Evans Orchard
Another one of our favorite places to go in the spring, summer, and early fall is Evans Orchard in Georgetown.
It is a great place to take those kiddos that need to run around and get into and on everything. Yes, it is an Orchard and a farm store, but they have a great play area for the kids. It is $8.00 per kid over 2 and parents are free as long as you are paying for a child. Personally, we get a membership for my son's birthday and use it all summer long. They are $40.00 if you have only one child or $75.00 for more than one child. It is a pretty great deal if you get the membership at the beginning of the season, which was April 30th this year. They can be used through November when they close for the season. Keep in mind they are CLOSED ON MONDAYS. Which, I have forgotten just a time or twenty. And, they open a bit later (noon) on Sundays. Otherwise, they open at 10 am through the summer.
They have a ton of things to do for the kids in the play area and every year, they add new things. You can tell they put a lot of pride into their play area! Okay, let's see if I can get it all (or most of it). They have a huge slide area (see above) with large open slides and tube slides, they have a ton of swings, they have a large corn bin that the kids can play in (my son's favorite), they have a large jump pad for adults and children, a smaller jump area for just children, tires that the kids can climb up on and under, wooden trains to climb on and slide off of, hamster wheels that you climb in and push, a new go-kart track, water duck race, and a barn with goats, pigs, llamas, donkeys, rabbits, and chickens that you can feed. I am sure I missed a few things too. It is in a large fenced in grassy area with good sight lines so you can see your kids easily if they are in different areas (except for in the barn area).
We also saw them building a new play house area when we were there last. It looked super cool and had more corn in the bottom area. TIP: If you want to feed the animals (who doesn't?) you need to buy the feed in the store. It is $1 for a ice cream cone filled with feed. But, no one wants to carry a cone with feed in it around the play area until you can head over to the barn. Last time, I spilled most of it before we got there. So, my TIP would be, take a small baggie with you and put it in there and in your bag until you get to the animals. Or, you could ask for a bag for it, but I usually have about 2 seconds to pay before my son is running full speed for the play area. They do have a few very friendly farm dogs that hang around the store area. Just a heads-up in case your kiddos are a bit weary of larger dogs.
If you go, I would recommend bringing a change of clothing because my son always seems to get dirty when we are there climbing things, etc. It also gets pretty muddy when we get a few days of rain, so keep that in mind. There isn't very much shade in the play area, so sunscreen is a must,but don't fret if you forget yours because they started providing it near the door to the play area in a basket. Really nice! I would recommend bringing a ton of water because for whatever reason, it always feels like a million degrees when we go there.
They do not allow you to bring food (but, again, I have never had a problem with pouches or small snacks) but they have a food area that is pretty good and reasonably priced.
And, that would have been a lot more useful if it wasn't so blurry. But, kids meals are $3.75 with small drink and apple sauce or chips. Not a bad deal at all. Plus, they have yummy ice cream and apple cider slushies to help cool you all down. There is a seating area with high chairs that is covered with fans for eating behind the store. The bathrooms are to the right of the eating area and are very clean and have a changing table.
We always have a good time (albeit sweaty) when we go. I do love going in the spring since it isn't yet as hot and not very crowded. And, they are open in the fall for pumpkin picking and hay rides. I would definitely recommend checking Evans Orchard out! It is a neat place owned by a local family and you can tell they put a lot of time and money into the play area.
