3 family-friendly fall activities on Long Island
The audiance watches a 1,000 pound pumpkin being weighed during the giant pumpkin weigh-off contest held at Hicks Nursery in Westbury. Credit: Steve Pfost
This fall brings a new animated story for Otto the Ghost at Hicks Nurseries and cheesecake and apple pie in a jar at the Jericho Cider Mill. Here are the details.
Conquer the hay maze at Hicks Nurseries
100 Jericho Tpke., Westbury; 516-334-0066, hicksnurseries.com
Otto the Ghost at the Hicks Nurseries in Westbury. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
The Hicks Fall Festival runs weekends and school holidays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 27. A pay-one-price bracelet costs $25 per child and includes unlimited hay maze access, a sand-art activity and one flowering mum and pot decorating activity. Decorating a pumpkin with stickers is also included. Individuals can enter the hay maze for $8; children 2 and under are free. The hay maze also will be open daily.
Free fall events include The Great Pumpkin Weigh-off competition, which happens on Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. for entries and 11 a.m. for judging. "We encourage all Long Island home pumpkin growers to bring their pumpkins, no matter what size, to be weighed and judged in front of our audience," says Karen Musgrave, Hicks marketing coordinator. "The largest pumpkin wins." In the past, some pumpkins have clocked in above 1,000 pounds, Musgrave says, and had to be lifted to the scale by the farm’s forklift.
In addition, Hicks will host its free annual pet parade at 5 p.m. Oct. 16. Participants are welcome to bring their dogs, cats, fish and birds dressed in costume for the parade and take a photo with Otto the Ghost. Hicks is requesting pet food or accessories for Baxter's Pet Pantry.
Otto the Ghost will be featured in a new, as-yet-untitled animated story. Visitors can experience Otto’s walk-through story daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. though Oct. 27; visiting is free but the nursery is requesting nonperishable food items for Long Island Cares. To take a picture with a friendly Otto, come on weekends, Rosh Hashanah or Columbus Day between 10 a.m. and noon or from 1 to 4 p.m. through Oct. 27.
Try cider doughnuts at Jericho Cider Mill
213 Rte. 106, Jericho; 516-433-3360, jerichocider.com
A gallon of fresh pressed apple cider at Jericho Cider Mill. Credit: Alejandra Villa Loarca
New this year, the cider mill is selling cheesecakes and apple pie in jars for $8 each. "It's a jar that has cheesecake in it with strawberry syrup and strawberries. The apple pie jar has apple pie crust, apples and crumb cake crumbs," says Ted Ketsoglou, owner.
"Those have taken off. That's just been a huge hit," he says.
The cider mill also, of course, sell apple cider doughnuts, a fall favorite. Last year it tried selling cider doughnut ice cream sandwiches but has discontinued them this year.
Jericho Cider Mill is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Play games at Waterdrinker North Fork
4560 Sound Ave., Riverhead; 631-878-8653, water-drinker.com
From left, Michael Famiglietti Sr., of East Islip, helps his son Michael Jr. shoot hoops at Waterdrinker in Riverhead last September. Lucretia Matzuy and her son, Thiago, 3, of Riverhead, race around the farm's track. Credit: John Paraskevas
Waterdrinker is in its second year at the Riverhead location, says Waterdrinker manager Marc Weiss. "We’ll have our haunted corn maze; we’ll have a playground; we’ll have pumpkin picking," he says. Activity Alley will offer jump pads, giant basketball hoops, a John Deere tractor and Noah’s Ark play sculpture. There are also pedal carts, a mini golf course and a pirate-themed corn maze.
The Manorville location, incidentally, has its own corn maze called The Tulip Tunnel of Terror, a reference to Waterdrinker’s annual Tulip Festival at that location. "Some ghosts unfortunately took over the tunnel," he says.
Entry to the Manorville location (663 Wading River Rd.) will be $20 per person for ages 2 and older; entry cost for the Riverhead location is $15 per person for ages 2 and older, Weiss says. Food will be for additional fee, as will pumpkins and sunflower stalks, he says.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
