Fall Fun in Charlotte, NC!

By Guest Blogger Sarah Sofia Knepp
I’m thrilled to be guest posting today for Katie, at MomFavorites.com! As a wedding and event planner and stylist I usually blog about my events, entertaining and décor tips.  However, this post allows me to step out of my normal comfort blogging zone and share my personal life with y’all!

The beginning of a new school year has become the unofficial welcome of fall for many of us.  The smells of pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, and spice fill the air and we welcome the crisp mornings and chilly nights.

Charlotte offers a variety of fall fun from apple picking, to pumpkin picking, to hay rides and animal petting farms, to hiking trails.  As a native Ohioan living in Charlotte I miss the apple picking days of my childhood.  However, just outside of Charlotte there is one apple picking farm that is perfect for a Saturday morning activity with the family.

Must See Attractions for Fall Fun in Charlotte, NC!

Carrigan Farms, just outside of Charlotte in Mooresville, is the best place in the area to go apple picking.  However, unlike other areas in the country, apple picking season in the Charlotte area is very short, August 31-End of September.  Once October hits it’s all about pumpkin picking here!

Sometimes you just want to go get a pumpkin, a photo op with the kids and maybe pet some animals. Hall Family Farm, in South Charlotte, is the perfect fit for a short visit.  We have been a few times with friends and the grandparents, and everyone came away happy! It’s easy because the pumpkins are already picked and young kids can walk around and get their own pumpkin.  Hayrides are also offered for $3 ages 3 and up (under 3 is free), which will take you down to the farm to view the animals.

Our family favorite for pumpkin picking is Hodges Farm in North Charlotte.  There are several activities for all ages and this farm actual has a real pumpkin patch!  Last year I planned a day at Hodges Farm with Sofia’s friends from preschool and their parents.  It was perfect for their age group and for our newborn daughter Charlotte!  There are lots of activities to keep them busy from picking your own pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, to the farm animals and the corn maze that are free.  We also enjoyed the bounce house and hayride for a small fee.

Hodges Farm also offers pony rides on the weekends. Did I mention that this farm has the most beautiful sunflowers?!

On our list this is year is Aw Shucks! Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Monroe, NC. We’ve been wanting to check it out, but with our girls being so young and hours of operation are weekends only, it was difficult to get there in the years past.

A gerneal admission fee of $8 allows you to particiapte in the following activites:

• Corn Maze
• Hayrides
• Animal Brn
• Grain Bin Slide
• 1800s Train Car
• Kid’s Play Area
• Tumbleweed Roll
• Horseshoe and Corn Hole
• Kiddie Corral (ages 5 and under)

For an additional $5 you can particpate in pony rides, spooky stores and smores, fossil mining, and paddle boat ride. The list goes on and on. Here’s a map of all the fall fun happening at Aw Shucks! Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

If you’ve hit up all the farms in and around Charlotte and are all pumpkin spiced out. Don’t forget about all the beautiful trails in and around Charlotte!

We love to venture on the Charlotte Greenway on the weekends! Did you know there are currently 37 miles of developed and 150 miles of undeveloped greenways in Mecklenburg County?

What’s great about the Charlotte Greenway is that it provides a scenic alternative to your neighborhood to walk, hike or bike.  Part of the greenway goes through parks, one of our favorite spots is Freedom Park, and walking the greenway towards Uptown!

Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, SC is also beautiful and just a few miles from Charlotte.
Our other favorite place to venture in the fall is Grandfather Mountain in Linville, NC. If you enjoy hiking like we do, Grandfather Mountain is an hour and half drive from Charlotte and won’t disappoint!  While hiking on Grandfather Mountain and the surrounding highland area is beautiful all year around, fall is the prime to go with the fall foliage.

The best time to go is in the morning during peak season in the mountains when the temperatures have dropped to get those beautiful fall colors in the foliage! Just been mindful that there will be traffic and long line up to the entrance of Grandfather Mountain and to plan accordingly.

Remember, the trees begin to change in the mountains before they change in Charlotte, and you can miss the window of opportunity if you hit it too late in the fall season.  Even pregnant with my second daughter, we were able to enjoy one of the trials up the mountain!  Don’t forget to reward yourself after your hike with a hot chocolate and fudge at the Fudge Shop!  Besdies hiking, Grandfather Mountain also offers a Nature Museum and Wildlife Habitats where you can spot up close cougars, eagles, and black bears.

On your way back to Charlotte, stop in Bowling Rock and grab a bite to eat in this charming town.

Hiking or not, don’t miss out on Tweetsie Railroad, the Wild West kids theme park, between Boone and Bowling Rock.  Open weekends thru Novemeber 2.

Happy Fall Y’all!

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Sarah Sofia Productions is your premiere wedding and event planning and styling resource based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sarah Sofia Productions is committed to making your vision a reality with our experience, attention to detail, and innovative ideas! Our clients are our priority and it is our goal to set the stage for your event from A to Z, by creating the dream wedding or memorable event.

Additionally, Sarah is an interior designer at heart! She is always working on the next design project and participated in One Room Challenge in spring of 2014 hosted by Linda, Calling It Home. Sarah enjoys styling her home and finding vintage pieces to add to her home décor.  Follow Sarah Sofia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest