Kid Friendly Hayrides at Hurst Farm - Andover, Connecticut

We’ve been on four fall hayrides this year – that’s a record breaker for us! And let me tell you, there is just something about jigging along in a rocking cart full of hay, pulled by a tractor… it just speaks fall to my heart….

oh, and the kids adore farms and hayrides!

The best hayride by far this year (no offense to the others which were fun too!), was our recent trip to Hurst Farm in Andover, Connecticut.

I’d been told about the hayride at Hurst Farm by several friends, so I somewhat knew what to expect, and the in-person experience lived up to everything I heard.

Imagine your perfectly ideal farmland scene… a long hilly drive flanked by small ponds. Wooden fenced pastures with grazing cattle. Up the hill, a barn-red farm store and brown farmhouse. Chickens scatter as you pull in, and across the way you see a tractor pulling a wagon loaded with hay and happy families.

That’s Hurst Farm! It’s truly a lovely spot.

In the farm store, shelves hold orderly rows of jams and jellies, sauces, salsas, maple syrups, honey, produce, hand-crafted gift items, and candy. We had a delicious time browsing (and buying! I love local honey!)

We purchased tickets for our hayride and let the boys run around the front yard of the store while we waited.

Hurst Family Farm – Kid Friendly Hayrides

The wagon ride was driven by one of the Hurst’s children, and we piled into the wagon bed, loaded with loose, soft, fragrant hay! Definitely a treat from the usual hard straw bales most hayrides use.

We picked one of the coldest and windiest fall days we’ve had so far to ride around outside… fortunately that hay kept us fairly toasty while we were in the wagon.

First, we rode to the big barn out back. The kids got to stopand see the chickens, and then tour the barn filled with old farm equipment. Upstairs, they romped in the hayloft– filled with… yep, mounds of hay!

Back in the wagon, we rode around the farm and out to the turnip patch where we each pulled up a fat purple turnip. Another stretch of riding took us to the cows. They were happy to see us climb out to feed them fresh turnip greens!

Our next stop: the pumpkin patch, where everyone grabbed their choice of small sugar pumpkin to take home!

At the end of our ride, we all trouped into the sugaring house for a cup of hot or cold apple cider and cookies! I hear they have maple sugaring demos in the spring and hope we can stop back with the kids!

Where can I find such a magical hayride?

Only in Connecticut (that I know of!). Sadly, the hayrides at Hurst Farm are done for this season, but mark it on your calendar for next fall, because it’s a trip not to be missed!

Check out this post from Out and About Mom for more details on hayrides at Hurst Farm!