Fall in NYC with kids

September through early November is the best stretch of the year here. Here's how we spend it.

In the city

• Queens County Farm Museum — a real working farm inside city limits. Corn maze in October, hayrides, animals year-round.
• Decker Farm, Staten Island — pumpkin picking without leaving the five boroughs.
• Lefferts Historic House, Prospect Park — small harvest programs, great for under-6s.
• Central Park's North Woods — the best foliage walk in Manhattan, far less crowded than the south end.

Worth the drive or train

• Kelder's Farm, Kerhonkson — jumping pillow, mini-golf, petting farm. Full day, ~2 hours out.
• Wilklow Orchards, Highland — apple picking with short lines on a weekday.
• Sleepy Hollow — the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze is spectacular for ages 5+. Book the day tickets go on sale.

Timing that saves the day

• Apple picking: mid-September to mid-October. Go at opening; by noon the lots are full.
• Pumpkin patches: the first two October weekends are the crush. The third is calmer and the pumpkins are fine.
• Foliage peak in the city is usually late October into the first week of November.

Pack list

• Layers — mornings are cold, afternoons aren't.
• Cash for farm stands that still don't take cards.
• A wagon, not a stroller, for anywhere with a field.