Local farms offer corn mazes, fall activities
As cooler weather rolls in, local farms are offering a chance to take advantage of the changing seasons. Take your kids to explore massive corn mazes and stick around for plenty of other activities including petting zoos, pony rides and the chance to pick your own pumpkin.
Pumpkinfest at Didier Farms, 16678 W. Aptakisic Road, Lincolnshire, will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. Admission is free, and most activities cost $3. Call (847) 634-3291 or visit didierfarms.com.
Didier Farm's 5-acre corn maze changes every year and is a hit with kids.
“There's only one way through it and there are a lot of dead ends, co-owner John Didier said.
Other attractions include horse- and tractor-drawn hayrides, pony rides, camel rides, a petting zoo with goats, chickens, pigs and sheep, and a wild animal zoo with a bear, a lion, a baby wildebeest and a liger. The farm has a craft shop where kids can work on Halloween-themed paintings with regular or glow-in-the dark paints. Later in the season, you'll be able to pick from the farm's huge selection of pumpkins and gourds sold by the pound, which come in all shapes, sizes and colors including white, green-speckled and orange. The farm also makes their own apple cider and doughnuts so you can grab a snack after a full day of activities.
Siegel's Cottonwood Farm, 17250 S. Weber Road, Crest Hill, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. Price is $12 and free for kids younger than 3. Call (815) 741-2693 or visit ourpumpkinfarm.com.
Part of the area for 101 years, the working farm grows corn, soybeans, hay and lots of pumpkins. Admission grants access to all of the attractions including this year's 17-acre corn maze. With 5.5 miles of walking paths, the maze spells out Chicago Wins 2010 and winds around in the shape of the Blackhawks' mascot. Other top attractions include hayrides and a petting zoo where you can buy feed and have goats, ponies and pigs eating out of your hand.
“Our hayride goes into a real pumpkin patch and they can go out and cut pumpkins off the vine, owner Sue Siegel said.
Kids can also try scaling the free-standing climbing wall, bounce around in a moonwalk and race down a 30-foot double slide. After working up an appetite, snack on some homemade cider and fudge.
Shades of Autumn Fall Festival at Stade's Farm & Market, 3709 Miller Road, McHenry, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. Admission is free, and attractions cost $1.50 to $5. Call (815) 675-6396 or visit shadesofautumn.net.
Visitors who find the answers to all 15 questions scattered throughout the corn maze at Stade's will get to take home a free small pumpkin. Shades of Autumn is packed with activities, including pedal car tracks, a petting zoo, inflatables and rides on a combine painted to look like Frank from the movie “Cars. The most popular attraction is the air-powered cannons that launch corn and pumpkins. Families can take a free hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out their gourds and on weekends any pumpkin you can carry to the hay wagon by yourself is just $5. The farm store sells doughnuts, pies and apple cider.
Johansen Farms, 710 W. Boughton Road, Bolingbrook, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. Price is $7.50 on weekdays and $10.50 on weekends and Columbus Day. Kids younger than 2 admitted free. Call (630) 759-8711 or visit johansenfarms.com.
The corn maze at Johansen Farms is designed with kids in mind. It's not big enough for anyone to really get lost and with only one way in and out parents can easily keep an eye out. The farm also features a huge pumpkin patch with 25,000 pumpkins to choose from. You can also buy apple cider doughnuts and fresh baked pumpkin, apple, caramel apple-walnut and peach-berry pies. Additional activities for kids include train rides, hay rides, pony rides, a two-story slide and petting zoos with 200 bunnies, goats to feed and fuzzy chicks you can hold.