photo: courtesy of Bridget Montgomery
Once the leaves start changing colors and those Halloween stores pop up in every abandoned storefront in the city, we're ready to plan a party and bust out the apple cider. But aside from all the urban ways to celebrate fall, sometimes it's best to take a trip to a slice of autumn in the 'burbs. If you agree, fill up the gas tank, wave goodbye to the crowded metropolis and check out our favorite pumpkin patches and apple orchards.
Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch
A giant pumpkin-clad person struts around at this farm, which hosts fall fun for eager city dwellers and rural folk alike. Visitors can take a wagon ride to the 200-acre pumpkin patch, get lost between husky stalks in the corn maze, cuddle animals at the petting zoo, cruise the through Spookhouse and watch a 20-foot-tall electric dinosaur with glowing orange eyes eat pumpkins. After all that excitement, stroll into the Farmer's Wife Cafe, located inside a restored barn. There you can munch on homemade apple cider donuts, pies, cookies and fudge or warm up with hot soup and a grilled chicken sandwich. Be sure not to miss the market and craft barn, where you can stock up on squash, gourds, potatoes and apples.
Homestead Apple Farm
Eight years ago, Don and Barb Burda bought this farm and store, stocked with apple chips, handcrafted items, glassware and antique furniture and housed in an 1880s horse barn. While the apples are still the main focus here, the Burdas added a room to honor World War II veterans; inspired by Don's father, who was a WWII vet, the space showcases memorabilia like maps, model airplanes, books and magazines. In the orchard, you can pick apples like Macintosh, Empire, Jonathan, Golden Delicious and the biggest, sweetest Jonagolds you've ever seen. Want to make sure your favorite variety is still available? Call (815) 338-7443 for up-to-date apple-picking info.
photo: courtesy of Bridget Montgomery
This year's annual Pumpkin Festival has tons of activities to entertain grown-up visitors and the pint-sized ones all day long. Wander through the 15-acre pumpkin patch and pick your own, or take a tractor-drawn hayride over. Foodies can chill out at one of covered picnic tables at the Pumpkin Patch Cafe (open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and munch on freshly baked sweet pumpkin and apple cider donuts. Check out the farm animals, including newly born piglets and lots of chicks, in the education barn, then stop by Scarecrow Alley to get a real fright.
Fox Trolley Museum
Enjoy all the leisure of a pumpkin patch without getting any of that pesky hay on your tush at this museum's seasonal pumpkin trolley. You'll get a peek of another era to boot! Visitors hop onboard an antique trolley headed toward the John Duerr Forest Preserve, with a stop at the Ole Pumpkin Patch either on the way there or back. When you get there, snag a little pumpkin (they're all "pie pumpkins," measuring four to five inches in diameter) and climb back on the trolley to finish a relaxing tour of falling leaves. Trains operate every half hour on Saturdays, October 9 and 16, and Sundays, October 10 and 17, and no reservations are necessary. If you're looking for something a little scarier, the Haunted Halloween ghost story train runs October 16-17 and October 23-24; daring riders will visit the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, sit by a campfire along the banks of the Fox River, and enjoy food, story and song.
Appleberry Farm
Tired of Illinois altogether? Drive past Madison, Wisconsin, toward this charming family-owned farm in the middle-of-nowhere. Rows of apple trees beckon visitors to pick their own, and inside the neighboring store (which is part-store, part-apple storage and part-greenhouse), you'll find apples, squash, cider, dried floral arrangements, local honey products and maple syrup. The farm is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) through Halloween. A visit to Appleberry is worth getting up early on a Saturday morning, though, with a pumpkin patch and hayrack rides rounding out the autumn offerings.
Boberosa Barnworks
At this bucolic barn operation, located only 25 minutes east of Rockford, you can choose from a small selection of pumpkins in the farm shop or just pet the resident llamas (no joke, seriously!). The patch's scarecrows, Sam and Ella, lead the way, while farmer Fred (not a real person) sits atop another rusty red barn, waving to passersby. All the barn woodcrafts in the store were created from the reclaimed wood of northern Illinois barns, thus recycling worn, yet sturdy, wood.
photo: courtesy of Bridget Montgomery
You can feel good about picking pumpkins here because all profits benefit Settler's Pond Hooved Animal Shelter and Rescue. From September 25 through Halloween Day (the patch is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) you can explore two spooky grave yards, a straw maze, corn maze, a petting zoo, putt-putt golf, fun rides and a variety of different vendors. Adult admission is $6, kids 2-14 are $4 and those under 2 are free.
Larson's Family Farm
Enjoy your pick of pumpkins at this family-owned farm, but don't forget about the other delightful edible goods, including squash, honey, fresh-pressed apple cider and plain old apples. Go on a weekday in October with a group and you could catch a farm tour, a hayride full of Native American history lessons and films about modern-day farming. Get spooked with evening bonfires and hayrides, which are available for visitors or can be pre-arranged. Looking for something more colorful? Check out a variety of Indian corn, learn about the farm's teepee or wander through the "enchanted woods" and spooky cemetery. Or just visit the witch on duty: She'll tell you stories you wish you'd never heard.
Other getaways to get a pumpkin:
Lambs Farm
While you can pick up a pumpkin any ol' day of the week, you'll want to head to Lambs Farm on Saturday night, when Haunted Harvest, which includes graveyard golf, kicks into harrowing high-gear. Admission is $15 per person.
Sonny Acres Farm
Sonny Acres offers a frighteningly fun time filled with hay rides, a haunted barn, a spook shed and, of course, heaps of pumpkins. If you don't have your digs for the big night yet, head to the farm's costume shop.
Bengston Pumpkin Fest
Here you'll find tractor-drawn hayrides, a crazy (we hear) corn maze, an animated haunted house and the always-thrilling pig race. Don't leave before indulging in a pumpkin spice cappuccino and some chili.
Butterprint Farm
Take a hayride and check out a corn maze while you pick the perfect pumpkin from this farm's 15 varieties. Live music, from fiddlers to bluegrass, on Saturdays and Sundays will get you groovin' like a goblin.
If you can't get outside of city limits, the Park District offers a bunch of urban pumpkin patches.
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Looking for more ways to celebrate the season? We've got you covered with scarily accurate info on:
Haunted Bars
Costume Shops
House Party Essentials
Candy Stores
Creepy Chicago Tours
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