Pumpkins and Hayrides: A Franklin Township Fall for Little Ones

Franklin Township does fall well. The corn comes in, the mornings finally cool off, and just about every farm and park on the southeast side grows a pumpkin pile overnight. If you’ve got a preschooler, this is your window! Hayrides, corn mazes, and pick-your-own pumpkins all move at the slow, hands-on pace a little kid likes best.

A lot of these outings sneak in real learning, too. Your child counts pumpkins, reaches for the apple that’s just out of grasp, names the animals at the petting pen, and figures out that a hayride is a whole lot bumpier than the car. These are the spots worth loading everyone up for this season, from a big farm festival to a free park trail right here in the township.

Waterman’s Family Farm Fall Harvest Festival in Indianapolis

The big one on the southeast side is Waterman’s Family Farm, which has been farming in Indianapolis since 1978. Its Fall Harvest Festival opens September 26 and runs through November 1, and the hayride, the giant corn maze, the petting zoo, and the carnival rides are all included with admission. Kids 2 and under get in free.

There’s a lot going on, so walk in with a plan for a 3-year-old. Start with the hayride and the animals, save the corn maze for once everyone’s warmed up, and treat the rides as a bonus rather than the whole day. When little legs start to drag, the corn play pit in the barn and the straw mountain are easy places to sit and dig for a few minutes.

Turn the pumpkin patch into a sorting game. Let your child line up three pumpkins from smallest to biggest, then go hunting for one that’s too heavy to lift at all. It’s early math without a single worksheet!

Southeastway Park Trails and Hayrides in Franklin Township

Right here in Franklin Township, Southeastway Park is 188 acres of Indy Parks land with four miles of trails, 80 acres of forest, a pond, open prairie, and Buck Creek running through it. It’s free to visit and open dawn to dusk, so a fall walk costs you nothing but a little gas.

The park’s tractor-pulled hayrides run in September and October as a reservable package with a shelter and a campfire, which makes them a fun pick for a birthday or a playgroup. On a regular day, walk a short loop, kick through the leaves, and let your preschooler hunt for acorns and pinecones along the way. Pack a small bag so every treasure has somewhere to go!

Try a color hunt while you walk. See if your child can find one red leaf, one yellow leaf, and one that’s still green, then wonder out loud together about why the leaves change at all. For more nearby ideas, our look at how Franklin Township connects kids to local farms is a good place to start.

Apple and Pumpkin Picking at Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield

For apples, point the car a little east to Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield, a family farm that’s been growing since 1928. Apple and pumpkin picking both run through October 31, and one FarmYard pass ($10 for ages 2 and up, free for 1 and under) covers the wagon rides, the corn maze, and a toddler area with a barn slide, a trike track, and a sandbox. The farm is closed Sundays, so plan on a Saturday or a weekday.

Apple picking is a great first job for a preschooler. Reaching, twisting, and dropping an apple into the bag builds hand strength and coordination. Hold a red apple next to a yellow one and try asking, “Which one is heavier?” It’s a quick science chat right there in the orchard. The farm store stays open year-round if you want cider for the drive home.

Read Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell the night before the trip. A little girl spends a fall day picking the reddest apples and hunting for the best pumpkin in the patch, which is pretty much your afternoon at Tuttle, so the story and the day line up page for page.

Easy Fall Afternoons at Franklin Township Community Park

When you want fall fun without an admission line, Franklin Township Community Park is a free, close-to-home pick. The 99-acre park wrapped up a big renovation in fall 2025 that added a new playground and paved its nature trail, and there’s a pond to stop by along the way.

It’s the kind of spot you can swing by for an hour after nap. Let your preschooler test the new playground, then walk the paved loop and look for birds. At the pond, drop in a leaf, a stick, and a pebble and let your child guess which ones will float. Cooler afternoons make the whole park easier to enjoy than it was in the August heat, so bring a light jacket and stay a while.

Bring That Fall Curiosity to Creative World School in Franklin Township

Every question your preschooler asks at the pumpkin patch is the kind of thinking we build our days around at Creative World School in Franklin Township. Our hands-on Exploratorium™ and our 3 E’s, Education, Exploration, and Enrichment, turn everyday curiosity about apples, leaves, and animals into real science, art, and discovery.

If you’re looking for a preschool that learns the way your child already explores, schedule a tour and come see a fall day with us. We can’t wait to meet your family!