A wishing well beckons visitors to Sunshine Farms Mulberry Creek Homestead

You don’t have to travel outside of Chilton County to have a fun family weekend this fall. There are plenty of choices, no matter what your age or taste.

Following are a few examples of fall-themed activities and events scheduled for the coming weeks throughout the county:

Halloween on the Farm

If your fall plans include a good scare, then Halloween on the Farm at Burnette Farms in Thorsby may be the place for you. The haunted warehouse — easily identifiable by the hearse outside with flashing lights — is growing in both size and popularity each year.

Opening night is this Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7:30.

“We’re excited about the new addition totaling more than 20,000 square feet,” co-owner Mary Charles Burnette said. “We have more live actors and more live animatronics than before.”

Grotesque figures, live actors and animatronics are waiting for you in the haunted warehouse at Burnette Farms.

Burnette and her husband, Mike, started the attraction four years ago and have added to it every year. Crowds have averaged between 200-250. The Burnettes welcome anyone to the haunted house but recommend it for kids age 13 and up.

Dates are Saturday, Oct. 9; Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15-16; Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23; and Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 28-30 at 7:30 each night.

Burnette Farms is located off U.S. Highway 31 just south of the Thorsby welcome sign, and may be reached at 205-294-1522 or halloweenonthefarm.net. The property is available for bonfires and may be reserved for group gatherings.

Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch

If haunted houses aren’t your thing, check out Alabama’s Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch on Alabama Highway 145.

The Pumpkin Patch is open from Sept. 27 through Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. until dark Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. until dark on Sundays.

The Patch was started 10 years ago by Bobby and Frances Payton and their daughter, Julie, and is now owned and operated by Steve Smith and Alice Jones.

Kids’ activities include the pumpkin patch, hay maze, hay pyramid, inflatable amusement park, pony rides, petting zoo, a ride on the “Twactor Twain” and helicopter rides (weather permitting). There are also real-life Native American teepees and an education program about the Plains Indians put on by Wilson Spottedbird.

The Pumpkin Patch also hosts gospel music concerts on Sundays and country music concerts on Saturdays, as well as cooking demos from some of the top chefs in the Birmingham area. Bonnie’s Pie House serves fried pies, and Sweet

Alice’s is known for its barbecue. Also, the Red Barn Gift Shop offers a variety of goodies.

For more information, call 205-755-4553 or visit alabamagrandolepumpkinpatch.com.

Mulberry Creek Homestead

Mulberry Creek Homestead, operated by Sunshine Farms, is located off Alabama Highway 191 between Maplesville and Jemison. While they gear mostly toward school field trips, they are open to the public on weekends in October.

The 300-acre facility is scheduled to open Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 24 from 1-5 p.m.; or Saturday, Oct. 30 from 9-5.

Activities include a wagon ride, U-Pick pumpkin field, corn maze, petting zoo, inflatable rides, digging for arrowheads and more. At the red barn, kids can learn where their favorite foods come from and even try their hand at milking a cow.

The Homestead also has a concession stand and country store. For more information, call 755-8661 or visit sunshinefarms.com.

Steve Smith and Alice Jones have a seat in the Twactor Twain at the Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch