Can I get a “Hallelujah” for some awesome fall temps? Those Midwest folk probably think we’re all crazy up in here when it is 95 degrees outside and we’re sitting on a soccer field shivering at sunset on a Friday night. 95 to us is like 65 to them, am I right? Yes, starbucks barista, you better believe I’m taking that PSL – – Pumpkin Spice Latte for those of you not quite hip to the fall lingo – – piping hot on 63 degree mornings along with my cardigan sweater, infinity scarf and yoga pants. IT IS FALL time – – seriously, we survived another summer – – we all deserve some sort of medal for sure.
And ya’ll know what that means right? Time to visit some kick arse fall festivals and get your hay, corn maze and pumpkin gamefaces on! I don’t know about you but the time leading up to Halloween is much more enjoyable now that I have a couple of rugrats. I was never much into Halloween. It just didn’t do anything for me and to be quite honest up until last year, it completely stressed me out.
Now the boys are 5 and are so much fun to do things with. I don’t have to lug around a 35 pound diaper bag, or ask them 25 times during each outing if they have to potty. If they run off, chances are pretty good that they will survive or at least scream if they lose sight of me and/or are approached by creepy strangers.
Anyhow.
This weekend, the husband had a rare Saturday off from work so we decided to venture on down Power Road to check out the opening day of the Vertuccio Farms Fall Festival. We have attended this festival for the past several years and it is, by far, our favorite one in the East Valley. There are tons of things for the kids to do and it is very affordable – – only $8 for admission and kids 3 and younger get in free with a paying adult. You can also bring in one (1) non perishable food item for $1 off or print a coupon from their website.
Saturday was a picture perfect Arizona fall day and we arrived at Vertuccio Farms around 2pm. The boys were so excited and barely let me take any pics as we ventured through the entrance.
Vertuccio’s pumpkins are at the entrance and the boys ran around claiming each and every pumpkin as his favorite. They love “happy Halloween.” We met Cono Vertuccio, the owner of the farm. He was so kind to us (even accepted my request for a photo opp with the kiddos) and the boys loved him.
Some of the boys favorite attractions were awaiting them, including the giant air pillow – think trampoline – the barrel train ride, and the mini corn maze. Some brand spanking new attractions had been added which immediately caught their eye, including a giant tube slide and the rubber duck race.
For the first time ever, our family decided to try out the corn maze. The maze is set up as a whodunnit type of mystery game complete with an app you can load onto your phone. We only made it about 20 minutes in the maze before the turkeys started getting thirsty – – we didn’t bring water bottles with us, rookie mistake – – so we headed out.
And, of course, no trip to the Vertuccio Farms Fall Festival would be complete without picking a pumpkin.
Thank you Cono and Vertuccio Farms for a lovely afternoon! We’ll be back very soon.
Check out Vertuccio Farms on their website and on facebook.
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This post is sponsored by:
The Brett Saks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, hopes to make our Arizona communities safer for bicyclists by teaching adults and children about road safety and mutual respect between drivers and cyclists in fun and engaging ways. We are “Shifting Gears to Saves Lives,” as more than 600 cyclists are lost each year to car-bike accidents. Learn more at gearupaz.org.
