The season is among us with so many fall farms to visit in the Cincy area. After checking out the top five reviews, be sure to check out my full list of farms at the end of the post!
Perhaps, if you’re like me, after visiting more than one farm while surviving on little sleep, the patches begin to blur together and you need cheat sheet to tell them apart. Or possibly, you’re fully rested and just wondering where to start. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
Growing up in the late 80’s/early 90’s… When I was a kid, our family picked a pumpkin the good ol’ fashioned way… at the grocery store. Yeah, you read that right. Were pumpkin patch events even a thing back then?!
Now that I’m an adult, I realize I missed out on this magical part of childhood that I now intend to live out vicariously through my own offspring. For those that know my deep love of summer, you might be astonished to hear me admit this, but dare I say, I’ve begun to look forward to the fall season.
As of fall 2023, from most expensive to least, I bring you my cliff notes on the following Cincinnati pumpkin patches we stumbled upon, based on local recommendations. And there are still many more to check out!
Blooms and Berries, Loveland, OH
- Expensive at first glance… but worth it when you realize it’s a one-time up front cost, whereas other places charge separately for each activity. However, I have had the thought, “You have to buy timed tickets for goodness sake, on top of buying a pumpkin!?” Tickets range from $15-25 per person, becoming increasingly more expensive closer to Halloween. I’ve been more than once though, and don’t regret it one bit. If you’re on the fence, do it.
- Specific dog days with dog geared activities.
- So huge with creative activities. You can easily spend the entire day and still not want to leave. There’s so much to do that the sunflowers, hay ride, and corn mazes are gorgeous and fun, but not the highlight.
- What initially drew us was the pumpkin-shaped bounce pad. But now, my personal favorite is the Bee Train that’s marketed for kids, but don’t be fooled. Bob the Bee Train driver is a hoot who flings cars around curves fast enough to make even a 6 year old cry. Luckily, my son loves an adrenaline rush as much as me.
- Beer and limited wine served for adults starting at a reasonable late morning time.
Neltner’s Farm in Melborne, KY
- Tickets required, but more affordable than Blooms and Berries at $7.
- Craft vendors and great selection of local wines. My favorite was a plum wine I hope is there again this year. I regret not buying more than one bottle last year.
- Live music creates a great atmosphere.
- Amazing toy train display as well as a train for kids to ride, pulled by a tractor. Extra cost for train ride.
- Hay ride with horse drawn covered wagons (although, I did feel bad for the horses by the end of the day, but that’s coming from a city gal who knows nothing about farm animals).
- Gourds and pumpkins grown on the farm in an interactive walkway and display.
Shaw Farms in Milford, OH
- No ticket required. Pay for as many or as few of activities as you like, such as: pedal carts ($4), corn maze ($7), hay ride ($5-$6), and kids train ($4). It’s entirely possible to go and not tack these on if you’re with little ones who are more interested in the the playground.
- So much fun to take pictures of your little ones on what they call the interactive playground. It contains what feels like nearly a hundred hand-painted cutouts of a variety of themes.
- Farm animals and great selection of pumpkins and gourds.
Brown’s Family Farm, Hamilton, OH
- Very affordable. No ticket required. Small charge for hayrides ($5) and barrel train ($3) and all other activities free.
- Walkable sunflower display.
- Small kid town with little buildings for kids to enter. A bit nerve-racking for parents with littles who are runners because adults cannot fit inside, but amazingly well-built quality that would delight any child.
- Slides, a tractor to sit on, and your basic farm animals.
- This place felt smaller and more manageable to navigate if you have limited time. Due to smaller venue size, felt packed and busy when we were there Oct 10th.
- Real cider to buy in gallon jugs.
- Dogs allowed.
Iron’s Fruit Farm, Lebanon, OH
- No ticket to enter. Free hay ride to get you to the pumpkin patch!
- Cost for corn maze, ranging from free-$7 depending on age. This place really goes above and beyond for the maze, which I highly recommend. Check out some of their past masterpieces.
- Ostrich and donkey to greet you.
- Apple picking is a blast.
- Dog friendly even on the hay ride.
- An onsite bakery with cinnamon cider donuts and apple fritters to die for. The donuts, though. These are seriously dangerous when fresh, especially after a long corn maze hike.
- To me, the most friendly and homey place of the group that doesn’t feel overly commercialized – it’s really about the farm and not the added-on activities.
Our first pumpkin patch where it all began… during COVID, with a baby, near closing time where we were kicked out, but became hooked nonetheless.
Wishing you a fall filled with cheerful memories where-ever the season may take you!
And as I’ve learned… do try to pay attention to when places close. They all have different hours and people want to go home.
To review, the top 5 pumpkin patches in the area that I recommend are:
- Blooms and Berries, Loveland, OH
- Neltner’s Farm in Melborne, KY
- Shaw Farms in Milford, OH
- Brown’s Family Farm, Hamilton, OH
- Iron’s Fruit Farm, Lebanon, OH
Next on my list of pumpkin patches to visit is Burger Farm & Garden Center to see the straw castle and ziplines. Others to visit include:
- Gorman Heritage Farm – if you’re stocked up on pumpkins, there’s one weekend in Oct. where you can to pick your own sunflowers for $1/stem
- Waynesville Fall Festival a party atmosphere for kids with an enormous playground
- McGlasson Farms with family farm charm without added games
- Burwinkel Farms with duck races
- McMonigle Farms with a haunted barn and a corn cannon
- Windmill Farm Market $15 general admission includes all activities with hayride, $5 value ticket to skip the hayride
- Country Pumpkins Fall Festival with giant slide and a pumpkin launch
- Kinman Farm Market with a bounce pad in a sand pit
- Niederman Family Farm where they have it all including a bonfire pit rental starting at $60 with a general admission ticket/person ($15 general admission if purchased online, dogs not allowed).
- A&M Farm Orchard without the games but best selection of apples reasonably priced with cider
- Barn-N-Bunk has pottery painting and mining with different events throughout fall
- Peifer Orchards in Yellow Springs with an Apple Blossom 5K in April. A great fall drive from Cincy with a U-pick pumpkin patch open 7 days a week in Oct.
- Young’s Jersey Dairy with haunted hay rides
- Hidden Valley Orchards with lots of pumpkin treats, food trucks, and donut days, no general admission
- Evans Orchard Cider Mill has a mega slide and apple cannon with varying levels of general admission
- Schappacher Farms with a pumpkin slingshot
For more fun fall ideas, check out this article with ghosts and paranormal activity ideas.
As you can see there are so many farms in the region I have yet to visit! Which one is your family’s favorite and why? Let me know in the comments!
