Wickham Farms

In the fall of 2008, we had been in the Rochester, NY area for a little over a year and we wanted to take our son (then, not quite a year and a half) pumpkin picking. My ROCpoppa's co-worker recommended a place in Penfield called Wickham Farms, so we decided to check it out. Four years later, and we are now taking both of our sons there, year round.

Wickham Farms has become part of our regular rotation of family field trips. We can play a round of miniature golf, visit some farm animals, sit on a tractor, dig in a huge sandbox, bounce on the jumping pillow, climb on the playground, and get some ice cream. There are even batting cages, but I'm holding out a bit longer before they can try those out.

Tuesday is a great day to visit since miniature golf is $2 per player ($2 for TWO-sday; normally $5 per person), plus you get double punches on both the ice cream and the golf/jumping pillow frequent buyer cards. Not bad. There are other specials available too.

There are 18 holes on the mini golf course, and each one has a little obstacle to it. But they are all easy enough that the kids won't get frustrated. Along the way, you'll also pass the chickens and goats, which always provides some entertainment. Then the final hole looks like a chicken coop, which is kind of fun in itself.

After our 18 holes, the kids usually want to bounce on the jumping pillow for a bit ($5 each; if your child is under 5, you pay their age). Shoes must be removed, and I strongly recommend socks. The jumping pillow can get hot in the sun, and burn those little tootsies*. The nice thing about the jumping pillow is that you get a bracelet after paying, so the kids can go on and off as often as they'd like during your visit.

*UPDATE: If your kids are not wearing socks when you visit, and they'd like to try out the jumping pillow, you can purchase socks in a variety of sizes in the barn.

If you wander around a bit, you'll notice a cow that the kids can "milk" (it's just water, but it's still fun), a tractor to sit on, some photo-opp stands, and a bunny garden. There is also a playground with two climbing walls, two slides, a bridge, and more. The playground is available free of charge. Another freebie is the huge sandbox. We usually bring some pails, shovels, and trucks with us, or you can rent a tractor there for $2 each.

Inside is a cute shop where you can buy honey, cheese, pancake mix, syrup, salad dressing, salsa, spices, and random trinkets. Seasonally, they also sell plants and flowers. If you're hungry, their menu includes pizza, sandwiches, sweet potato fries, and ice cream.

During the fall, Wickham Farms also features a kiddie train ride, a corn maze, tractor ride, an "apple orchard" just for kids to pick, and a carved pumpkin display.

Wickham Farms is located at 1821 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road, Penfield, NY (right next to the Eastside YMCA). The entire farm is stroller-friendly, and the restroom inside the barn has a diaper changing table. There are two outhouses by the miniature golf course (with running water!), but they do not have diaper changing tables in either one. While there are lots of options on the menu, you may also bring your own food as long as you enjoy it outside the barn.

Next time you're looking for something to do with the kids, make your way to Penfield and give Wickham Farms a try. Don't forget to Post a Comment and let us know about your experience.

As always, thanks for reading!

5 Reasons to Love Perinton Park

Perinton Park is my favorite park in the ROC area and it was introduced to me by my fellow ROCmomma Corie. It is located at 99 O'Connor Road, Fairport, NY (at Fairport Road & O'Connor Road). There are so many reasons why it's my favorite, where do I begin?

First, it is one of the few playgrounds in the shade. Huge trees surround the play structures so they don't get scorching hot, and we stay cooler as well. We've been to plenty of playgrounds where the equipment was so hot, we couldn't even stay to play.

Second, below the play equipment is sand, rather than wood chips or gravel. My kids love to dig so we usually bring a few pails, shovels, and plastic trucks. I've learned to bring extras, because other kids always want to join us. One tip: label your sand toys with your last name using permanent marker. Sometimes a borrowed toy will inadvertently end up in another part of the playground, and this makes it easy to claim it back.

Third, there are three different sections to the playground structures. There is a larger, higher section for bigger kids, a medium section...

...and even a lower, smaller section for little ones. There is a yellow slide behind my son in the picture below that has such a low incline, even a tiny tot can slide down.

There are also rocking toys (pictured below) and swings - baby swings, regular swings, and one swing for children with special needs.

The fourth reason why Perinton Park is my favorite is the Erie Canal. We usually bring our big red wagon (we used to bring the stroller; the park is definitely stroller friendly) and once the kids are tired of the playground, we walk past the basketball courts and up to the Erie Canal path. Your kids will have fun counting the ducks, boats, and kayaks. Plus it's a really pretty walk.

Another thing we love about Perinton Park is the train tracks. When you get up to the Erie Canal path, if you walk to the left, you just might see a train. There are a couple of spots where the tracks are visible right from the path. Or, when you're ready to leave, you can turn right out of the parking lot and follow O'Connor Road around the bend, and there are two railroad crossings. On the left by each crossing, there are businesses with large parking lots. We usually trespass for about 15-20 minutes in one of those lots to eat a snack in the car and wait to see a train pass by.

Added bonus: on the other side of Fairport Road, before turning on to O'Connor Road, there is a gas station with a Dunkin Donuts drive-through window. Such easy access if ROCmomma or ROCpoppa needs a tasty beverage before or after the park!

To be fair, I have a few complaints as well. First, there are only about five picnic tables by the playground and people often "claim" them for their entire visit. I have watched families finish their lunch, then leave all their sippy cups and water bottles on the table while they play. They return to the table only when they're ready to pack up and leave, and meanwhile the table has been unused and unusable (is that a word?) for an hour or so. It would be so much nicer if groups could use the table to eat lunch, then pack up and leave their belongings off to the side so that another group might eat their lunch at the table afterward. It just seems like the courteous thing to do, but, ah well.

My other complaint is that there is a bit of a walk to the restroom from the playground. As much as we encourage, "Don't wait til it's too late," we usually end up with wet pants if the restroom is more than a few feet away. If your child waits until they're hopping on one foot before telling you they need the potty, I recommend bringing a couple changes of clothes just in case.

As always, thanks for reading. Be sure to Post a Comment the next time you go to Perinton Park and tell us about your experience.