The Seasonal Kitchen: Local Pumpkin Patches to visit

Did you know Illinois is the #1 pumpkin producing state in the US? 

It is now pumpkin season and that means all the local pumpkin patches are open for business as of this weekend! My family is going for our annual birthday party for my niece to the local patch and I am ready! I love the season and all it brings. The food, the weather, the colors, it's all wonderful! I am going to give you an overview of 5 local pumpkin patches within 2 hours from Springfield where you can take your family or go visit on your own. 

1. Bomke's Patch: located at 605 Country Lake Rd. Springfield IL 62711 217-670-2470

Admission for Bomke's for kids under 2 is free, ages 3-65 are $8, and 65+ and military are $6. Bomke's was started as a Christmas Tree farm in 2002 and in 2011 they opened their pumpkin patch. They have 13 acres with over 50 varieties of pumpkins. You can choose to pick your own or choose from a selection of pre-picked options. 

Activities offered include: a play area, corn maze, bean maze, wagon ride, petting zoo, and food truck. Plus, some unique activities like a pumpkin cannon (5$), barnyard bath, and new this year bocci ball! You can feed the animals at the petting zoo for 1$ per cup. 

2. Pumpkin Creek Farmstead: 7392 Barclay Rd. Sherman, IL 62684 217-629-4058

Pumpkin Creek farmstead is opened all week (Mon-Thurs 10-5, Fri-Sat 10-6, and Sun 12-6). They also offer a season pass for $22- or single-day tickets for $8, $6 for 65+ and $6 Mon-Thurs. 

Pumpkin Creek has been operating for 10 seasons and offers a variety of activities like a play area, petting zoo, corn maze, U-pick, hayrides, country store, and food. This is one of my family's annual places to visit. I especially love the petting zoo with their chickens and highland cows and the apple cider donuts and apple cider slushie! Unique things that they offer are the Haystack Mountain, and new for this year: tug of war, tetherball, and a new game called the rat race. 

3. Indian Creek Farmstead: 19468 Curtis Blacktop Rd. Petersburg, IL 62675 217-993-4050

Open Saturday and Sunday through October 29th- cost is $7 per kid for barnyard admittance, and adults are free unless wanting to go on a wagon ride for $3. 

Indian Creek Farmstead is on 120+ acres and includes over 70 varieties of pumpkins. The property includes 4 buildings (barn, granary, shoppe, and memory barn) some of which are historical. You have an opportunity to see and pet animals, see crops in the field, and learn about the foods as well. This is experiencing farm life and the role of agriculture. 

The Shoppe includes a food area including a vintage ice cream shoppe. I am very excited to check this out this season and this pumpkin patch has a lot of event space available for special events. 

They also have a play area, wagon rides, and a safe alternative to a corn maze using MILO/ Sorghum instead of corn stalks. 

4. Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch: 3902 S Duncan Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 217-359-5565

Free admission and free parking and current hours are Mon-Sat 9-am-6pm and Sunday 11am-6pm. They instead charge per activity instead of a base admission price. 

Free activities include a toddler area and petting zoo. They also include horse drawn carriage rides on Sundays in September and weekends in October for 5 Tokens. There is a restaurant called the Flying Monkey Cafe open 8/26-10/31 from 11am-2pm daily. There is also a store where you can find items like produce, apple products, and unique items. 

The farm was founded in 1873 by the Curtis family and has gone through many changes since then. They started the orchard in 1977 and opened to the public in 1980, when a bad hailstorm prompted them to start making Apple Cider. Since then, it has been an award-winning favorite. The orchard still is a family run business today and is one of the area's most popular spots for Agricultural Tourism. 

5. The Great Pumpkin Patch: 1749A E County Rd. 1900 N Arthur, IL 61911

Open until 10/29, beginning 9/20. Wed-Sun 9-6. Weekday tickets for adults $7, 60+ $5, child 6-12 $5, under 5 free. Weekend tickets for adults $11, 60+ $7, child 6-12 $7, under 5 free.  Season pass available for $22.

The patch is located on over 200 acres and includes over 300 varieties of pumpkins from 20 different countries. The property was started as a homestead property in 1859 and includes some historical buildings including an old schoolhouse. The family started growing pumpkins in 1989 and opened the pumpkin patch to guests. In 2006, they added the Homestead Bakery offering from-scratch baked goods.

They have a corn maze, wagon rides, pumpkin art (if you have been you know what I mean), trails, photo ops, animals (my favorite is the three little pigs), a bakery, shop, and thousands of pumpkins to see. 

Not only is this a great pumpkin patch but you drive through the heart of Amish country to get there so it is an experience not to be missed. 

I hope you have a chance to check out one or more of these pumpkin patches and enjoy this wonderful season! I know I plan to check out a couple of them myself! Bring on the apple cider donuts, pumpkin bread, and apple cider slushies!