Pumpkintown at Mason Farms 2021

Posted on October 6, 2021 by wandererie814

Pumpkintown at Mason Farms 2021

One of our favorite things to do in the Fall is to visit Pumpkintown at Mason Farms. We have so many childhood memories from Mason Farms, and there’s just something about a country oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Peninsula Drive.

Before you dive deep into the fun of Pumpkintown, we want to let you know that this post is specifically about Pumpkintown. To learn more about Mason Farms in general, click here to be directed to our last wandering to this location as Summer 2021 was rounding out.

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Location:

Pumpkintown at Mason Farms is located at Mason Farms Country Market, 839 Peninsula Drive, Erie, PA 16505. You won’t miss it, it’s a much different atmosphere from the rest of Peninsula Drive. From the road, you’ll see cornstalks, mums, pumpkins, and everything Fall.

Pumpkintown is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Property Description:

The outdoors of Mason Farms Country Market is transformed into a giant Fall Fest for Pumpkintown! If you go into the entrance of the large store as normal, you can continue your way through the store and into the greenhouse. Once you get inside the greenhouse, go into the center aisle and turn left. Continue until you have exited the back door. There you will see a farm themed petting zoo straight ahead, and if you turn to your left again you will head towards the snack and ticket stand, which is right after a Paw Patrol pumpkin display. Once you pass the stand, you will see a photo opp set up, and beyond the photo opp, you’ll see several inflatables set up, as well as a corn maze and picnic table eating area.

What to Do:

There are so many fun things to do at Pumpkintown! First and foremost, you can pick out some pumpkins! There is a large selection of pumpkins available, whether you want them untouched or painted. Several colors and sizes are available.

We know that picking out pumpkins isn’t going to be the most fun thing for the kids to do, as clearly our littles couldn’t wait to get to the fun that awaited them in the inflatables! There are several different types of inflatables for the kids to play on, including a massive slide, a smaller mountain with smaller slides, an obstacle course, a smaller course, and a bounce house! Oh, and make sure you bring socks with you (or your kids are wearing them when they leave the house) in order to go on these inflatables, because they will have to take theirs shoes off!

Let’s talk Mason Farms Pumpkintown ticket prices. Each inflatable will cost you a certain amount of tickets to enjoy, or you can purchase an all day pass or season pass. $11 will get you a strip of 10 tickets. A Ride A Rama is $12 after 1:00 p.m., and $30 will get you a season pass! For us personally on this trip in particular, we chose the the 10 ticket strip, because we had limited time and multiple littles wanting to go on rides.

You can purchase a variety of refreshments at the concession stand, including little souvenir bottles of apple cider. This was a hit with out littles, as one of them would not let go of the bottle the entire time we were there. They also have slush puppies, water, popcorn, pepperoni balls, candy apples, hot dogs, brownies, pretzels, and much more!

Another fun thing that the littles love about Pumpkintown at Mason Farms is the petting zoo! We love the animals that are there this year, each one was super sweet and good with the kids! We saw llamas, goats, sheep, and even two little black pigs! You can feel free to pet them and to feed them. There are feed machines near the pen and it will cost you a quarter to give them a pretty decent amount of food. With one quarter, our littles got about 7 turns to feed the animals. We put the food in their hands from the big pile we got from the machine, and gave them a smaller amount than what would be a handful for them.

A tradition we’ve always remembered from Mason Farms is looking at all of the pumpkin displays! From the three little pigs to Paw Patrol, they have such a great variety of scenes to check out this year! And don’t forget to find Granny, she’s somewhere in Pumpkintown!

Who Can Go:

What we love about Pumpkintown is that it is definitely for everyone, people of all ages. Even if you’re simply young at heart, you can enjoy all of the displays and Fall feels. On our trip, we saw a few wheelchairs being pushed, and the smiles on faces as they looked at displays were priceless.

There is more than enough room to push a stroller or wheelchair anywhere in Pumpkintown and in the store. We actually highly recommend strollers for the little littles, as there’s a lot to get into! We actually opened the back of the car to grab ours, and realized we had forgot it at home! Always double check before you leave the house!

Final Thoughts:

Mason Farms Pumpkintown is always a favorite thing of ours to check out in the Fall. Whether you want the kids to play on the inflatables or not, we think it’s worth a visit! You don’t have to check out the inflatables to have a good time. Being there just puts you in the Fall spirit, whether you’re looking for all the Fall things or just browsing the market.

For more Fall fun in Erie County, click here!

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Mason Farms 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.]

Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City Fall 2021

Posted on September 30, 2021 by wandererie814

Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City Fall 2021

If you’re an avid reader of our blog, you will know that’s we’ve been to Mason Farms in Lake City quite a few times. There’s just an element of country charm to it that we absolutely love. We recently found out that this farm stand in Erie County has a new offering, and we just had to check it out!

Location:

The Farm Stand at Mason Farms is located at 8603 West Lake Road, Lake City, PA 16423. You can’t miss it, there are several floral arrangements in front of it, and you can noticeably see a fun Fall time as you drive by. With their hours being Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., there is more than enough time throughout the day for you to head on over to Lake City to enjoy the farm stand!

Mason Farms Country Market: Summer 2021

Posted on September 10, 2021 by wandererie814

Mason Farms Country Market: Summer 2021

We couldn’t let the summer season in Erie, PA end without a trip to Mason Farms on Peninsula Drive before they turn over to Fall. The beauty of the flowers, the smells of the fruits and vegetables, and the merchandise in the greenhouse all provide a great transition from summer to fall.

Mason Farms is not only a country market with two locations; one on Peninsula Drive and another on Old French Road, but also has a farmstand on their farm for pick your own, and many satellite locations. We’ve been to “Pick Your Own” several times, and we’ll provide the links here if you’d like to check those out so you can go as well!

Mason Farms Pickle Picking

Mason Farms Strawberry Picking

Mason Farms Raspberry Picking

Location:

As a market, they have two different locations, but the location we visited is at 839 Peninsula Drive, Erie, PA 16505. Currently, they are open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Property Description:

Mason Farms Country Market is a very cozy, farmhouse style shop with a greenhouse and several outdoor areas. Their tagline is “Bringing Country to the City” and they truly succeed at this in their market space, especially considering that it is located on Peninsula Drive, which gets a ton of through traffic.

There is ample parking in the parking lot to the left of the building (if you’re looking at it from the street), and very wide sidewalk like concrete spaces to push a cart, stroller, or wheelchair through the outside walkways. Indoors, it is easy to get around while pushing a stroller as well.

Mason Farms Pickle Picking

Posted on August 11, 2020 by wandererie814

After traveling down the path known as the Corry Junction Greenway Trail, we looked for an opportunity to get outdoors but also knew there would be a few days of rain coming. For that reason, we knew this was the perfect season to go gather some Pickles at Mason Farms.

This is certainly not a *new* destination, as we previously have been to Mason Farms for both strawberry picking, as well as raspberry picking. However, as the seasons change, so does the type of fruits or vegetables that are available.

Location

If you haven’t been here yet, now is another great opportunity! Mason Farms Country Market is located on 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. It is located on Route 5, and while the stand is open at the front of the property with a small parking lot, if you are trying to go pick pickles (cucumber pickles that is), you need to drive the dirt road back into the field. It’s a simple road that is a straight shot back, and in addition to pickles there are other items still in season.

Property Description:

In addition to cucumber pickles, at this point Mason Farms still has raspberries, as well as Blueberries to be picked. There are other items getting ready to come into season, however, so by the time you read this there could be other fresh fruits or veggies to be had.

Things to do:

This was a very simple day compared to the other times we have been picking items at Mason Farms. Compare the size of a strawberry or a raspberry to a cucumber, and you can imagine why. We filled up a basket which gave us probably around 4 or 5 dozen pickles. They vary in size, but the average one was about 4 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter. Filling up a basket of pickles literally only took about 10 minutes.

One point of note: While we only picked a single basket of pickles, there were other patrons there who picked multiple baskets and of multiple fruits and veggies.

Who Can Go:

This activity was actually one of the easiest we had done. Compared to the size and fragility of raspberries (not to mention the prickers on the vines), picking cucumber pickles is a very easy thing to do. The cucumbers are much more stable for young hands than a raspberry (so less “destroyed” produce at the hands of our toddler). In addition, the size of the cucumbers means it’s a lot easier to spot one compared to trying to find berries behind leaves.

Final Thoughts:

Because this was such a short activity, we actually used many of the cucumber pickles themselves to jar pickles. This is another activity that can be done off of the cucumbers, and with a few more items that can be grabbed from the farm stand at the front of the property (for example. We grabbed peas, cauliflower, and peppers). You will of course need the other supplies such as vinegar and the mason jars, but this was an additional activity we were able to do in order to preserve the vegetables over the coming weeks and months. After all, while fresh food is a healthy part of any diet, it may be hard to eat 60 cucumbers in a week or two before they start to rot. For that reason, both the experience of picking the cucumber pickles, as well as the process of preserving them in jars, is a set of fun activities that the whole family can participate in.

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Raspberry Picking at Mason Farms

Posted on July 14, 2020 by wandererie814

What can we say? We have been on a fruit kick lately, and a handful of the locations we have found happen to be in the west county of Erie, Pa. We just visited Ziesenheim Farms to pick cherries last week. It is 2020, and we are still obviously trying to maintain social distancing. This can be hard with young ones. In addition, it’s cold in Erie, PA for many months of the year. Finally, fruit seasons come and go, and if you miss one, then you’ll likely have to wait another year until you can go out and get it fresh. For that reason, we actually headed back to Mason Farms because a new season is in play. While picking fresh strawberries is still at the tail end of the season, picking red raspberries and black raspberries is now open at Mason Farms.

While we’ve already gone through the details of Mason Farms in Lake City, PA, there are a few items to note. For more in depth information, take a look at when we visited specifically for picking strawberries.

Location:

Mason Farms is on Route 5 in Lake City, PA, just past Fairview, PA. The fruit and vegetable stand is located at 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. Remember that if you just want some farm fresh groceries, you can get them at the stand and don’t even need to drive back into the field to pick them yourself.

Property Description:

Another quick reminder that the weather in Erie is currently wonderful. It is ripe for wandering. That being said, please remember we are already passed the summer solstice. The days will already start to get shorter and the temperature will be cooler within a month or two. So, use this time now to get out and into the open under the hot sun. Being out in a field is a great way to get your steps in while also soaking up some warmth and sun rays.

Things to do:

Raspberries are great, but they are hard to come by in some parts of the country. In addition, they can be costly. A small pack at the grocery store could easily run you $5 for just a few handfuls. At Mason Farms, the price was $7 for a quart of red raspberries, and $8 for a quart of black raspberries. And the equivalency we has was right about 4 or 4.5 quarts in one cardboard basket … depending on the specific size of your basket.

Who Can Go:

Compared to the cherry picking, this was another easy one for the full family. Berries grow a few feet off of the ground, so we didn’t have to hunch over like for the strawberries, nor did we need to climb a ladder to reach the cherries. This was one where we could all wander down the rows and grab the berries, high or low, that were within reach.

Final Thoughts:

Another great aspect we have found with wandering is once you discover a great location, remember to head back. Whether it is new sights with the season changes, new fruits and veggies to pick (or new items on the menu), or even just repeating a fun experience, we will keep bringing new locations, and great updates on old favorites, for you to wander.

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Strawberry Picking at Mason Farms

Posted on July 7, 2020 by wandererie814

A visit to Frontier Park was something fun we were able to do while being in the city and the downtown Erie, PA area. We also know that the offerings including the trails, the water, the fields, and even the LEAF building were something to consider when you are looking for something to do in Erie, PA. However, as much fun as you can find to answer the question, “What can you do downtown in Erie?” we wanted to get a little farther out and try something off of the beaten path. For that reason, we headed out to Mason Farms Country Market to check out the fresh fruit and vegetables as well as try our collective hands at strawberry picking.

Location:

Mason Farms Country Market is located on 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. It is on Route 5 if you are heading west, and you can’t miss it, or the acres of fields behind it. It’s only a short drive and the stand and parking lot are literally right on US State Route 5. This specific activity wasn’t just the stand, so after we checked out the fruit and vegetables available up front, we drove another quarter of a mile or so back to the strawberry fields where they had everything set up for us to start picking.

Property Description:

While this property wasn’t built for our typical wandering, we do also believe wandering and taking our time was simply something inherent to strawberry picking. Deciding which specific strawberries to harvest and which to leave for more growth was one aspect. Taking our time in fields that were open and spacious during social distancing times was another benefit. And the fact that we weren’t on a set time limit, nobody was “waiting behind us,” and we even had the chance to get the little ones involved meant this was a great activity. Combine that with the fact that there was sun shining and considerable fresh air, and this was a full day.

Things to do:

We should note that everyone will certainly decide for themselves whether or not an activity such as this is something they want to do. You may not like this one, but we still recommend you try it.

Why?

First, getting out into the county means less pollution. The air quality is one thing, but the ability to find peace and quiet in the middle of a field is something to help calm you down and get back to nature.

Second, this is certainly something that not a lot of people have done. You can literally see where your food comes from. You will be picking which strawberries to pick, and ultimately choosing your own food.

Third, knowing the date, time, and conditions of your food probably has some benefits! You know that this food wasn’t sitting on a grocery shelf, in a warehouse for days, or being handled by a stranger. This is literally something you can take home, wash off, and eat for a fresh and natural food.

The walking also helps, but this tends to be more of a crouching exercise. You can take your time and stroll along the path, picking out individual strawberries as you spot them, or you can get down low and move the leaves of the plants to try and find the brightest red strawberries which were hidden from other pickers.

Who Can Go:

As we said, we were able to take the entire family. And while there could be certain ages that don’t make sense, this was the perfect activity to keep a toddler busy for about forty-five minutes or so, as the activity basically turned into a treasure hunt. Finding the biggest, brightest, and (hopefully) tastiest strawberries was something that will keep the little ones preoccupied for a while, and the activity itself is enough to tire them out and take a nap on the drive home.

Final Thoughts:

Wandering isn’t always about discovering something new in a dark corner of the county, or being first to try something out. For us, this was a great way to get out in nature, albeit a different type, and enjoy the sun and the breeze. We also enjoyed something that was both physically and mentally exciting. On top of it all, it was an excellent way to teach the younger ones about basic farming, food, and even what doing work to get a reward is.

If you’re looking for a great activity and want to try something new, check out something like strawberry picking at Mason Farms Country Market. Be sure to stop by the stand as well for fresh fruits and vegetables (that you don’t have to pick). And, while strawberry picking tends to be seasonal, there are many different seasons in the agriculture world, so we will be sure to stop back to this stand again and see what other activities are happening.

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Wander Erie

Exploring Erie, PA for all of the fun things to do

Tag Archives: mason farms

Pumpkintown at Mason Farms 2021

Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City Fall 2021

Mason Farms Country Market: Summer 2021

Mason Farms Pickle Picking

Raspberry Picking at Mason Farms

Strawberry Picking at Mason Farms