Oooooh it’s that time of year. Pumpkins, apples, leaves changing – time to gather up the family and do something autumnal! (Yes, even if Illinois throws you a random 80 degree day in October :-P)
But where to go for some fall fun?
Our tradition is to visit Keller’s Farmstand every fall! Keller’s is located in Oswego, about 45-60 minutes from the western suburbs of Chicago. I know that sounds long, but it’s a super easy drive and goes pretty quickly! Plus, its distance from the city and burbs tends to make Keller’s less congested than other, closer places. (In short: it’s worth it!).
The farmstand is typically open for fall activities on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. You can buy your tickets online or go straight to the ticket booth when you arrive. Kids under 5 are free (yesss!) and your entry ticket includes all the activities except apple-picking, which is a separate fee.
Potty Notes: the bathrooms here are porta-potties, but they are plentiful and found right at the entrance, which is in the center of all the activities.
What are the fall activities at Keller’s?
Play Area & Farm Animals
The kids tend to make a beeline for the play area, which is to the right of the entrance. Here are all kinds of little play buildings to climb into and slide out of. There are fall-themed games here too, such as a version of “Guess Who?” but with apples instead of people faces. Also, farmer trivia, tricycles, pedal cars, and some kind of race on a track where both people are riding fake cows (gosh, I explained that weirdly – but I’m really not sure there’s a better way to, lol).
This area is also where you can say hi to a few farm animals! We saw horses, a mini horse, cows, and goats, some inside and some roaming outside.
Corn Mazes
Then, we get to do my favorite thing – the corn maze!! Since our kids are still pretty young (7 and 4), we start with the mini maze. These 5 or so objectives are part of the larger maze but they’re close together in one area, so it’s fun for littles without being overwhelming.
This year, the kids only had enough patience for the mini maze (darn!) so we didn’t get to really test our map-reading skills in the larger part, but maybe next year!
Wagon Ride
The wagon ride is a nice relaxing 10ish minute tour of some of the apple orchard. It’s cool to hear about what goes into the planning and growing of the apples, while enjoying the scenery.
Pumpkin Patch
Okay, in our 7ish years of visiting here, I’m not sure we’ve ever actually picked a pumpkin here! I think we get so wrapped up in doing and seeing and eating other things that we just run out of time before someone melts down! I’m sure it’s great though 😛
Apple Picking
The apple picking is fun! You first pay for the size of bag each person wants to fill, then head into the orchard. There’s all different varieties to choose from, and you can use one of those grabber things to snag fruit that’s up high. The kids had a good time trying to spot the most perfect apples, and we all liked trying the different kinds!
If you don’t opt to do the apple picking, you can always grab a bag of apples from the shop. I would recommend it – they have cool varieties I’ve never seen elsewhere!
Stop at the Shop (and get a donut!!)
The apple cider donuts at Keller’s are an absolute MUST – so yummy!! But the shop also has cool jellies, salsas, treats, etc, along with bagged apples, so we like to grab some things to try before we hit the road.
There’s also a new little coffee stand, along with a food stand that has fare like hot dogs and nachos, if you need a snack break while you’re at the farmstand.
