Erie County's Port Farms: Summer Flower Festival, Fall Harvest, and Winter Holiday Festivals

Our first stop on our long weekend took us to southern Erie County to Waterford, PA and the awesome Port Farms exhibition farm. They specialize in seasonal celebrations, of which we hit them on the last weekend of their Summer Flower Festival, which includes dazzling fields full of zinnias and sunflowers, with ample opportunities for selfies for the younger folks, playgrounds, bouncy houses, and other activities for the even younger folks, pathways to stroll through that we could walk our pups, CeCe and Buddy, and a tractor hayride through the fields of the farm. This was the last day that Buddy was in his cone-of-shame, just over a week since we first adopted him, the newest member of our family. They had a blast. The Port Farms Fall Harvest Festival typically kicks off in mid September, which is the case for this year, and includes activities such as a pumpkin patch and corn maze, and in November they run a holiday festival, complete with a Christmas tree farm and other holiday merriments. They also hold events and weddings, which is fantastic in a place as picture perfect as this. 

The entry barn area. 

They honeybee demonstration exhibit

Bouncy thing for the kids!

Ropes course 

The bridge to the flower area

Buddy and CeCe. Buddy was on the last day of his cone of shame after we adopted him

There is a big emphasis on art and creativity, especially in the flower area. It really helps the area shine and caps off how special it is. 

The Zinnia fields are breathtaking.

Pumpkins awaiting harvest for the Fall Festival

Brit with CeCe and Buddy in front of the sunflower fields. This was just over a week ago and it really is an amazing thing to see pups as they settle in to your household. He is a ball of energy, but each day he has really made progress in settling in with us. Rescuing a pup is an incredible, and sometimes overwhelming, process, and it is so easy to see milestones in the process as you go. 

Aside from the flowers and all of the migrating monarch butterflies pollinating the flowers and the hummingbirds as well, the selfie things were so cool and we even saw some younger folks going and setting up scenes in them.  If selfies are your thing, you could probably spend hours with all of the opportunities they have set up. It is pretty neat and the passion for their project really shows here. They have something really special going.

This year marks 125 years for Port Farms being an agricultural staple in Waterford. Driving up and down the road, you can see many other farms as well within this specific area. It is a bucolic place to see and drive around, with a distinctively different feel from the agricultural areas around the borough of North East, where the predominant crop is grapes on beautiful vineyards.

Overall though, we had a great time at the Port Farms Flower Festival, though I would like to see them continue to expand their offerings. What they have is a wonderful community gathering spot and some associated playground style amusements. Being an amusement park nerd, I would love to see them maybe add a Ferris Wheel, or some other ride that can offer aerial views of the land. I feel like there is some room for growth, especially with the amount they charge for admission. I feel like the agritourism aspects of the operation are fantastic and this is a must visit place specifically for that. The amusement aspects of the operation, complete with playground equipment, bouncy house features, food stands, and craft shops are really nice. I feel like a nice little Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel, like in the following video, would perfectly round out their offerings, but I digress. 

(Port Farms doesn't have one of these, but I think it would be perfect for them to add)

I feel like this place could really grow as a Family Entertainment Center with the addition of an amusement ride or two, especially given what they charge for entry. 

Overall though, visiting Port Farms is a great time and I hope to see them expand their offerings to meet their admission price. This is a homegrown attraction that is really picking up steam as a destination and I cannot wait to see what they do next. It is definitely worth checking out for their stunning flower fields, and the corn maze and pumpkin patches in the fall are well worth checking out. 

View of the flowers from the hayride

Brit with Buddy and CeCe on the hayride

Be sure to check them out! They have a relaxing place to spend an afternoon, especially if you are looking for fun seasonal stuff to do. You can find out more about them at their website at https://portfarms.com