Pennywise Pumpkin Picking

It’s fall. The time of year when Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy start looking for the ultimate in sincere pumpkin patches. I don’t know about sincerity, but I certainly do start looking for the most affordable pumpkin patches! Check out my list of pumpkin picking opportunities in the Western suburbs of Chicago to see which one you can ‘carve out’ to fit your family’s budget!

I appreciate that not everyone lives in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. If you need help finding pumpkins near your ‘patch’ check out the pumpkin farm finder link below:

https://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/ (pumpkin farm finder)

Locations Near Western Chicagoland Suburbs:

Windy Acres: Located at 37W446 Fabyan Pkwy, Geneva, IL 60134. A cute mid-sized family-owned farm. Their Fall Fest activities include live music, beer garden, and food on weekends only. During the week/weekend they offer a petting zoo, bounce house, corn maze, play area, train ride *last year the train ride was an additional fee*, and mini golf. Pumpkins are purchased per lb. at the farmstand which also offers fall staples such as doughnuts, cider, caramel apples, gourds, mums, raw honey, etc. Weekday pricing: $16/ per person with 2 and under free. Weekend pricing: $19/per person with 2 and under free. Check out the link below for more information.

https://windyacresfarmstand.com/fall-fest/ (Windy Acres fall festival info)

Kuipers: Located at 1N290 Watson Road, Maple Park, IL. A slightly larger, but still family-owned farm. Kuipers boasts an apple orchard and pumpkin farm right across the street from one another. Their pumpkin farm activities include pig races, giant slide, haunted house, tire mountain, hayride, and petting zoo. Pumpkins are purchased per lb.; however, October admission price includes one free pumpkin per admission. Weekday pricing: $19.99/per person. Weekend/holiday pricing: $22.99/per person (ONLINE), $24.99/per person (AT GATE). Check out the links below for more information and to save money by buying tickets online.

https://www.kuipersfamilyfarm.com/pumpkin-farm/ (full list of attractions)

https://www.kuipersfamilyfarm.com/pumpkin-farm-tickets-2/ (buy online tickets)

Abbey Farms: Located at 2855 HART RD. AURORA, IL 60502. A unique agricultural co-op organization. Fall attractions include corn cannon, go carts, zip line, petting zoo, bounce pillow, and a beer garden on the weekends. Pumpkins are sold separately at the farm stand per lb. Weekday pricing: $15.00/person. Weekend/holiday pricing: $20.00/person (ONLINE), $22.00/person (AT GATE). Check out the links below for more information.

https://abbeyfarms.org/pumpkin-daze/ (hours and attractions)

https://abbeyfarms.ticketspice.com/pumpkin-daze-2022 (pricing and online tickets)

Sonny Acres: Located at 29W310 North Ave., West Chicago, IL 60185. Another family-owned staple, though they have recently made some significant changes. Attractions include hayrides, carnival style rides, and bakery. Pumpkins are sold separately by lb. Pricing Tuesday to Thursday: $25.00 per/person unlimited ride bracelet. Pricing Friday to Sunday: no wristbands offered; pay per ride with tickets. Closed on Monday. Check out the link below for more information.

https://sonnyacres.com/ (hours, pricing, and attraction info)

Goeberts: Located at 40 W. Higgins Rd., South Barrington Il. Attractions include giraffe encounters, camel rides, pig races, magic show, gem mining, pony rides, haunted house, and a pumpkin eating dinosaur. General admission for Fall Festival: $22.00/per person. Pricing for all the ‘extra’ attractions was very difficult to pin down. You can really mix and match activities and drop a ton of money or keep it on the affordable side at this location. For example, an animal ride is listed as $8.00, gem mining is $10.00, jumping pillow is $6.00. Check out the links below for more information.

https://goebbertspumpkinfarm.com/ (fall attractions)

https://goebbertsfarm.ticketleap.com/2022goebberts/dates/Sep-22-2022_at_0900AM (sample of how pricing works)

Jonamac Apple Orchard: Located at 19412 Shabbona Rd, Malta, IL 60150. A hidden money saving gem that I just learned about this fall. It’s a bit more of a hike out than the other locations, but worth it for the savings! Attractions include giant slides, corn crib, petting zoo, duck races, apple launcher, and train ride. Pumpkins are sold separately per lb. Pricing Monday to Friday (holidays excluded): free for the play area. After school special pricing M-F: $5.00/person to add on jumping pillow, corn crib, and animal feed. Pricing Saturday, Sunday, and holidays: $8.00/person for Fall Festival entrance. Apple Token cost: $2.00 ea or $6.00 for ten. *Apple Tokens required for train, animal feed, apple cannon, and pony rides during the weekend* Check out the links below for more information.

https://jonamacorchard.com/directions/ (location and directions)

https://jonamacorchard.com/activities/ (attractions)

https://jonamacorchard.com/buy-tickets/ (tickets and pricing)

Retail Pumpkin Sales: You can always save a little money by heading to the farm for the activities and ‘picking’ up a pumpkin on the way home at just about any retail store this time of year. I have seen pumpkins for sale at: Walmart, Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Meijer, Costco, and Sam’s Club.

Hope all this information helps you and your family to ‘carve out’ some fun this fall!

Cheers!

Love,

Marie