Hey Mama Hey! If you are following me on Insta or Facebook you know I have been going a little crazy. Crazy for pumpkin patches and apple orchards. If it seems like every other weekend I am dressed in plaid and frolicking outside drinking cider….IT’S TRUE! I CAN’T GET ENOUGH! I have attended 3 different styles of pumpkin patches and have received so many questions about which is the “best one”. Here it is…my Mama Freshly Picked…Pumpkin Patch edition!
County Line Apple Orchard
This Indiana destination is a family tradition for my husband and his family. As soon a the leaves start changing they start buzzing about cider, apples and the Moo Choo Express. We chose this as the perfect location for ObieQ’s birthday celebration and it did not disappoint. The low price for entry ($7 for all of their attractions) make it ideal for large families. We love the petting zoo and wandering through the orchards searching for apples, pumpkins and even sunflowers. Your toddler will be obsessed the Moo Choo train, so get ready to ride multiple times!
Donut Ranking: 4/5 In the ginormous county store they are making donuts on site. You can choose between apple cider, pumpkin or even get crazy with 1/2 and 1/2. Donuts are yummy cake style.
Jacks Pumpkin Pop Up
Welcome to an Instagram wonderland! There are a few great things about this pop up patch but the first is that it is in city limits! Get your pumpkin patch photos poppin with only a 20 min drive. This is a 2 acre interactive experience, complete with a corn maze is perfect for your selfie addicted teens. Good luck with getting your toddler to make your IG dreams come true. Don’t worry though, there is a small bouncy house and plenty of room to run around for busy little ones. Just a heads up, this turns a little “boozy” after dark. If you are taking your little ones plan to be gone by then. must mention, I counted at least 4 bars serving hard cider, beers and cocktails. If you have an afternoon but not an entire day to dedicate to fall fun, this is a great option.
Donut Ranking: 1/5 There are no fresh donut options. There were some donuts, that were made off site, for sale. Skip them, totally not worth it. Buy tacos from the Flash Taco food truck instead!
Bengtson Pumpkin Farm
This is the big Mama of pumpkin farms! There is a $20 entry fee. Yep you read that right, 20 bucks. The good news is it’s like ripping off a band aid. Once it’s done it’s done. All of the rides and attractions are included in the price. This place is HUGE. We were there for about 5 hours and didn’t cover it all. If you have a lot of different ages with your group this is perfection. A small train ride for the little ones and a huge 90′ mega slide for older ones. My favorite feature was the Jimmy Cracked Corn Box, or as ObieQ and I kept chanting: “Corn Pit. Corn Pit!!!” While chilling in the corn pit and watching ObieQ make a corn snow anger, I realized my favorite part of any pumpkin patch: Making Memories
Donut Ranking: 5/5 At first glance they appear like any grocery store apple cider donut. Let me tell you. These are the best apple cider donuts I have had. ObieQ and I stood by the window, watching them being made. The woman behind the glass told us she put love in them. Y’all, I believe her!
So there is my wrap up. I have an apple orchard, non traditional pop up and pumpkin super farm. I hope this helps you decide which one to visit next. Did I miss one? Let me know. I am new to this but want to be to true to this. Let me know your favorite pumpkin patch and ObieQ will choose one of your Fresh Mama faves to visit!
Hey girl hey!!! 😊 Bengtson’s is totally our family’s favorite! It is a must-do every year. Thanks for your reviews! We will try the pop up as well…had no clue about it! ObieQ’s pics are too cute! “Picking up the homies” Ha!!! We’ll see you this weekend!
Thx girl. Yes. See you this weekend!!!
We love County Line Orchard. My children (11, 9, 6 and 1) enjoy going but have kinda outgrown County Line. We will continue to make the trip for the donuts but I’m looking for a place with more fun attractions at an affordable price, great donuts and small weekday crowds! I just might give Bengston Pumpkin Farm a try this year!!
I can definitely see that happening. The price tag at Bengston is hefty but definitely worth it!
My brother and I took the kidos to Goebberts’s Farm in South Barrington on Indigenous People’s Day and it was a blast. Only bad thing was the rain from the weekend made the grass and corn maze super duper muddy. The cost was $15 but it didn’t include all the attractions (haunted house, horse ride and a couple other things were extra). The place was HUGE as well and I’m sure we didn’t even get to see the best of what they had. Donuts were 3/5 lol.