Mondays are for dreaming: Fall fun

One thing that has changed for me recently is that both of my children are in school. That means a definite reduction in local day trips, especially since we tend to go away a lot on the weekends. As the fall days turn golden and the summer heat dissipates I find myself feeling a tad wistful for the days when I could spend crisp afternoons wandering with Teddy.

So today I’m dreaming of this time last year when Teddy and I were able to duck away with his preschool friend Molly for an afternoon at Longwood Gardens just outside of Philadelphia, a great fall destination where we admired the fall displays, including a giant cornucopia,

Huge pumpkins carved into cool shapes,

And electric trains running around what has to be the world’s prettiest track.

We also spent a lot of time in the indoor children’s garden, which offers loads of opportunities for water play.

The fountains are fun, but a definite favorite was “painting” the wall with water.

The children’s garden also has a spooky dragon, appropriate for Halloween (Teddy has to be persuaded to dip his brush in this dragon’s mouth in order to paint the wall. His desire to use a big paintbrush overcame his fear.)

Longwood is a great place to visit at any time of year, but I think they really out do themselves in the autumn in terms of fun for kids (trains and giant pumpkins!) and beauty for adults. You can read in more detail about one of our visits here. And if you’re looking for pumpkin patches and spooky places to visit around the United States and possibly the world, I hope you’ll visit the Family Holiday Blog Carnival at Best Family Travel Advice where you’re sure to find lots of other great fall fun posts.

And here’s my bonus for you bloggers out there: today I offer you the chance to participate in not one but two memes. You can share your Monday Dreaming link below, or you can visit Best Family Travel Advice and share your posts about pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and orchards. Or do both – I won’t tell on you. Happy Fall!