We've reached the top 3 of my favorite pumpkin patches!
2nd and 3rd place were really hard to pick because they're both deserving of a top spot.
Coming in 3rd place is Pumpkin Creek Farms in Sherman, IL
We first visited this patch 3 years ago. I had seen a few friends post pictures, and decided to take the boys one weekend to check it out. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and we spent several hours playing.
I was shocked at how cheap their admission was for everything that was included in the price. James even made it in just under the wire with his age for free admission.
The first discovery was the giant corn bin. The boys even got me to come in and play. Have you really even visited a pumpkin patch if you don't come home and have corn falling out of random articles of clothing for the rest of the day?
They've got a small petting zoo, and you are also able to feed the goats, which James loved. They have bowling, huge hay bales to climb with slides, small corn tables for younger kiddos, duck races and swing sets. They have a hay ride that you can ride as many times as you want. The first year, I think the boys convinced me to ride it 3 times. They also have a barrel train that the kids can ride unlimited times. I think rode 2 or 3 times. I loved the atmosphere. The owners interact with guests. I love being able to breathe in fresh country air. The leaves were starting to change that year as well. Before we left, I decided to try an apple cider donut. Let's just say, I left with a dozen more and I crave them still. The donuts alone almost pushed Pumpkin Creek into 2nd place.
We also visited 2 years ago with my parent's. It was a blustery day. We're talking 40mph wind gusts and fairly chilly. We considered not going because of the wind, but I'm glad we did. We didn't spend as long as we did before because of it, but we still had such a great time...and ate donuts in the van.
We didn't make it last year, so this year we're going opening weekend!
Squeaking into 2nd place is Bloomsbury Farm in Atkins, Iowa.
While they are pricier than some and quite a tourist attraction, I definitely have a special place in my heart for it. The sole reason that it got the 2nd place spot is because Bloomsbury was where my love of pumpkin patches began.
I don't think I even have any pictures from my first visit, because like I said in my first post, I only went because my mom and sister made me feel guilty. My mom had coupons with free admission or something, and so I went with my parents and Kendra. This was before I had kids, so I really didn't care about the activities. We were there for the huge corn maze. What kind of idiots enjoy walking around in the corn for a couple of hours? Turns out, this idiot!
I got to go on a field trip with the daycare I worked at. I worked in the infant room, so never got to go on field trips. My boss was complaining that she was going to have to go on one with the preschoolers, so I jumped at the opportunity. She took my place and I took her's. This time, I got to do all the kid activities too...and then spend the drive back on the school bus catching rolling pumpkins. 😂
When Daniel was 10.5 months we took him to Bloomsbury. Thus, beginning my tradition of going to patches every single year with my kids. We even pushed a stroller through a semi muddy corn maze.
We went back in 2014. I was pregnant with James, and Daniel was nearing becoming a "threenager"...so while we had fun, we also had meltdowns that day because he didn't get a nap! I legitimately handed him off to my parents and Kendra and I boarded a wagon ride so I could get a break from my child!
By this year, they had added so many more new activities for kids. A big bouncy thing, corn bin, petting zoo, pig races, slides and more.
2 or 3 years ago, we had planned to take the boys to Pumpkin Patch Pizzazz, but it rained a ton, and we decided that we didn't want to deal with the mud. But, I was sad. I really wanted to go to the pumpkin patch, so Kendra and I decided that we were going to sneak off without telling the boys and we went to Bloomsbury. We had so much fun! We obviously did the corn maze...and got ridiculously lost. We found the same checkpoint at least a half a dozen times which meant we were walking in big circles!
We played on the big slides and then decided to do the "haunted house" which is geared for kids. That didn't stop us from screaming and being terrified. They also added Bags so we played that, and we of course had to get our picture in the giant rocking chair!
This year (hopefully...because 2020) we're going back! This will be James' first time...besides in the womb. I know he'll love it!
Tomorrow, I reveal the number 1 spot...which if you know me, then you clearly have already figured out which pumpkin patch it is. It deserved it's own post. Now, how I'm going to pick which pictures to use is beyond me. I literally have hundreds!
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