The Fall Day Trip Hudson Valley Families Are Making This October: Liberty Ridge Farm

For families in Kingston and Poughkeepsie, October comes with a question that gets asked every year: where are we going this fall? This year, the answer is worth the drive north.

Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, NY is about two hours from Kingston and just over two hours from Poughkeepsie, traveling up the Hudson Valley corridor through some of the most beautiful fall foliage in New York State. The Fall Festival runs September 12 through November 1, 2026, and for families with kids ages 3 to 10, it is one of the most fully-realized fall farm experiences in the Northeast.

Here's why the drive is worth it: the scale of what's included in one ticket. You're not talking about a small pumpkin patch with a hayride and a few scarecrows. Liberty Ridge Farm covers 100 acres with 50+ fall activities, an 11-acre corn maze with a new design every year, a trolley-accessed pumpkin patch where kids pick their own, live barnyard shows throughout the day, farm animals, and the kind of room to roam that simply doesn't exist at a roadside pumpkin stand.

For kids ages 3 to 5, the barnyard is the day. Jumping pillows, the tractor playset, the Farmer Flinger Swing, the Animal Band, Daisy the Milking Cow, and the pig races at Piggly Wiggly's Pen give this age group more than enough to fill four or five hours without ever feeling like you're rushing them. For kids ages 6 to 10, the corn maze takes center stage, followed by pedal karts, the giant gerbil wheels, gem mining, pumpkin shooters, and the stockade fence maze.

A Punch Card add-on gives 10 punches toward premium activities including the train ride, gem mining, pumpkin shooters, paintball shots, lemonade, kettle corn, animal feed cone, and a baby pumpkin. For Hudson Valley families making the drive, the Punch Card helps ensure the day feels as full as possible.

Planning the trip from Kingston or Poughkeepsie: an 8am departure gives you time to arrive at the farm shortly after opening, which is when the corn maze and barnyard are at their least crowded. The drive north along the Hudson is genuinely beautiful in October, making the trip part of the experience. Plan for a full day and bring an appetite for the Barnyard Grill and the Market Barn's cider donuts on the way out.

Tickets are valid any day of the fall season. Buy in advance at libertyridgefarm.com/things-to-do/fall-festival. Everyone ages 3 and up needs a ticket; children 2 and under are free.