The orchards, pumpkin patches and corn mazes locals actually go to, from Easton and Trumbull to Middlefield and Guilford

Some of the best fall days around here start with a drive up a back road in Easton and end with a bag of apples and a cider donut in the car. You don't have to go far. Most of the farms below are a short drive from Fairfield, and a few are worth making a day of.

Apple picking close to home

Silverman's Farm, Easton. If you only go to one farm this fall, make it this one. Pick apples and pears, then find pumpkins and wander the corn maze without leaving the property. The drive in, past stone walls and turning trees, is half the fun.

Blue Jay Orchards, Bethel. A great excuse to head north for the foliage. Pick apples, grab a pumpkin and don't leave without cider and donuts.

Beardsley's Cider Mill & Orchard, Shelton. A longtime local favorite. People come for the orchard, but the cider and donuts are what bring them back every year.

Worth the drive

Lyman Orchards, Middlefield. A full-day destination with apple and pear picking, pumpkins and a big corn maze. Adults can book the 21+ evening maze nights: the Twilight Brew Maze on Oct. 2, the Twilight Hard Cider Maze on Oct. 16 and the Halloween Flashlight Brew Maze on Oct. 31 (bring a flashlight).

Bishop's Orchards, Guilford. Pick-your-own apples, pumpkins and a corn maze. It's close enough to the shoreline to add a walk on the Guilford green.

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, NY. Just over the state line and an easy trip from Ridgefield or Wilton. Apples, pumpkins and a corn maze in one stop.

Pumpkin patches

If a pumpkin is all you're after, there's likely a patch close to you:

• Plasko's Farm, Trumbull
• Jones Family Farms, Shelton
• Castle Hill Farm, Newtown
• Warrup's Farm, Redding
• Jesse Lee Pumpkin Patch, Ridgefield
• Wilton Kiwanis Pumpkin Patch at the Wilton Historical Society
• Silverman's Farm, Easton
• Blue Jay Orchards, Bethel

Corn mazes and hayrides

Castle Hill Farm in Newtown and Plasko's Farm in Trumbull are the local classics for hayrides, corn mazes and big pumpkin displays. Jones Family Farms in Shelton and Silverman's in Easton have mazes too, and Twins BBQ Co. in Brookfield runs one of its own. Farther afield, you'll find mazes at Lyman, Bishop's, Harvest Moon and Outhouse Orchards in North Salem.

Make a day of it

• Newtown: Castle Hill Farm, then a glass at Aquila's Nest Vineyards and a walk around the Fairfield Hills campus.
• Shelton: Jones Family Farms for pumpkins, then Jones Winery for a fall afternoon.
• Easton to Wilton: Silverman's, then a foliage drive through Redding and Wilton with a stop at Weir Farm National Historical Park.

One tip before you go: check the farm's website or social media that morning. Picking conditions change week to week, and October weekends fill up fast, so go early if you can.

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