BY KADIE VICK
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — Enjoy food, festivities and fun this fall with Lee County pumpkin patches, festivals and other local events.
The Farm at Rocky Top
The Farm at Rocky Top Pumpkin Patch is open every weekend from Sept. 27 to Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission for children under 23 months is free, for ages two to 64 is $12.50 and for those 65 and older is $8.
“This year we’re introducing what I’m calling carnival road,” said The Farm at Rocky Top Owner Jan Lawrence. “We will have four carnival-type games, which will be $5 a game and everybody gets the prize. It will be the high striker game, which is where you hit the mallet, it sends the weight up and it dings the bell. We will have a court gun game, pop the balloon and a go fishing game.”
Weekends at the pumpkin patch will also include a market, Christmas corner, lawn games, a petting zoo, inflatables, hayrides, a concession stand and more, but Lawrence emphasized that the events are for everyone, not just kids.
“It is not just for kids,” she said. “We have just as many activities for grown-ups as we do for toddlers. Have you seen a grandmama on the hay bale mount before? Yes, we have. What about a grandfather who’s 90 years old doing the math maze? Absolutely, or the Roly Poly. So, we pride ourselves on having something for everybody. We are family-oriented. We want people to come out here and spend hours.”
The Farm at Rocky Top is located at 2910 Lee Road 145, Salem. For more information, visit www.thefarmatrockytop.com.
Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch
The Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch is open various days throughout the week, but primarily Wednesdays through Fridays, with frequent updates on social media. Admission for those ages 2 and older is $5, and children under age 2 can enter for free.
“The Farmer In The Dell Pumpkin Patch in Auburn, AL is proud to offer some of the most educational and enjoyable activities for children and adults,” reads the Farmer in the Dell Website. “We have something for every age, and we’d love to see you come by the pumpkin patch.”
The admission fee includes a hayride, entrance into the flower field and pumpkin patch, playtime with farm animals, entrance into the crop maze and access to the play area.
“Pick your own pumpkins off the vine,” the website states. “We’ve got options of all varying sizes and colors. Come find your favorite. The Hay Bale Play Area has tons of fun, outdoor activities for children to learn from and enjoy. Come hitch a ride on the hay ride and see some of the sites around the pumpkin patch, including the livestock, the patch itself and more. Work your way through our crop maze and see if you can beat your own time getting out.”
The Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch is located at 6500 Lee Rd 137, Auburn. For more information, visit www.auburnpumpkinpatch.com.
Choctafaula Pumpkin Patch
The Choctafaula Pumpkin Patch is open Sept. 27 through Nov. 2 on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. beginning on Oct. 3. For ages 2 to 63, admission is $15, and for ages 65 and up and for those with a valid military ID, it is $13.50.
“Our general admission ticket includes a Safari wagon ride to see a lot of our exotic animals,” said Choctafaula Pumpkin Patch Manager, Savannah Gill. “We have zebras, camels, llamas, giraffes, water buffalo and more that you would see on the wagon ride. We have a large petting zoo area with smaller animals like goats and some of our baby bottle babies. We have our pumpkin patch where we grow our own pumpkins. You can pick them straight from the vine.”
Along with getting to pick a pumpkin from the vine, visitors enjoy inflatable bounce pillows, bouncy houses, tractor races, a corn crib and more. Through purchasing additional tickets, visitors can access a rock wall, a mechanical bull, pony and camel rides and other activities.
“We also have the Choctafaula Cafe, which is there to serve lunch throughout the day,” Gill said. “We have hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, funnel fries and nachos. We have popsicles and all sorts of things. At the cafe, we serve Coke products. And then we also have the Choctafaula watering hole, which is our bar where we have big TVs, which on football game days, we’ll have the games on and we serve adult beverages like beers and seltzers.”
Choctafaula Pumpkin Patch is located at 929 County Road 14 in Auburn. For more information, visit www.visitchoctafaula.com/pumpkin-patch.
Auburn’s Oktoberfest
Auburn’s Oktoberfest returns to the plains with a Friday Night Beer Dinner on Oct. 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and the Oktoberfest event on Oct. 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, but a variety of other packages are available as well.
“AU Oktoberfest hosts some of the best breweries in the country,” The Auburn Oktoberfest website reads. “Come try brews from more than a dozen homebrewers. From the crowd favorite stein hoisting competition to wiener dog races, Mr. and Miss Oktoberfest competition and more, there’s something for everyone at Oktoberfest. From live music to all the best college football games streamed live, there’s no shortage of entertainment at AU Oktoberfest.”
Auburn’s Oktoberfest is located at 925 Camp Auburn Road, Auburn. For more information, visit www.auoktoberfest.com.
Art Harvest Exhibition
Artists Harvest Exhibition is located at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center. The exhibition will be on display starting Oct. 1 and closing on Nov. 4. There will also be a reception and market on Oct. 9, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the JDCAC Art Gallery II and Ceramics Studio Patio.
“In our Gallery 2 space, we will be showcasing autumn and Halloween-themed works by talented local artists,” said Art Education Specialist for the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation, Emillie Dombrowski. “This show has everything from scenic fall landscapes to imaginative pieces that capture the season’s mystery. Last but not least, out on our patio, which was recently upgraded with beautiful bistro lights — local artists will sell their handmade fall and spooky themed art, from spooky décor items for your home to wearable art.”
The Art Harvest Exhibition will be located at 222 E. Drake Ave, in Auburn. For more information, visit www.aotourism.com/event/artist-harvest-exhibition/3170.
Opelika Fall Festival
Visit the Opelika Fall Festival on Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. in Downtown Opelika. For those interested in participating as a vendor, contact the Opelika Fall Festival Founder and Host Alexis Meniefield at (334) 740-5374.
“The Opelika Fall Festival was created to give small businesses the opportunity to come out and network, meet new people and market,” Meniefield said. “So we purchased pumpkins, paint and carving kits, where families, adults and children can come and get free pumpkins. They just stop by, grab whichever pumpkin they like and we have it set up out there on the grass where the families can sit over there and they can paint or carve and just enjoy themselves with no time limit, no age limit. Vendor-wise, we have a lot of arts and crafts. We have baked goods, homemade jewelry and more.”
There is no cost to enter the Opelika Fall Festival. For more information, visit www.aotourism.com/event/opelikas-3rd-annual-fall-festival/3309.
Other events
- Oct. 4 — Chewacla State Park Craftoween: Autumn Tote Bag and Hand Stitching Workshop
- Oct. 4 — Spring Villa Park Haunted Buck Archery Shoot
- Oct. 10 — Kreher Preserve and Nature Center Halloween Enchanted Forest
- Oct. 12 — 1856
Culinary Residence Harry Potter Tea on Thatch - Oct. 16 — Monkey Park Erie Express in Opelika
- Oct. 18 — Pope’s Haunted Farm
- Oct. 21 — Lee County Sheriff’s Office Trunk- Or-Treat
- Oct. 24 — Opelika Haunted Walking Tours/Auburn Haunted Walking Tours
- Oct. 24 — Sleepy
Hallow Haunted Farm - Oct. 26 — New Relm Brewing Company
Howl-O-Ween
