I haven't really visited a lot of farms since moving to Vermont 12+ years ago, but since my 2-year old daughter has started to show great interest in farm animals lately, I decided it was time to make a trip.

This weekend, we visited Hathaway Farm & Corn Maze, a third-generation Vermont farm, located just north of Rutland, Vermont.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that it was such fun and I just had to tell everybody about this place and why they should visit!

1) Friendly Owners & Staff
As we entered the Farm Store, we were greeted with a smile from Irene and a wag from the farm dog. We arrived just after they opened, and the barn wasn't open yet because they were finishing their morning clean-up. My daughter mainly just wanted to see the animals, so she was a little disappointed at first, but not for long! We were given a ton of information about the corn mazes and other activities to explore, and off we went!

2) Fun Activities
After we crossed the dirt road to the play area, my daughter got excited as she spied all the fun things to do. She immediately flocked to the little "village" setup in the center of the play area, and we had fun playing in the houses. Some activities in the play area were under a tent for sun protection and included lawn chairs for the adults to rest while their little ones have fun, which I thought was a very nice touch. Some of the fun things to do in the play area were a sandbox with toy excavators, a corn pit with shovels & trucks (my daughter's favorite activity in the play area), a Bouncy Cow pasture, some horse-shaped tire swings, John Deere pedal go carts, Duck Races, Corn Toss, Steer Roping, Ladder Ball ... I could go on!

3) Corn Mazes
Unfortunately, as much as I tried to convince my daughter to go in one of the corn mazes, she just wasn't interested. I really would have liked to try at least the little corn maze - Irene mentioned there was a "story walk" in there to read while trying to figure out the maze. The bigger maze (12 acres) sounded like a lot of fun too, but I didn't think my 2 year old was up for it just yet. While in the big maze, you can look for the 8 different hole punches to punch your card and if you find them all, you’re eligible for a raffle drawing. There's also a smartphone game to play while you're solving the big maze - fun!

4) Wagon Ride & Pumpkin Patch
Just before the wagon ride, we visited the "Snack Shack" for a little treat. It's a huge tent with a lot of picnic tables and plenty of choices to eat. We had a couple apple cider donuts - Yum!

One of the highlights of our visit to Hathaway Farm, was definitely the wagon ride & pumpkin patch. We just happened to be visiting on the first day of their "Pick-Your-Own" pumpkin season, so there were a ton of beautiful pumpkins to choose from! The wagon was huge and probably fit 10 families with plenty of room to spare. It was a bumpy ride but that just made my daughter giggle even more. She was very excited to see the pumpkin patch and she got to pick her very first pumpkin! When the wagon stopped to let us pick our pumpkins, we learned that some of them are reserved for a local school - I thought that was a great idea. After we found our pumpkin, we finished the wagon ride all the way around the corn maze and back to the main play area.

5) Clean Grounds & Barn
Our final stop while at Hathaway Farm, was to visit the animals inside the barn. I was really impressed with how many animals they had for us to visit, and with how clean everything looked.

In the barn were goats, sheep, donkeys, a cow, two horses, some giant bunnies, a couple pot-bellied pigs, a guinea pig, and a bunch of chickens - what a variety! In addition to petting the animals, there was also a small pretend barn with toy animals that children could play with.

My daughter had SO much fun that she really didn't want to leave at all ... but alas, it was naptime and we had to head home. I highly recommend Hathaway Farm & Corn Maze to anyone looking to have some great outdoor family fun. I plan on returning soon!