Take the family fruit-picking

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Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, Eau Claire, Mich.
(269-782-7101; www.treemendus-fruit.com)

Pucker up for the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship on July 7 at this 450-acre farm. Children and adults compete to spit a pit the farthest, and novices train at the July 6 cherry pit spit clinic. Those with less salivary interests can pick apples, apricots cherries, peaches and pears. Plus there's a petting zoo, wagon rides and a jam-packed country store.
Open June 8 through Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Tuesdays.

Indigo Farms, Calabash, N.C.
(910-287-6794; www.ncagr.com)

Do your kids think corn comes from the can? Pack up the car for the Sweet Corn Festival, usually held the Saturday before Father's Day. It's a highlight at this 240-acre farm, run by the Bellamy family, who've been farming in this area for six generations. The festival features live country music, hayrides and corn roasting. If you're busy that day, stop by another time to pick your blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, and visit the barnyard animals.
Open year-round, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (shorter hours in the winter, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas and Sundays).



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