Chicagoland’s Apple Orchards and Pumpkin Patches

Is there any family-friendly activity more synonymous with autumn than going to a pumpkin patch? In addition to being able to choose the perfect pumpkin for turning into pies or jack o’lanterns, these farms are mini-amusement parks featuring dozens of rides and attractions for youngsters, and restaurants with classic American comfort food.

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

Here you’ll also find a market, where you can buy site-grown produce; locally made honey, syrups, sauces, and dressings; quaint home décor; plus fall favorites like pies, cider donuts, and caramel apples. All in a pastoral, rural setting with plenty of fresh, crisp air. 

All of the farms listed below are within about an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago. Farms that have apple orchards require purchase of a bag – with the smallest being a ¼-peck (approximately 2.5 pounds worth of apples) – in order to enter the grove, with a separate charge for the rides and attractions, and several allow you to combine both at a discount. Check the websites for full details.  

In Homer Glen, only 30 miles from downtown Chicago, Bengtson’s Farm’s Fall Fest runs through Nov. 2^nd. A general admission ticket grants access to more than 25 attractions and 14 rides, including a petting zoo, hayrides and train rides, a haunted barn, and a pumpkin patch with more than 10,000 gourds of all stripes to purchase. Stop by the food trucks for barbecue, Italian beef sandwiches, pretzels, and boba tea.

“Happy Jack,” a 15’-tall fiberglass pumpkin perched atop a silo, welcomes visitors to South Barrington’s Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center (33 miles). Work your way through the corn maze, feed a giraffe, take in a magic show, and thrill to the pumpkin-eating dinosaur. In 2024, Goebbert’s added the Beer Barn, which specializes in local craft beers and hard ciders, including the exclusive Cornfield Gold, a Mexican lager, a collaboration with The Lucky Monk. Be sure to stop by the market for a souvenir mug of hot cider that comes with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cider donut as a garnish.

You can get the traditional pumpkin patch experience at Sonny Acres Farm in West Chicago (37 miles), but on weekend nights it gets positively spooky. Gear up for Halloween by taking the Wicked Hallows Haunted Hayride through the farm’s woods or the Curse of the Scarecrow Haunted Barn, both of which feature live actors and scary thrills at every turn. 

The closest apple orchard to Chicago is Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park (56 miles), where bags for picking only come in ¼-peck size. At the Pumpkin FunFarm, you can ride down the Tree Top Tube Slide, climb a mountain of tractor tires, enjoy live bands on weekends, be a contestant at its on-the-farm game show, and watch pigs race at “Squealington Park.” The apple orchard closes for the year on Nov. 2^nd.

Woodstock (60 miles) is home to All Seasons Orchard, where the Barnyard has three mazes – including a corn maze inspired by country music star Lainey Wilson and a Sesame Street-themed sunflower maze – plus the Bunny Village, pedal karts, and more than 30 other attractions for kids. The apple orchard has more than 16,000 trees in two orchards, and bags can be purchased in ¼-peck and ½-peck sizes. Varieties that are no longer in season can be purchased at the Farm Market. 

At Stade’s Farm & Market in McHenry (62 miles), the Shades of Autumn Fall Festival is in full swing until Oct. 26. The Farmtractions Theme Park includes a Ferris wheel, carousel, zipline, and a rope-climbing hill. Of all the apple groves in the area, Stade’s is the only farm that has a wide selection of other vegetables that you can pick, including tomatoes, potatoes, and many types and colors of peppers. 

Lastly, head to Apple Holler in Sturtevant, Wisc. (65 miles), where you can pick up to a full bushel (40 lbs.) of apples and, in the summer, peaches. In the Kids Korral Play Area, you’ll find a corn maze, fun house, pedal cart track, skee-ball, goats that you can feed, and a giant slide. On your way back to Chicago, stop at the nearby Mars Cheese Castle for a massive assortment of Wisconsin’s finest cheeses, sausages, and beer. 

The author got some amazing hot peppers at Stade’s last year, but is still dreaming about that hot cider at Goebbert’s from 2021.