Carousel where the whole family can enjoy a magical ride after the show. 

Tremblant is best known as a great Canadian ski resort, but it has SO much to offer in the summer too.  Once the ice and snow have gone, the street cafes open up, mountain wildflowers begin to bloom, and outdoor festivals abound.  My favorite things about a summertime Tremblant trip:

• Location: The french-speaking province of Quebec casts an old world charm over the pedestrian village that is unique in North America.  The lakeside location in the Laurentian mountain range provides the right combination of world class amenities surrounded by the extraordinary Canadian wilderness. Adventures for the whole family are all within a short walk, gondola ride, or drive.  In one day you can be hiking in bear country with no signs of civilization and then return to a gourmet dinner with french wine.  

• Accommodations: The extensive variety of lodging options ranges from full service luxury hotels to four-season treehouses.  As a family of five in need of a kitchen and laundry, our pick for summer lodging is any condo unit within Tremeblant-Les-Eaux, which is walking distance from the village and has family-friendly heated outdoor pools and a waterfall (which the kids especially enjoyed at night).  
• Activities: Whether its yoga, mountain biking, or horseback riding, there are more activities than anyone can do in a week -- which is not to say we didn't try!  Grown-ups may enjoy the Casino or any of the many golf courses or spas, but most of the activities are designed for family fun.  Here are a few of our favorites: