Truth be told, there really are not many places to have a fall and/or Halloween adventure for toddlers on the large swath of the Florida East Coast known as the Treasure Coast.
A few of the choices we decided to visit, are the incredible farm that is Countryside Citrus here in Vero Beach, just North from Vero in Sebastian is the Zoo-like LaPorte Farms and down South in Jensen Beach there is a small but fun pumpkin patch.
All three offer distinctly different experience yet share one main factor in common, getting outside to have some fun with the kids in this beautiful fall weather.
Countryside Citrus
Of all the places we visited, Countryside Citrus was definitely the best. Countryside has endless fall activities to get you in the holiday spirit. From a tractor turned choo-choo train for the kids, to an impressive potato gun turret (which actually shoots corn) to the fabled corn maze, Countryside Citrus should be your fun family adventure destination this fall.
Located just off 58th Avenue in Vero Beach at 6325 81st Street sits Countryside Citrus, this place is the real deal. All of the citrus available for purchase here, on their website and in their catalog is all grown in Indian River Country, few if none of the other fruit catalogs out there can make an awesome claim like that.
By time we arrived at Countryside Citrus just a short while after noon, the farm was a buzz with activity. Kids were running up and down the farm's nature trail, doing some outdoor bowling, running the maze and really just enjoying everything the farm has to offer.
Jake really loved all of the tractors around Countryside
LaPorte Farms
Located at 7700 129th Street in Sebastian, FL, just off Roseland down an old dirt road, lies a hidden gem. Founded in 1994 by Laura Lathero LaPorte, the family owned property includes tons of fun, festive things little ones can do, as well as an incredible rustic Florida atmosphere featuring several incredible buildings .
The farm has a cute little petting zoo area with a zebra, mini horses, donkeys birds, bunnies, turtles, and much more! A large screened-in gazebo houses an impressive butterfly habitat, unfortunately there are no butterflies at the moment.
LaPorte Farms also offers hayrides for three dollars, which was by far jakes favorite part of the day! The farm has a very small pumpkin patch, most all of the pumpkins except for a few gross ones, were left.
Inside of the properties main building, a rustic Florida cracker style lodge, is a very cute little gift shop selling knick knacks, homemade preservatives and jewelry, as well as some snacks drinks. Just outside of the lodge is a really cool and quite large pond, where you can actually fish (pole rentals are available in the gift shop) on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The entire farm is easily accessed by smooth dirt road easily maneuvered with just about any strollers. We all had a great time on the farm and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an awesome Zoo-like Florida farm experience.
Jensen Beach Pumpkin Patch
Jensen beach pumpkin patch was okay, a fun small place to stop off and pick some pumpkins. Plenty of pumpkins to look through to find the perfect one. Filling the wagon with pumpkins was definitely Jakes favorite part of the visit. And yes, Jake is kissing the pumpkin in that photo haha. Definitely not as much to do here but worth a stop if your in the Jensen or Stuart areas.
Time To Carve Some Pumpkins
Our last little fall fun family adventure was of course carving our pumpkins. Jake seriously had a blast getting to help out and carve some pumpkins with his nana.
