The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown, RI

I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts, right between Boston and Cape Cod and my parents and sister’s family still live there. Now living in southwestern Connecticut with my family, we’re always looking for places off Interstate 95 to meet for the day. Westerly, Rhode Island is exactly halfway between our home towns and we’ve found fun things to do in Westerly- look for a post soon on Westerly through the seasons.

However, this past week we wanted to try something new. I had bookmarked my friend Sarah’s CTinStyle blog post on The Farmer’s Daughter, a garden center, in nearby South Kingstown, Rhode Island last year. I remember Sarah describing the beautiful displays, impressive selection, and attention to detail. I checked The Farmer’s Daughter’s website, and when I saw the promise of lots of family centered fun, it was a done deal.

The Farmer’s Daughter is located on Route 1 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. It’s a good 15 minute drive off I-95 from either direction, but it’s a scenic country drive. They have expanded their parking options to accommodate the ever growing crowds, especially on the weekend. The center opens at 9am, and when my family arrived at 9:45am it was quiet and we had the place to ourselves, except for people stopping for produce. Yet, by noon, it was packed with lots of visitors. We spent about two and half hours at the farm and it was a perfect amount of time. While I noticed port a potties in the parking lot, when I inquired, a very nice staff member showed me to a much cleaner bathroom towards the back of the property. Every employee we met or engaged was welcoming, helpful, and great with the children.

We spent some time exploring the beautiful post and beam gift shop, farmer’s stand, and greenhouses filled with flowers, plants, and various home decor items. They sell trees; various plants, annuals and perennials; fruits and  vegetable; and rows and rows of pumpkins and gourds.

Our children thought the displays were “pretty and sparkly” (my daughter is drawn to anything sparkly) but they were eager to get to the wide variety of child friendly activities. Visitors pay for most things individually, so bring cash; however the farm stand and gift shop do accept credit cards and will give cash reimbursement for the activities. Make sure you check out:

• Complimentary hay ride around the property (they’re even nice enough to cover the bales of hay with burlap)
• Pony Rides on “Paints with Numbers” and a chance to pet the center’s goats.
• The Corn Maze: We made it a family competition and Grandma and my son hold the title for the year. There is also a Pumpkin Maze and a Straw Bale Maze, both perfect for toddlers. 
• The pumpkin slingshot
• Face painting, pumpkin painting, and scarecrow making stations: There are wonderfully patient and friendly staff on hand to help.
• The barrel train (with individual plastic barrels) that will take kids around the main area (and you can walk along side any hesitant toddles.)
• The Pumpkin Arcade: Our kids loved the various activities from the pumpkin dunk tank (stand back- you will get wet!) to fishing for ducks to the pumpkin bowling to the bean bag toss.

The Farmer’s Daughter opens for the season mid March and stays open through the Christmas holiday. They offer cut- your-own tree and wreath marking classes for the holidays, as well as many other classes and celebratory events throughout the season. Check the website for more information.