I love fall in Chicago. The weather is great and there are so many fun things to do with kids. For the last two years we have gone apple picking at County Line Orchard in Hobart, IN. The weekends can get really crazy there but there is lots of fun things to do for kids of all ages. The main attraction, of course is the apple orchard. Depending on when you go, different apples will be in season but they could include Cortland, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Rome, Gala, and a bunch more - they grow over 20 different varieties. We picked a bunch of different kinds of apples and they have all been really good. It costs $1.75 per pound for the apples.
The cost of admission varies depending on what you plan to do while there. If the only thing you want to do is pick apples admission is $1. We did the Lil' Farmer Pass for $5/person that gives you access to the kid's farm in addition apple picking. For $7/person you get everything in the Lil' Farmer Pass plus you can do the corn maze. For $10/person, in addition to everything else, you get unlimited rides on the moo choo, which is a little kid train ride. We knew our group wouldn't have enough energy to do everything so we just stuck with apple picking and the kids farm. The ticket booths are located outside just beyond the big barn. There is a cute little map on their website (http://countylineorchard.com/orchard-map.asp) that shows the orchard layout.
A tractor pulled wagon provides rides out to the orchard. We always take the tractor out because the kids love the ride but if you want to avoid the line you can just as easily walk. We usually walk back (although a tractor will pick you up) after we've picked our apples because it is so close. Apple picking is just such a fun fall activity! Availability of apples, of course, varies from year to year but this year they had a very good selection available. It was super easy for the girls to find good apples to pick at their level. Last year we went at about the same time and there was very little to pick. There were some weather related problems that caused a bad apple crop all over the midwest but we still had a good time. The tractor will also take you out to the corn maze and pumkin patch, which are both a bit farther out but still walkable. A lot of people bring wagons to haul their pumpkins. The price for pumkings $0.30 per pound.
You can pay for your apples and pumpkins inside the big barn. In addition they sell a wide range of other products from squash and other vegetables to Christmas decorations. Our favorite are the donuts. They sell pumpkin and apple. Both are very, very good. While there we also had to pick up a gallon of apple cidar, which we also really enjoyed.
After paying for our apples and buying way too many other things, we headed out to the Kids Farm. The farm has goats, chickens and roosters, miniature ponies, pot belly pigs, and cows. There is also a maze made out of hay, which is a bit easier for little kids to manuever than the corn maze and tractors the kids can sit on. In addition, there is this robot dinosaur called Peter the Pumpkin Eater that puts on a show every hour. The highlight of the show is that he "eats" a pumpkin. It is the kind of show that kids really enjoy and but kind of annoys their parents. Of course my girls went crazy for it and are still talking about it a week later.
There are lots of food options besides donuts. You can bring your own food and eat at picnic tables provided. There is a grill that sells hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese, and that kind of stuff. In addition, there is an indoor eating area that serves a different menu and includes items such as chicken fingers and mac and cheese. We haven't eaten at the orchard but the grilled stuff always smells really good. Live music is provided on an outdoor stage near the picnic tables.
There are bathrooms located in the main barn and then some portable bathrooms located through out the grounds. Whether you bring a stroller or not really depends on how much your kid will be riding in it. It can be a bit of a walk from the parking lot and from the orchard to the outdoor eating area and petting zoo so if you don't think your child can walk those distances or you would have to constantly be carrying your child if you didn't have a stroller, I would suggest bringing one. One the other hand, it can get really crowded inside the buildings, a lot of the ground is covered in wood chips, which is hard to push a stroller on, and you can't really take your stroller on the tractor ride out to the orchard/pumpkin patch. There is plenty of parking but you may need to walk a bit.
The orchard gets really, really busy on nice weekends so if you want to avoid large crowds you might want to try a weekday, if possible. The Orchard is open daily from 9 AM until 6PM. Despite the crowds we always have fun here because it feels like such a perfect fall activity.
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