Shooting Corn Out Of A Cannon And Other Fall Fun!

Fall is my favorite season of the year.  I absolutely love it!  Last year at this time we were in the process of moving from Montgomery, AL to Pensacola, FL.  Instead of enjoying the pumpkin patches and taking outdoor nature walks, my family was packing and unpacking boxes.  We also lived in a tiny hotel room for six weeks - the entire month of October up until a week before Thanksgiving.  Therefore, I felt quite robbed of my autumn harvest expeditions last year.

This year I intend to make the most of it and not miss out on anything!  I've been seeking out several excursions to do for October - a haunted tour, a corn maze, pumpkin farm, cheese farm, peanut farm, bird trails, bike riding, outdoor walks and much more!  I hope to spend each weekend doing something new with my family. 

We kicked off this weekend with a visit to a corn maze in Elberta, Alabama, which is less than thirty minutes from my home.  This family-run seasonal event included a corn maze, a hay maze, a wagon ride, pumpkin patch, corn cannons, a small playground area for kids and more!  The entire property was 80 acres but we only witnessed a few acres of this family's estate.



A visit to a corn maze in Elberta, Alabama    



Walking through the corn fields' winding path


Sadly, we did not master the corn maze even after attempting four different routes.  The corn kicked our butts, I guess you could say.  Although the crops were not very thick and you could see outside the maze, I did find the trail a little bit scary.  You hear lots of rustling sounds being surrounded by all that corn.  I kept waiting for some evil child to jump out and frighten us.  Or I thought an entire baseball team might be lurking behind the crops.  Lol.   At least we can say we experienced the winding paths.

Vivian's grandparents (my folks) - Buddy and Mia came with us to the corn maze.  Viv loves having them around and all the attention they give her.


Vivian with her Buddy and Mia at the corn maze.


This corn maze also had a separate pumpkin patch area.  They had traditional orange pumpkins and even plain white (albino-looking) pumpkins that the farmer said is quite popular.  Patrons like to paint the white ones and turn them into artistic works of art. 



Viva the Diva sits in the midst of the pumpkin patch.


The farm had two dogs running around that Vivian chased after.  She also had the opportunity to pet several farm animals, including a few goats, ponies and calves. 

Kirk (and my dad)'s favorite part at the corn maze was a corn cannon.  That's right!  A cannon used to shoot corn at targets.  The owners had three cannons of varying sizes that you can stuff corn down and pull the trigger.  If you hit the designated target with your corn, then you win a free t-shirt.  None of us hit the bullseye but we all came close!   Kirk really had a good time using the cannon.  The farmer told us how we can make our own cannon using parts from a hardware store.  I think I know what Kirk wants for Christmas now!  Lol.  Although instead of corn, I can picture him shooting off peanut shells and empty beer cans.  ;-)



Kirk takes his aim with the corn cannon!  He got very close to hitting the target.


All in all, Saturday was a great day for a family outing.  The weather was perfect - sunny with highs in the upper 70's and lower 80's.  Humidity was low.  You could not ask for better conditions.  I really love that our family makes it a point to visit these kind of events.  Fall is such a great time to do some exploring! 



Our family at the corn maze - Kirk, Vivian and Mandy enjoy the fall festivities!

After our visit to the corn maze, we drove to a cheese farm nearby.  Actually, it was more of a family-run cheese shop.  A husband-wife team sells their homemade cheese varieties right on their property.  Our mouths watered over the samples we ate - gouda, sharp, garlic, cajun-spiced and bleu cheese.    We left the store with a 1/2 pound of gouda, a 1/2 pound of cajun-spiced and one hunk of chocolate pecan fudge cheese.

We then stumbled upon a unique barbecue restaurant just a few miles from the cheese farm.  So of course we HAD to stop in for brisket, beef sandwiches and fried chicken tenders.  The sweet tea washed it all down nicely for me.  What a deliciously fun day we had! 

I can't wait to do other interesting activities this month.   It's going to be a great October.  I can't wait to play tourist! 

Also, the biggest event this month is yet to come..... On October 29th when the Diva turns three years old.  We're already doing some early celebrating with different family members.  On Friday we had a little cake party for Viv with her grandparents.  She's one lucky little girl, that's for sure!


Viv has a slice of early birthday cake with her Buddy and Mia.


What fun things are you planning for this October?  What do you enjoy about fall time?