For the past several years, we've gone to Bengston's Pumpkin Farm in Homer Glen, IL every fall. There always seemed to be coupons in the mail, and the kids always had fun there. There's a pony ride, petting zoo, wagon ride, corn maze, little amusement park rides, a train, pig races, a fun barn, and a haunted barn, plus a selection of pumpkins to choose from.
This year, our friends invited us to Dollinger's Pumpkin Farm in Channahon, IL. It's a bit farther away, so less crowded and less commercialized, plus we got a deal with LivingSocial, which made it very affordable. The kids had a blast jumping on the giant haystacks and running in and out of the little play houses in the Farm Playground. We rode the steam train and walked through the giant 4-acre corn maze. They also had a petting zoo and horse-drawn hayrides, but the Spooky Barn was closed the day we visited. We had fun picking out pumpkins here.
Another weekend, we met friends at All Seasons Apple Orchard in Woodstock, IL. It's not a good year for apples, so we went to the Pumpkin Patch instead. The kids had fun in the bouncy houses, on the mini zip lines, and on the cow train. They enjoyed riding pedal karts, racing plastic ducks, feeding goats, shooting corn husks, playing in the corn pit, watching the pig race, and seeing the magic show. The 12-acre corn maze was huge and easy to get lost in. & Of course, we had to buy more pumpkins!
Overall, we had fun exploring new places and spending time outdoors with the kids.
The Environmental Working Group is concerned about toxic substances found in household products that we use every day, which are linked to health problems, including asthma, allergies, and cancer.