Looking for a farm to visit this fall? You’ve come to the right place. Happy Day farm has so many activities for the whole family to enjoy.
If old McDonald were to have a farm, this farm would be his. Did that sound cheesy? Lol. I know.
Every year in October, when I look through Facebook or Instagram, I see all of the cute little pictures of my friends who took their families to the farm to go pumpkin picking.
The pictures look so beautifully crafted with clear blue sunny skies. The mom and dad are standing behind their kids, with everyone wearing flannel shirts, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. At the same time, the pumpkins are the perfect shade of orange you could find.
While most people (ordinary people) admire the portrait of the family with the pumpkins, I’m that person that’s looking in the background to see what else there is to do at this farm. Pumpkin picking is okay, but my family goes to the farm and forgets about the pumpkins.
When we (I) are looking for a farm to visit for the fall festival season, the two main things the farm has to have, in our opinion, are lots of activities and a fantastic corn maze.
Fun fact about me:
Every time we visit a place, I love to look up the history to see how the business started.
This farm has a cute little story about a guy who always had an entrepreneurial bug. One day the guy and his 2-year-old daughter rode to the town’s local hardware store to buy pumpkin seeds to plant at home, and the rest is history.
Click here for the full story.
Parking
Once you get to the farm, there is a free parking lot. Try to get to the farm early because the parking lot will fill up fast. That’s not to say you will not find parking. However, the later you arrive at the farm, the further away you will have to park.
Walking to the entrance of the farm can be quite a hike.
Remember where you parked your car so you can easily find it once you’re ready to leave.
Admission
There once was a time when you could purchase tickets at the farm. (That was pre-Covid) Now tickets are purchased online.
This farm has become very popular over the last couple of years so tickets will sell out quickly. I believe tickets are available every Friday on Happy Day farm’s website at 6 a.m. during the fall season.
I set my alarm clock for 5 a.m. one morning, so I would not miss out on tickets. Yes, I did get a chance to book them.
If you live far away, please do not take the chance just to show up, you may not be able to get in, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. One day I was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw a woman post about how she and her family drove 3 hours to visit the farm, and they were sold out.
I don’t want anyone to drive that far just to be turned away. So, please absolutely buy your tickets before you leave your house.
Does Happy Day Farm take credit cards?
Once we got to the farm, many activities were included, which was great. However, there are still certain activities you have to pay for.
Since the farm is cash only, make sure you go to your bank before you arrive. If you don’t have money, don’t worry, there is an atm at the entrance near the ticket booth.
Things to do at Happy Day Farm.
There are so many fun things to do at the farm; you could spend hours at this place. I love going places where I feel like I got my money’s worth.
The first thing my children like to run to is usually the corn maze. I think they do that because you can see the corn maze as soon as you walk through the farm entrance.
Every year, Happy Day Farm cuts out a cute little theme for their corn maze. I’m that “big kid” that waits for them to reveal what the theme will be. I’m always amazed at what they can make out of the cornfield.
Other things to do.
The corn maze is not the only fun thing to do at the farm. There’s a variety of activities for everyone to enjoy.
*Tug of war
*Big Chair (to take pictures)
*Giant Jumper *Corn kernels pit
*Giant Checkers. *Petting zoo
*Giant Jenga *Bouncy horses
*Big Slide *Rebound ball
*mini bowling. *Corn cannon
*Paintball *Rubber ducky race
*Pull the tractor *Hay ride
These are just a few activities Happy Day Farm has. Even after all of these years I still can’t remember everything they have.
My favorite part of the farm is the pig race, and it’s the cutest thing you will ever see. Check the schedule for the races next to the petting zoo. I believe they have the races about 2 or 3 times throughout the day.
The kids and I always bet on which pig will win. I know I’m a horrible mom, teaching my children to bet at such an early age. Don’t worry; there’s no money or prizes exchanged. We just bet on a pig, and once our pig comes in the first place, we say, “I told you my pig was going to win.” That’s the closest reward anyone gets. Bragging rights is enough to satisfy my little ones.
Petting Zoo
The petting zoo has all kinds of cute animals to see. If I remember correctly, there are pigs, cows, goats, sheep, alpacas, and chickens.
Watching the animals is pretty funny because they’re watching you to see if you’re the one who’s going to give them food.
Yes, you can purchase food to feed the animals. There’s a booth at the zoo entrance to buy food.
All of the kids get a kick out of feeding the animals.
* Warning: the animals are in their natural habitat, so you might see them mating.*
Trust me; it gets everyone’s attention in the zoo because there’s always that one child that will point and ask loudly, “What are they doing?” When my kids ask, I tell them that the animals are trying to give each other piggyback rides.
Hey, don’t judge me, it works, and then we do our business. At least I’m better with the answers than their dad is; he usually becomes a deer in the headlights with questions like that.
You know us, moms are used to questions all day long.
Lawn Games
Happy Day Farm also has little lawn games to do while you are waiting for others.
There’s a section with Giant checkers, mini bowling, and Giant Jenga. If you don’t want to play games, there are sitting areas where you can wait and watch people.
People watching might just be one of my favorite things to do no matter where we go.
Food
What fun would it be going somewhere if they didn’t have food? Lol, that’s probably the main reason why I visit half of the places I do. They either have to have food or some food nearby.
Happy Day Farm has a variety of food vendors to choose from. The top choice for most of the people in attendance is the sweet corn on a stick and the lemonade. I’m sad to say I’ve never tried sweet corn on a stick, but I’m going to make it my business to try this year.
They also have fried Oreos, funnel cake, gyros, pizza, chicken kabobs, and much more. Let’s just say; they give you options for the food department.
There’s an eating area with picnic tables close to the food, so you don’t have to worry about going far to find a spot to eat.
Hay Ride
Once you are done with the farm activities, you can now take a hayride to the pumpkin patch.
The line is usually pretty long to get on the hayride, so this is when I tell the children to go to the bathroom before we go.
If I could get it right, I would say you’re standing in line for 20 minutes before it’s your turn to get on.
The hayride also stops at the parking lot once it drops everyone off at the pumpkin patch. We usually skip the pumpkin patch and go straight to the car. Not to say there’s anything wrong with the pumpkin patch; it’s pretty to look at.
Like I said at the beginning of this story, my family is a huge fan of the farm’s activity sections.
Where is Happy Day Farm?
Happy Day Farm is located at:
106 Iron Ord Rd.
Manalapan, NJ 07726
If your family loves outdoor activities, check out my review for a free Christmas Day event, your family will love.
Thank you again for coming along this journey with me and my family. If there’s any place you feel my family would enjoy visiting please tell us in the comments below. You can also put any questions in the comments if there are any questions I have not answered about the farm.
