This morning as my teenagers got ready for school, the news was on the television. They were…read morereporting that Selena Gomez was getting criticized for her Music Awards Performance. Comments were made that she was off-key. She defended her performance by explaining that this was her first performance in 2 years and she was nervous. She has Lupus and has struggled with anxiety. At the same time, I am running around the house trying to get to work and my get house together for Thanksgiving which I host every year. I want everything in place to give my family a nice holiday. On my way to work, I started thinking about what I am thankful for this year. I am always thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for their love and friendship as well as their health and happiness. This morning as I think about Selena Gomez and food shopping, I realize how grateful I am to be able to go work at Allaire Community Farm. If you haven't been to Allaire Community Farm, you have to go. Spend some time there, enjoy the animals, the garden and the peacefulness of the farm. I have had the privilege of spending my work day there. I don't work for the farm directly, but I get to do my work there. Their mission statement is "nurture through nature and helping people achieve their full potential..." They "support special needs children and adults, at-risk population, families battling cancer, veterans with PTSD and the local community..." When you go to the farm look around, pay close attention and you will see so much more. You will see Sean, JoAnn, and Allison wearing more hats than seems humanly possible. You will see that the farm relies on volunteers to run. Dedicated people who give their time for the farm to succeed and people who truly believe in the farm's mission. You will see contractors and businesses donate their time, money and services. You see school groups, recreation groups and therapeutic riding instructors working with people with special needs. You will see a place that expects you to come as you are and be who you are. There are no "special needs" on the farm. You are welcomed, accepted and supported to meet your potential despite your abilities, background or life choices. In a world where people are quick to criticize people struggling and appearance is valued, it is refreshing and humbling to see how the farm brings people together and best out in everyone. This is the type of place and the values, I want for my children. I got there by chance and very happy that I did. If you have some time, stop by to visit and see what I mean.

False advertising for organic and local produce. Most of the produce being offered is supplied by a…read morevendor and is conventional, not organic. Some produce observed was even marked from Canada, not local at all.

Was looking for a more interactive animal experience than a zoo for a fun activity with our one…read moreyear old and friend's three year old. Came across Papa's Farm and Mini Friends, and what a gem!! Such an incredible experience - intimate setting where kids and adults in our group got to pet and spend time with goats, sheep, a cow, chickens, ducks, peacocks, emus, bunnies, donkeys, horses, all topped with a little pony ride! The owners were so knowledgeable and kind, and the animals were extremely friendly and docile and very well taken care of. Great place to go, currently by appointment (which I didn't realize ahead of time), but she was able to accommodate us! Wear some gym shoes, bring some hand sanitizer, and be ready for a cute time!! We will definitely be returning year after year!

What a beautiful experience we had at this farm with our grandchildren. I was in awe on how the…read moreanimals were so friendly. We were up close petting, feeding them and getting to know the animals story. They had chickens, goats, emu, alpacas, donkeys, ponies and more. The care the owners give these animals are so heartfelt. Thank you Anthony & Denise for a lovely time and experience Elizabeth & Miguel H

It's got an adorable petting zoo so it's fun for the whole family. They have a working farm and…read moresell some produce in the summer and early fall. Now, that the seasons over (it was mid November when we went) it's mainly just decorative pumpkins and gourds. We really enjoyed our visit and can't wait to return. The animals were all well cared for and mostly social. You can feed them carrots. It's also very reasonable. I highly recommend checking them out.

So happy we went! My babies first time at the petting zoo & he had a blast!l. The workers were so…read moresweet & the animals are happy and well taken care of. I can't wait to come back when he's bigger! We also purchased a little donkey that they make from their Alpaca fur which I thought was the coolest thing! He loves it

We had my daughter's 3 year birthday party with 20 toddlers and the Small Animal Experience was the…read morehighlight of our party! We didn't exactly know what to expect but the set up was clean and professional-the fencing was in good/new condition, staff was super friendly and helpful and the animals were friendly and very well cared for CLEAN!!!! We couldn't have had a better experience-well worth the money paid!

The animals are adorable and the staff super friendly. My entire family loved having Backyard…read moreBuddies here - both my toddlers and teens (and adults too!)

I volunteered here a month or so ago and was just amazed at the care and compassion I saw in the…read morepeople who worked there...or volunteered there. The animals had so much room and were clean and well fed. I noticed there was a family working together to prep the garden for next year. What a wonderful thing it is to have such a beautiful farm to visit.

My daughters go here for horseback riding lessons & they love it. The price is reasonable, and the…read morepeople that own & work there are amazing. My girls learn how to care for the horse before & after the lesson, and are taken through different types of riding during the lesson. There are many other animals that the girls love to see and pet while we're there. Everyone is friendly & the animals are well-taken care of. Highly recommend this place!

I adopted my two cats from the shelter at Popcorn Park. The process was thorough but not onerous…read more Their fees are really reasonable. Highly recommended.

Closest you'll ever get to wild animals. An absolutely great experience. Highly recommend as a…read morefamily outing.

This place is magic! Tim, the tour guide literally talks to the animals! We've gone twice and I'm…read moredefinitely going back because some of the animals have babies and it's just pure fun!

Such an awesome family owned farm with so many different kinds of animals! Might I add that the…read moreanimals are all so sweet, almost as sweet as the owners! We love this place and have such a fun time visiting any chance we get!!!!

I visited Six Flags Great Adventure for my friend's birthday, and we spent the entire day at the…read morepark during Fright Fest. Overall, we had a good time, but there are definitely some areas where the experience could be improved. We purchased the Fright Fest bundle that included park admission and an Express Pass for the haunted attractions. Unfortunately, the process for using the Express Pass was much more complicated than it needed to be. The QR code provided with the purchase is essentially not enough on its own. When you arrive at a haunted attraction, you have to scan another QR code, log into the website using the same information you used to purchase your tickets, activate the pass, select the attraction you're entering, and repeat the process for each attraction. Having to constantly return to the website and go through those steps was inconvenient and took away from the experience. It would be much easier if the original QR code could simply be scanned at each attraction. Another improvement I would suggest is including Express Pass access for the regular rides in the Fright Fest bundle. Since the bundle already includes an Express Pass for the haunted attractions, having that same convenience for the main attractions would make the package feel much more worthwhile. One thing I highly recommend, though, is the Premium All Day Dining Pass. This honestly helped make our entire day much easier and saved us a lot of money. You can get an entrée and a side every 90 minutes, plus unlimited drink refills every 15 minutes. Most of the restaurants accept the pass, which makes it especially useful if you're spending the entire day at the park. When you visit your first dining location, they give you a wristband that you scan whenever you use the dining pass. Considering that an entrée can cost around $20, eating three times can already make the pass worthwhile. For around $45, being able to eat throughout the day and get free refills is a great value for someone planning to stay at the park for several hours. Overall, we had a fun birthday day at Six Flags, but I think the Express Pass system could be made much simpler and more user-friendly. The dining pass was definitely one of the highlights, while the haunted-attraction Express Pass was the biggest frustration. With some improvements to the ticketing system and bundle options, the overall experience could be much better.

We visited Six Flags and had a great time overall, but a few things stood out that I think are…read moreworth sharing. First, several rides were closed -- possibly due to short staffing or needed repairs. I'd suggest the website list how many rides are closed on a given day so visitors can decide in advance whether it's worth the trip. Given how much a visit costs, it's frustrating to arrive and find a chunk of the rides unavailable. Second, the food was great, but there should be more healthier options on the menu. Finally, at every ride we visited, the staff seemed unmotivated -- dragging their feet, no greetings, no smiles. I'd recommend that staff orientation emphasize how important it is to welcome guests warmly, ideally with a smile.