Tag Archives: asbury woods

Asbury Woods Scary Creature Feature 2021

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Asbury Woods Scary Creature Feature 2021

We want to start by saying we feel an urgency to bring this event at Asbury Woods in Erie, PA to everyone’s attention, as this is only a 3 day event. If you’re just finding out about it as we post it, you’ve already missed out on one day! So let us highlight one of Asbury Woods Fall events, the Scary Creature Feature!

Location:

The Asbury Woods Scary Creature Feature is located at 4105 Asbury Road, Erie, PA 16506, where the nature center is.

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Property Description:

The majority of this event is held in the woods, so the beauty of Asbury Woods will be surrounding you. You’ll want to keep that in mind, as you’ll be outdoors! Dress accordingly! You will also see the inside of the nature center, which includes a really great display of live animals for you to see.

As we walked from creature to creature, pumpkins lit our path! Each of the pumpkins were carved differently, and our littles loved pointing out the different designs and animals on the pumpkins! You are walking through the woods for most of this, meaning that you will be walking on a dirt path for roughly three quarters of the time that you are there. There are roots sticking up and bumps in the path, but we did have our stroller and found it tolerable to stroll through the event. It took some teamwork at times to get over bumps and down some curbs along the way. And we do have to say, walking through the woods at night with the pumpkins lit up made fore such an awesome atmosphere!

What to Do:

First, you can park your car in one of the numerous spots available to you in the parking lot. After parking, walk towards the nature center. Check in with one of the people waiting at the admission kiosk. You’ll give them your name, and they will verify your time slot. Then, you’ll head back to the area with benches, right in front of the entrance to the nature center. If you’d like, take some pictures of your kids in the Fall decor while you wait!

Once it is your allotted time slot, you’ll follow your guide through the tour. It starts with story time, then continues on to a tour through the woods meeting different creatures that come out at night. Although these creatures are not actual animals, they did a great job keeping the kids engaged and teaching them about the individual animals they were representing. We learned many different facts about several animals including owls, salamanders, spiders, bats, moths, and even skunks! Some asked questions about animals we’ve already seen, or hinted about animals up ahead, making this a very cohesive and interactive experience.

After your tour of creatures through the woods, you will enter a pavilion with a roaring fire place. Inside, you can make a bag full of goodies for woodland creatures at your house, filled with things such as seeds and corn. Our littles were super excited to have the ability to put out food for the chipmunks and birds at home! On the other side of the pavilion is a mad scientist, performing experiments every 15 minutes for the kids to watch. There’s also a huge wall of string lights, which makes for a fun background if you want to grab a picture or two of the kids!

Following our fun in the pavilion, we enjoyed some time in the nature center, looking at all of the real animals inside. We saw a bunny, turtles, frogs, and more!

We also went in the gift shop, which is open during the event. You’ll find a ton of natural products and animal trinkets and plushies, including birds that make real bird sounds when you press their bellies. They also have beautiful hand crafted jewelry, finger puppets, bath cakes, bags, and children’s books, to name a few more of the many items available. We recommend stopping in and looking around! Maybe you’ll find something great and be able to support Asbury Woods in the process!

The whole event was very interactive and entertaining for the kids! They had so much fun! They loved learning about each creature, and were eager to answer questions when asked by the creatures!

Who Can Go:

Bring the whole family to this event! And feel free to bring your kiddos in their Halloween costumes! We saw so many adorable littles walking around in their Halloween costumes, and even some adults!

Final Thoughts:

We had such a great time at this event that brings fun for the whole family! We recommend going, as this is not only super fun for the kids but educational as well!

In 2021, Asbury Woods in Erie, PA is offering the Scary Creature Feature on October 7, 8, and 9 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., with the last time slot at at 7:50. There are several times slots available to attend, which occur every 10 minutes. Fair warning, a lot of them are filled and others are filling rapidly! The price to attend is $9 per person, and kids 2 and under are free. If you’re looking for your chance to go, click here to be directed to their scheduling site! Don’t hesitate! And grab your spot now! Please remember to register before you go; this is not an event where you can just show up! And if you’re reading this too late, we highly recommend putting this in your calendar for next year!

For more Fall fun, click here!

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Asbury Woods in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

Asbury Woods Winter Wonderland

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In order to remain in the holiday spirit, we followed up our trip with the Presque Isle Lights by heading to the Asbury Woods Winter Wonderland. This event was a solid opportunity to actually get out onto the boardwalk of Asbury Woods and see the staged lights they have set up for the crowd.

Location

The location of this event is right inside of Asbury Woods. The address is 4015 Asbury Road in Erie, and the walk itself is entirely outside on the property. The good news is that this entire trip is only about 1/3 of a mile for the path, so this is a simple walk that anyone of any age can enjoy.

Property Description

If you’ve never been to Asbury Woods before, this is a perfect time to go. Winter Wonderland continues at Asbury Woods from December 4th until December 31st (please note, there will be no program on December 24th, or December 25th). It runs from 5:00PM – 8:00PM nightly, and is a very nice walk which is open to the public. The event is free, but donations are accepted on-site. When we went, there was just a bit of snow on the ground and on the boardwalk. However, it was fairly well shoveled which meant we even had the ability to take our stroller through with us.

It is important to note that in most seasons Asbury Woods has more activities going on for their Winter Wonderland, but despite the restrictions of COVID-19, the viewing area is a perfect walk. It’s also important to note that in addition to the social distancing aspect, this event allows individuals to walk around entirely outdoors. You can enjoy the sights while the event continues to follow the guidelines as given by the government.  Currently those guidelines are under than 50 people at one time. However, they are subject to change and the officials at Asbury Woods continue to monitor the number of people on the trail at any time.

What to Do & Who Can Go:

These lights are a great walk through the woods and enjoy nature while also being able to see the lights. It’s a simple walk, but can really be part of the holiday spirit. In a year where not everything has been “normal,” this event is something anyone can enjoy. It’s a great opportunity for couples, individuals, or the whole family. The fact that it’s all on a boardwalk versus on a dirt trail means you can be sure of your footing in the winter elements. Let’s be honest, Erie, PA gets snow and inclement weather, and that means if you want to enjoy the outside you at least will have sure footing.

Final Thoughts:

This is a fun event for the family. The best way to enjoy this holiday is to try and get outside, but the number of opportunities in the winter can be few and far between. That’s all of the more reason for looking at this event as a must-do. You will be outdoors so it might be a great opportunity to meet others from outside of your household while maintaining the social distancing aspect. Or you might just want to take your children or parents out yourself.

One other point to note is that this event can be popular. When we went, we arrived at the Asbury Woods parking lot right as the event was starting, and the lot was full. In fact, some individuals were parking across the street and we were able to pull into one of the last spots. The entire walk only took us about 30 to 40 minutes with little ones who took their time and wanted to see everything, however. And when we left, the parking lot was almost half-way open, which means you shouldn’t have a problem getting into this event quickly and enjoying it before little ones (or you yourself) start to get cold. Bring your camera and enjoy these, because if you enjoy looking at Christmas lights then this is a great opportunity to not only go, but to possibly go multiple times.

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Browns Farm

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It was a great opportunity to go out and see the waves while collecting glass at Avonia Beach. As you know, we have continued to find opportunities to get outdoors and social distance, but also to try and find some shade from the sun. It has been warm over the last few weeks with temperatures easily reaching into the 80’s and 90’s consistently. That’s why we decided to wander around Brown’s Farm in Millcreek, Erie, PA.

Location

Brown’s Farm itself is an interesting place with respect to the location. While the main entrance of Brown’s Farm has the actual barn and a parking lot, the farm itself goes from a field with trails, then connects into woods along Walnut Creek, crosses a bridge, and eventually links up with Asbury Woods. This is a large property and easily one you can wander for hours. The specific location is on Sterrettania Road, across the street from Asbury Elementary School and Walnut Creek Middle School, and just North of Frank’s Farm Market and Bakery.

Property Description:

The property does have a Barn which is used for special events, educational programs, and more. The property also has a strong focus on understanding agriculture, watersheds, and land maintenance. The trails are long as well, as local schools continue to use Brown’s farm as their course for cross country running events. Brown’s Farm also uses the land in conjunction with Asbury woods, where they have multiple trail races and can easily fit a 5-mile-run onto the property.

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Things to do:

The trails themselves are a great item to explore. There is access to Walnut Creek, room to walk, jog, or run, bike, fish, watch birds and look for other wildlife. This is an excellent spot for photography as there are many locations such as hills, bridges, and foliage throughout the property.

The woods also have more hills, while the front of the property is more of a field. This means you can venture as deep as you would like while being able to complete one of many loops or trails, depending on your preferred level of exercise in the day.

Even in the cooler weather Brown’s Farm remains popular, as the fall brings changing of the leaves and bright colors, while the winter allows for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Pets are also welcome here, as numerous dogs are found along the trails. As always, be sure to be responsible for your pet, and remember that dogs must remain on leashes. There is also a dog waste station at Brown’s Farm Barn. A note of warning, Pets are not permitted at festivals or events, and this is just for the safety of all guests as well as pets.

Who Can Go:

The trails are for anyone who wants to go, including pets, as already mentioned. The trails are open year-round during daylight hours, so whether you want to take a morning jog at sunrise, or go for a stroll in the evening, this is a great spot. Be aware that some of the terrain may be more difficult for those who don’t get around as easily. We had to leave the stroller in the car. And, while carrying a little one isn’t too difficult for most of this property, be aware the trails and paths do contain some hills, some roots, and some slightly uneven terrain.

Final Thoughts:

Remember that Erie, PA is in a cool climate. Depending on when you are watching or reading this, we are down to only a couple of weeks left of official summer. The days will get cooler soon, and if you are trying to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine before fall arrives, you really only have another month or two left. With that being said, Brown’s Farm is not just a great place to wander in the late summer, but even as we transition to fall.

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Park Bingo

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We love exploring local parks, so when we found out about Erie County Park Bingo, we gathered up information and wandered some parks so we could let you guys in on the fun!

Park Bingo gives you the opportunity to explore nine different parks in Erie County. These parks include Pleasant Ridge Park, McClelland Park, Eaton Reservation/Bull’s Dam, Lake Erie Community Park, Headwaters Park, 6 Mile Creek Park, Frontier Park, Corry Junction/Greenway Trail, and Asbury Woods at Browns Farm.

Each park you visit of the nine will have a wooden letter tag hanging from a tree near the entrance. All you have to do is take a selfie with each tag and email ALL of them AT ONCE to kcurrier@erieconservation.com by September 30, 2020! If you send them in, you’ll be entered into a raffle of $200 worth of local gift cards! So, let me get this straight, they want us to go have fun at some parks while exercising PLUS give us the opportunity to win gift cards?! Sign me up!

Above are the Park Bingo cards and rules. If you can’t find the letter for some reason, feel free to take a selfie with the park sign pictured on the bingo card. And if you don’t want to take selfie, that’s completely fine; you can use the same item in every photo, or even your dog if you’d like! We chose to use our hand sanitizer; we thought it was fitting for this era we are living in!

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