My parents have really lucked out with Seattle weather–nearly every time they come, the weather cooperates and we have an awesome time exploring the outdoors and new areas of the Pacific Northwest.

I was a little nervous when they booked their most recent trip for the last weekend in September. The weather starts to turn and while you can still have some beautiful fall days, you can have some crummy gray and wet ones as well.

We planned our itinerary to take advantage of either weather scenario, which ended up working perfectly. On Saturday it was cool and there were scattered showers–it was the perfect day to experience the Jim Henson exhibit at MoPop and find our market charm at Pike Place Market. On Sunday it was a cool fall morning with only a chance of scattered showers so we headed toward Snoqualmie to visit Remlinger Farms for a little fall fun!

My mom read about Remlinger Farms somewhere–it was billed as having 400+ scarecrows on display, entertainment for people of all ages, and of course the ability to pick pumpkins! I hadn’t heard of it, but we’d been meaning to spend some time exploring nearby Snoqualmie and Issaquah so it seemed like a perfect way to start our day.

We arrived just as they opened at 10 a.m. and found parking near the main entrance. The market is the main point of entry and filled with all kinds of products–baked goods, produce, jams and sauces, etc. Toward the back of the market was an area to do local wine tastings, which led into an eatery with a full kitchen. A second room was filled with other non-food items for purchase. We passed through and bought our entry wrist bands so we could wander around the farm and activity space.

This place is huge and everything is family friendly. There were tons of people already there with their kids, enjoying the 25+ amusement park rides, grabbing food, enjoying the animals and more.

As we were taking it all in, I realized we had lost my husband. It didn’t take long to find him once we spotted the Mini Doughnut Depot nearby! The little bite-sized balls of dough were warm and fresh and a delicious start to our day!

Some of the activities and food stands were still opening up as we walked along deciding where to begin. As we rounded one bend we saw the Tolt River Station where they were offering train rides throughout the day. As luck would have it, a train was just about to return so we got in line and quickly boarded.

We sat in the front car so we could take a look at the engine–it was a really neat little train that had steam coming out of all sides once we were up and running!

The ride was fun and took us around the outside of the farm and near the Tolt River banks. We went out to an area where they had some donkey, emu and other larger animals wandering around big, grassy, contained areas before circling back to the station.

After our train ride we went to check out the smaller animals. One area had a number of birds–guinea hens, turkeys and a beautiful peacock!

There was also an interesting pen that had a ramp leading up to a tree fort for the goats to climb, although we didn’t see any out exploring while we were there. We found them nearby in a barnyard along with a number of sheep and adorable rabbits. Brian bought us some feed, and we took turns giving small handfuls of food to all of the animals.

The goats and sheep in particular could hardly contain their excitement, sticking their necks out of their pens as far as possible to lick our hands. Unsurprisingly once our food was gone, they all lost interest. We were ready to head on as well–thankfully they had hand washing stations nearby so we could clean up and continue exploring!

There were so many things to see and do. We walked by dozens of cutouts of every shape and size where you could fit your head for a photo (which we did!) and there were fall decorations everywhere! They definitely had 400+ scarecrows, also of every possible size and wearing all kinds of different outfits.

We couldn’t help but wonder where they store them during the off-season–especially if they bring out different decorations for different seasons!

As we were walking around it started to sprinkle and people began finding their way indoors. It wasn’t bad so we pulled up our hoods and continued exploring. There were all kinds of small amusement park rides for the kids, as well as some adult rides like the antique cars.

One area had these small bicycles that both kids and adults were racing around a curvy track. For some reason Dad and Brian decided to have a friendly competition and they both took off for the bikes. Mom and I found a place to stand along the fencing near the entrance and were getting ready to see where they were in line when they both shot out from the gate!

It was hysterical– the bikes are clearly made for kids. Dad and Brian’s knees were half-way to their shoulders and they were folded in half in the seat! Dad came flying out with Brian not far behind, and I was hoping there were no kids out riding (there weren’t!). Everyone had taken a break for the rain, except our crazy boys!

They finished their loop in no time and Mom and I were still wiping the tears from our eyes when they returned. Ridiculous–but like I said, fun for all ages (including those young at heart!).

It was nearing lunchtime as we made our way back to the entrance so we could pick our pumpkin! Brian usually complains about how much they cost but these were 10 cents a pound–even he couldn’t complain! I found a nice big, bright orange one and carried it out to be weighed as we wrapped up our visit.

The best $1.30 I ever spent (on a pumpkin)!

We had a lot of fun at Remlinger Farms–it really has something for everyone. It was a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning, and my pumpkin looks perfect on our front porch with my other fall decor!