Top Spots For Fall Activities In The Las Vegas Area

The Daily Meal Staff|Oct. 17, 2014 7:00 am EST

No matter where you live, once there is a hint of fall in the air and the leaves start changing color, your mind turns to traditional family-favorite activities. Whether it's a corn maze, a horse- or tractor-drawn hayride or a pumpkin patch, you can find your choice of places to visit in a city such as Las Vegas. The scent of pumpkins, apple cider, straw and corn entice you to leave home for time well spent enjoying outdoor activities, once more possible as the heat of summer abates.

McKee Family Ranch Pumpkin Patch
8982 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
(702) 361-9606
www.mckeeranchevents.com

Celebrate fall from October 1-30, when the Pumpkin Patch at McKee Ranch opens up for this season! There will be lots of photo ops, great fall decorations, farm animals to feed (bring carrots and crackers), pumpkins gathered from the field, straw or hay bale mazes, a corn cannon, free horse-drawn hay rides, snacks, refreshments, restrooms (important when traveling with kids), face painting and pony rides, all for a donation per family of $20. You will get your own pumpkin to take home with you and many special memories of your visit to the Ranch. The family is also collecting canned goods for the Rescue Mission, so have fun and make a difference. It's a great way to spend an afternoon or early autumn evening.

Gilcrease Orchard
7800 N. Tenaya Way
Las Vegas, NV 89131
(702) 409-0655
www.thegilcreaseorchard.org

The Gilcrease Orchard is one of Las Vegas' best shared secrets. Here, you can pick your own apples, pears, vegetables and other seasonal treats, visit the stand to find fresh honey, peanut butter and the best apple cider (made only from fresh-pressed apples, with no added sugar or preservatives and fresh-frozen for your enjoyment) plus everyone's favorite – delectable apple cider donuts. Hours will be extended until 2 p.m. until the end of October and the orchard will be open on Sundays as well. So pick your own produce or purchase it at the stand and visit the pumpkin patch for your very own special Halloween pumpkin. It's a perfect family experience.

Vegas Sands Ranch
6755 Rio Vista St.
Las Vegas, NV 89131
(702) 419-4221
www.vegassandsranchcatering.com

One of the best things about living in old ranch country is the abundance of ranchers willing to open their gates and hearts to welcome families to their land. Vegas Sands Ranch specializes in tractor-pulled hayrides through Las Vegas horse country. When you host a party at the Ranch, guests are treated to a hayride filled with shared stories and laughter framed with a spectacular view of the wildlife. You will see traditional Western animals including buffalo, long horn cattle, sheep, mules, regional birds and more. This is the place to come for a hayride. Vegas Sands Ranch also caters, offering BBQs, smokers, wedding packages and more in its beautiful ranch setting. Just imagine an early evening journey with the family through what you can still imagine as the Great American West.

Sharon Damon is a preschool specialist, avid reader, passionate writer and creative baker/ cook. She has been a cooking instructor at a local Rec Center in Henderson, NV since 2011, and has written for Examiner and other publications since 2010. She knows her way around the keyboard and the kitchen! Sharon moved from a small city in Canada to Las Vegas 6 years ago, to marry the love of her life, and has since been swept up in the whirlwind known as Sin City. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.