This is a personal review from 2011, your experience may vary.
COVID-19 Update: Pumpkinfest for 2020 will open September 19. Facemasks are required, and online ticketing is recommended due to limited capacity. Read the complete rules here.
Didier Farms, annual Pumpkinfest is a fall tradition you don’t want to miss. Although, Pumpkinfest seems a tame moniker for the actual festival, which in my mind, would be better known as “Pumpkin-palooza.”
If you’re looking for a quaint, rural, U-Pick farm experience, then Didier Farms is not for you. Picking your own pumpkins (call ahead for availability) is just the tip of the iceberg at Didier Farms. Yes, there is a farm, but the atmosphere is more like a carnival than your average family farm, so come prepared. It will be an exhilarating day, to say the least.
The sheer number of attractions and activities is dizzying. All activities are available on the weekends’ weather permitting, and a limited number are available during the week. Rest assured that even a weekday visit will offer LOTS of entertainment for your family.
Your typical fall festival attractions include hayrides, corn maze, and a petting zoo. In contrast, some of their more unusual attractions include an exotic bird exhibit, camel rides, and a white tiger exhibit. The complete list includes (are you ready for this?) a tractor hayride, straw maze, pony rides, crafts, mechanical rides, a giant slide, train ride, and an inflatable jump. For no fee, you can enjoy Teepees, pig silo with baby piglets, view the farm animals, and visit the Education Barn with live baby chicks. The Farmstand Market and concessions will also be open where you can purchase the ubiquitous apple cider donuts or hot apple cider.
The nice thing is that all the carnival rides are kiddie-sized, so your pre-schooler or adventurous toddler can participate. We liked the train which wound through an actual cornfield. Boredom is not an option here, but overstimulation is a definite possibility. When we attended with our two-year-old last year, the exotic and wild animals were a definite surprise, and our son was enraptured.
Didier Farms
16678 W. Aptakisic Road, Prairie View-Lincolnshire, IL
(847) 634-3291 | Facebook
Pumpkinfest usually runs the last week of September – through Halloween, see website for this year’s dates, hours, and admission fees.
Have you been to pumpkinfest?
Find more Fall Fun in Lake County.
By Loralie
Hainesville
When Loralie isn’t out exploring with her two pint-sized adventurers you’ll often find her in front of her computer plotting to take over the world (or at least Lake County.) She appreciates good friends, good food, expensive shoes and parents who make two lanes in the drop-off/pick-up line at school. Her spirit animal is The Hobbit. She invites you to join her on her quest for unique distractions, diversions and deliciousness in this county we call home.
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