Weekday Fall Activities to Do with Kids

I recently shared my Fall Bucket List for 2022 with a free printable and a bunch of activities in Bucks County and the surrounding areas. If you haven’t read it yet, go check it out HERE! I thought I’d go a step further though and make a blog post full of local (and semi-local) activities that you can do on weekdays this fall. My son started Kindergarten this year and my weekday adventures with both my kids is one of the things I miss most. Getting out of the house during the week allows us to enjoy smaller crowds, often lower prices, and we just DO better when we’re not home all day! So if you have little ones that are home during the week, this is the list for you. (Some events also go later than the school day, so you could even surprise your child with a fun afternoon outing!)

Farms with Weekday Activities

Hellerick’s Family Farm

5500 N. Easton Road, Doylestown

Hellerick’s Farm offers over 40 activities included in their Adventure Farm tickets. There’s a hay ride, corn mazes, hay bale slides, playground areas, pumpkin racing, huge slides, and more. (My daughter’s personal favorite is the corn barn, which is basically a little playhouse filled with corn kernels and horse toys.) They’re a popular weekend spot this time of year, but Hellerick’s is also open during the week from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Last admission is at 5 p.m.) Tickets are $13.99 per person on weekdays. Children under 2 are free.

Shady Brook Farm

931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley

This is our second year having Fall Season Passes to Shady Brook. I love being able to pop over for an hour or so without worrying if we’re “getting our money’s worth.” I highly recommend that you keep an eye out for when they do flash sales in the summer. Otherwise, you can save some money (and avoid crowds) by visiting Shady Brook on a weekday. They’re open Wednesday – Sunday, and tickets are significantly cheaper Wednesday – Friday at $15 per person instead of $20+ on weekends. The basic activities are the same. They just don’t have the live music or bounce houses. But you can still enjoy the hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin/apple/sunflower picking, jumping pillows, pedal go-karts, and more. Last year, the food stands were open during the week, but I noticed you had to get your Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream out by the Market instead of the smaller stand on the Festival Field. (I haven’t gone on a weekday this year yet, but I’ll check on this!)

If you don’t want to do the full Shady Brook FallFest, you can visit the Market area any day of the week with no admission fee. There’s a small playground, Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream and lots of fall goodies in the store.

Styer Orchard

97 Styers Lane, Langhorne

If you’re looking for a farm experience without the frills, head to Styers. You can pick apples or pumpkins, take a hayride, shop their huge variety of pumpkin and squash … and you only pay for what you bring home. Admission and rides are free. This is also a great spot if you want to take some pictures without paying admission like so many of the other farms nearby. Styers is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grab lunch or treats from the Market on your way out.

Winding Brook Farm

3014 Bristol Road, Warrington

You’ll have to wait until the last two weeks in October to visit Winding Brook Farm on a weekday for pumpkin picking. But when that DOES start, you can even pick by flashlight in their front field. This is a great spot if your weekends are packed with sports etc., but you still want to get in a pumpkin picking experience after school. Pumpkin picking is open daily the last 2 weeks in October from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Terhune Orchards

330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton

We went to Terhune for apple picking in early September, and my son’s been asking to go back. I think it’s kind of funny since we live a LOT closer to Styers and Shady Brook, but he specifically wants to play in the tractor/playhouse playground and see the 3 cats and 2 dogs he saw by the market. Honestly, I’d go back JUST for the frozen apple cider slush and apple cider donuts. While they have live music, pony rides, pumpkin painting and more on the weekends, you CAN visit for pumpkin/apple picking, visit the market and see the animals and play area during the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Howell Living History Farm

70 Woodens Lane, Lanbertville

This farm is a new one for us, and I’m so glad we recently gave it a try! It’s open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking is free if you’d just like to take a walk around the beautiful farm and visit with the animals. There are also special programs such as Children’s Storytime (that’s what we went to!) and Preschool Fridays. Preschool Fridays cost $10 per person and the themes vary. It doesn’t appear that the program runs every week, so be sure to visit Facebook and/or the website to check for upcoming events.

Linvilla Orchards

137 W. Knowlton Road, Media

Linvilla’s Pumpkinland is open daily now through November 7. Not ALL of the activities are open on weekdays, but there’s definitely enough to spend several hours there with little ones. You can pick your own apples Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s a train ride that goes around a 1-acre track, hayrides (including Autumn Moon Evening Haryides!), straw bale maze, playground, and more. You purchase tickets for individual activities, so check the website for details.

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm

150 Cherry Hill Road, Ronks

This one is a drive – it’s all the way out in Lancaster County, but we LOVED it when we went on my son’s birthday last October. If you’ve ridden a train from Strasburg Rail Road, you’ve gone past Cherry Crest Adventure Farm. They have more than 60 farm activities including hay chutes, hayrides, a corn barn, pedal carts, pumpkin picking, and more. Ticket prices start at $17.95. They’re open Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Plus, they’re open Wednesday, October 5 and Monday, October 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More Outdoor Destinations

Scarecrows at Peddler’s Village

Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska

Peddler’s Village typically has some additional activities on the weekends, but if you just want to see the scarecrows and enjoy a leisurely walk around the Village, go on a weekday! The stores are typically open until 6 p.m. (8 p.m. on Fridays), so you can shop and eat while you pick out your favorite scarecrow. My kids’ favorite destinations include Clusters popcorn, Nina’s Waffles & Ice Cream and lunch at Buttonwood Grill.

The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place

100 Sesame Road, Langhorne

Sesame Place is a popular weekend destination for families with little kids, but they’re also open Friday evenings this time of year. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, kids can see the Halloween-themed shows and parade, trick or treat and go on some rides.

Morris Arboretum

100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia

During the month of October, Morris Arboretum has their annual Scarecrow Walk. You can walk around the beautiful grounds and vote for your favorite scarecrow displays. Plus, if you visit before October 11, you can also see the Harvest Trains in the Garden Railway display. This area is a big hit with my kids, as is the Fairy Woods where they can build homes for fairies with natural materials, and also the huge nets in the “Out On a Limb” exhibit. Morris Arboretum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children 3-17.

Grounds for Sculpture

80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, NJ

I’ve written and entire post about how much we love Grounds for Sculpture, so I won’t get into too much detail here. (Go read THIS POST for more AND a free printable scavenger hunt!) It’s a gorgeous place to take a walk with the kids exploring art and nature. Grounds for Sculpture is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except for Tuesdays. You need to purchase time tickets online. Kids 5 and under are free. And you can often get free passes at your local library!

Longwood Gardens

1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square

Longwood Gardens is a popular Christmas spot and it’s always beautiful in the spring and summer, but don’t forget that you can go in the fall, too! We actually spent Henry’s first birthday at Longwood Gardens. The colors are gorgeous, it’s not too hot or cold walking around, and they have a really cute kids area. Plus, we’re always all about the train displays! The Garden Railway with Thomas and his friends opens on October 1 and remains open until the beginning of January. There’s also a Pumpkin Playground from October 7 through Halloween. Longwood Gardens is open every day except Tuesday.

Churchville Nature Center

501 Churchville Lane, Churchville

Take a walk, play on the recycled material playground, and see the animals at the Visitor Center. Churchville Nature Center’s Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Monday. The trails are open daily from sun up to sundown.

Silver Lake Nature Center

1306 Bath Road, Bristol

Similar to the above Churchville Nature Center, Silver Lake has trails for exploring, a Visitors Center with educational displays and a few animals. It’s also right next to (you just verge off from the one path) Silver Lake Playground. Plus, the relatively new playground at the Bristol Community Center is just down the road if you want to visit two spots. Silver Lake offers afterschool nature classes and a homeschool enrichment series. The Visitors Center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Other Activities

Stories and Play at the Library

We love visiting libraries, and we can basically fill up an entire day focused around our library visit. We’ll start our day at the library, then visit a playground nearby if possible. (Langhorne, Bensalem and Yardley all have libraries either within the same parking lot of less than a minute drive.) And then, of course, we’ll have new books and sometimes DVDs that we borrowed. All of the Bucks County Free Library Branches offer storytime events that last about 30 minutes. Many of them are weekday mornings, and there are even a few at 6:30 p.m. (At least for now, I imagine that’ll change as it starts getting darker!) We also love the play areas at many of the areas. And now that Penn’s Little Village (Langhorne) and Career Corner (Yardley) are open again, you can really spend a good amount of time playing!

Find out more about the different library locations in THIS POST.

Go to a Playground

You know I can’t have a list and NOT includes playgrounds! (Well, until it gets TOO Cold at least.) We go to a playground at LEAST once a week. I either plan our entire day around it, packing a lunch etc. Or, we fit it in based on a library we’re planning to visit, errands we’re running … whether we go for 30 finds or 3 hours, we find ourselves at playgrounds. If you want to find some new playgrounds to explore, visit my Guide to Playgrounds.

Play (and do a fall craft) at Playpad Bucks

860 Town Center Drive, Langhorne

Playpad is a great little indoor play spot for toddlers and children up to about 7. They’re open every day of the week, but I’d especially suggest going on a Tuesday for storytime or on a Friday where they have a free craft that’s included with the regular admission. They posted their lineup of upcoming crafts on Facebook, and they have a lot of cute fall/Halloween ones coming up. If you want to read my complete review of Playpad with lots of pics and descriptions of each area, read THIS POST.

Make a LEGO Pumpkin and Other Fun at LEGOLand Discovery Center

Now through October 31, you can visit LEGOLand Discovery Center in Plymouth Meeting Mall for their Brick or Treat Halloween festivities. Create a LEGO pumpkin and add it to the pumpkin patch. Find the scary scenes in the Miniland scavenger hunt, and more. There’s even a new 4D Halloween-themed movie. To read all about our visit to LEGOLand, read THIS POST. The Discovery Center is open every day except Wednesday. It opens at 11 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday – Sunday. It closes at 5 p.m.

Get a Free Pre-K Pass for the Adventure Aquarium

Sign up for the FREE Pre-K Kid’s Pass at the Adventure Aquarium and receive free admission for your children between the ages of 2 and 5 for the entire year. As a heads-up, you sign up for the pass on the website, but you then need to visit the aquarium with your child and proof of birthdate before October 30 to activate the pass. They even have special “Pre-K Playdates” on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at noon with a storytime, special animal close-up and Pre-K parade.

Additional Favorites

We love visiting Bucks County Children’s Museum and then watching the trains at the New Hope Station. (The museum is open every day except Monday.)

We also enjoy Altitude in Feasterville. Before visiting, I always check Groupon for deals. (With coupons, I even got 1 hour of jump time for $1 over the summer!) And you can also take advantage of Junior Jump in the mornings.