6 suburban pumpkin patches to visit this fall
If you view the pumpkin spice craze as cynically as the creep of Black Friday sales, then head to your nearest pumpkin patch. A pumpkin patch visit is the perfect antidote to pumpkin spice overload - and a true celebration of fall's favorite fruit.
At a pumpkin patch, you can actually see a pumpkin growing and appreciate its cultivation. You can wade through pumpkin piles and remember when you tried to lift the big one as a kid. Better yet, you can make multiple trips to pick the perfect orange globe to carve, paint and, eventually, compost. So here are six pumpkin patches to frequent this time of year:
1. Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch, Hampshire
A pumpkin patch on steroids, Goebbert's has every kind of pumpkin-themed attraction: a pumpkin-eating dinosaur, a pumpkin express train, a pumpkin cannon, a two-story pumpkin slide and a custom-made landmark - the enormous, fiberglass pumpkin atop the silo at the family farm.
The Goebbert's Fall Festival runs through Halloween at 42W813 Reinking Road. Tickets are $12.99 on weekdays; $16.99 on weekends, Labor Day and Columbus Day; $10 for seniors; and free for kids 2 and younger.
Info: (847) 464-5952 or Goebbertspumpkinpatch.com.
2. Kuipers Family Farm, Maple Park
Escape suburban sprawl at this vast pumpkin farm at 1N318 Watson Road. Get one free pick-your-own pumpkin with admission. Apple picking - held on the weekends through October - is another must. Tickets are $15.99 on weekdays; $17.99 on weekends and Columbus Day; $10.99 for seniors and members of the military; and free for kids 2 and younger. Info: (815) 827-5200 or Kuipersfamilyfarm.com.
3. Cosley Zoo, Wheaton
The 5-acre zoo owned by the Wheaton Park District hosts its Pumpkin Fest from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily during October at Gary Avenue and Jewell Road. Families can choose pumpkins and enjoy amusement rides in front of an 1880s-era train depot. Zoo admission is free for Wheaton residents with a park district ID; $6-$7 for nonresidents; and free for children. Info: (630) 665-5534 or Cosleyzoo.org.
4. Abbey Farms, Aurora
Tractor-pulled wagon rides are one of the best ways to view the pumpkin field and woodsy areas of a nonprofit farm operation that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The grounds also have corn mazes, a petting zoo and a bakery. You will want to devour the melt-in-your-mouth apple cider and pumpkin spice doughnuts made fresh daily. Event proceeds support the monks of neighboring Marmion Abbey along Butterfield Road. Admission to Pumpkin Daze at Abbey Farms is $11 on weekdays; $15 weekends and holidays; $8 on Saturday nights after 6 p.m.; $6.99 for military members, seniors and scouts with their troops; and free for kids 2 and younger. Info: (630) 966-7775 or Abbeyfarms.org.
5. Didier Farms, Lincolnshire
Pumpkinfest opens Sept. 21 and continues until 4 p.m. on Halloween. The family farm offers pig races, hayrides, pony rides and a petting zoo in addition to a wide assortment of pumpkins and gourds. There is no admission cost to the farm at 16678 Aptakisic Road, but activities and rides charge ticket fees. Info: (847) 634-3291 or Didierfarms.com.
6. Sonny Acres, West Chicago
The suburban icon is under new ownership after decades of staying in the family of matriarch Ramona Feltes.
A collection of red barns has traditionally housed an elaborate haunted house, costume shop and a general store with apple cider doughnuts, bushels of apples and Amish jams.
A popular haunted hay ride travels through the property's oak woods, providing cover for masked characters and creepy noises.
The Fall Festival is set to open earlier this year - on Sept. 14 - at the site just west of North Avenue and Klein Road. Info: (630) 231-3859 or Sonnyacres.com.