First time here since moving to Manatee County area in 2011. Thought the only worthwhile pumpkin festival was the expensive Hunsader farms. Which charges anyone 11 and up $12/person and $5 parking before you even go inside. Fruitville Groves charged only $5 parking and very reasonable prices for the activities. $2/per for Hayrides. $1 to feed the goats. $3 to hold piglets and get a picture and lots more.. So many things for the family. Good food vendors and really nice craft vendors everyone working very friendly. It ran the whole month of October. Get there early to avoid crowds and get a decent parking space. Would definitely recommend for a fun family day without breaking the bank. read more

Fruitville Grove - a man petting a goat in a cage - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Pretty cool place, went here for the 38th Annual Pumpkin Festival. Parking was a breeze, phew! Over all the place was nice no crazy muddy roads to walk across to get to the event and lots of mature old shade trees with long moss hanging from the branches although that didn't help much with the crazy heat we had that day! Cute southern charm though. The best parts where the indoors where we had to go take breaks in half the time! The interesting apple cider floats seemed worth a try but I was just so hot and frustrated that day with my toddler I needed a reliable pick me up treat so classic root beer float totally was a big hit and hit the mark, yummy! Given how busy it was the service was pretty great and fast and there was enough seating inside and was clean! Yay! Being all sweaty and gross yourself you can appreciate a clean environment to refresh lol There was a nice bathroom attached to the building inside the gift shop/ice cream and matcha drinks mini stand. But the even did provide decent porta potties with hand washing stations on the other side of the event. My favorite part was the tractor choo choo train it had a nice wooden fort playground where we can play while waiting our turn which was also quick. But, it cost $3 for a quick ride. As a matter of fact every stand cost a minimum of $3 like simple jump houses that were mostly empty and too hot to jump in. I can't imagine how much the tractor and pony rides were. Probably more. The petting zoo was nice, you can purchase milk bottles and food to feed the goats, there were so many of them and the baby goats were sooo dang cute. My toddler was just not have any of it that day so we just walked by. I think that was the place with the highest traffic, probably because it was free! The mermaid stand was cute, honestly that's what excited me the most when I saw the poster, but I was too embarrassed to get a picture, which probably wasn't free either because those ladies were soooo beautiful. But again. Mostly people walking around and not willing to pay. You even had to have $5 cash to enter at the beginning with ATMs that I had to use that I could get $20 out minimum with an almost $5 fee! So yea it pretty much cost me $10 just to enter. So definitely a cash grab, this event.. it's ok I don't blame them, who else will pay for all this stuff, it's just good to know. - lady behind me literally turned around and left when she found out the small $5 entry cost and said no way am I paying to get it. So I guess it would help posting this on the adds to save everyone some time and extra frustration. No one likes a grumpy customer. Huge difference if we are prepared, which again, you only got yourself to blame, places like this are still cash only I guess. read more

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We went to this grove specifically for the pumpkin festival which had good reviews. The biggest draw was the activities available for children under 5 and the free admission/$5 parking. Even though it was an hour drive for us it was well worth traveling there. Our grandchildren enjoyed the pony rides which were $6/child, holding a piglet which was $7/child, the hay ride ($2/seated person), the circus entertainment (free), feeding the goats ($1/cup of food) and enjoying a picnic with food for lunch. There was also live music to enjoy. The food we had was smoked turkey legs ($15 and very large... 2 of us shared one), BBQ sandwich with French fries ($12) and delicious freshly made lemonade with strawberries ($7) and some water bottles ($3 each). Other than the water bottles being a bit pricey, the other food was good and reasonably priced for these kinds of events. There was so much more we could have enjoyed but our young ones tired out with the heat of the day. We did not get a chance to see the many small tents full of crafts, the playground, the butterfly area, the train ride (appropriate for very young kids) and probably so much more we did not know about. There was an area for older kids that had activities such as a zipline, climbing wall, inflatable slides and tunnels which were additional costs ranging from $12-$20. $40 for a band that included all of those activities. The pumpkin area at the front was beautifully arranged and there were plenty of pumpkins to choose from. Pie pumpkins were $5 and carvable pumpkins were $0.90/lb. They also had heirloom pumpkins for a bit more/lb. There were so many areas throughout the farm for photo opportunities. It was really well done. All of the people working there were great and parking was very organized. I expect we will return next year. It was a fun outing. read more

We went during peak season in October around the 4th week and it was busy. Not everything was local but they did have a ton of variety. A lot of vendors park on their property and sell their goods. We met a ton of great vendors! It's a big place. They have a butterfly area as well. There are lots of animals including lambs! You can hold them and feed most of the animals. There is a store stocked with local options as well. It was a neat experience for sure! We would go back and I would recommend this as a family outing or field trip:) read more

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Great pumpkin patch, with regular carving pumpkins .69/lb, decorative pumpkins are .99/lb. Really great selection. They have giant cornstalks available and a bunch of holiday decor. The big white pumpkins are really heavy, so don't hesitate to ask for a few bucks off. The ice cream was really good inside. The vendors setup on a Sunday afternoon were pretty nice-didn't but anything but it was overall a nice setup. Arrived at 2:45p on a Sunday and paid $5 to park. However when we left closer to 4p, no one was there collecting for parking and people were still heading in. Little Amish store inside was nice. read more

Great for produce Fresh local Plants too Canned fruit and sauce Fresh herbs Great service read more

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Went to Fruitville grove farm market only to find it closed. Website said it was open. Very disappointed and won't be back.

Honey Bell Oranges in season! They have plenty. Family owned store. Lot's of Organic fruits and veggies. Inside store has friezed dried veggies and jarred foods. They even make their own ice cream. For the kiddies. In the rear of the store, you may see farm animals and fun things to see and do. read more

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Great little spot! They may not have everything but the people are so nice and anything you find there is not notch and fair price. Kids love the sheep and goats! read more

Great place with lots of variety. Friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommend!

I heard a rumor that there was this fruit stand out on fruitville past I-75 that has reasonable priced honey. So a quick choice not to get behind trucks getting on I-75 and instead seek this place out paid off. Produce and things were decent, better than many things at the mega marts by home. Price were reasonable and similar to red Barn in being cheap and reasonable but a bit better quality. This is in the end of the July, btw. So things out side at either place are starting to show some stress. The honey? very reasonable, and a bit cheaper than what I last got at both the Sarasota farmers market and at the Myaka farmers market. Lots of different kinds, interesting things in the store part. A few chickens running around to give the kids something to chase, what more do you want? For it to be a bit closer to my house! read more

Everything from fresh produce to fresh dairy to jams, jellies, nuts, etc. They even carry Big Olaf ice-cream in pints to take home (I got pumpkin). I love this place & frequent it atleast once a week. I believe it's open Mon-Sat during the day. Amazing prices, you can walk out of there with everything you need during the week for under $20! read more

Very disappointed. Looks like you do not grow your strawberries but ship them in from some place? Do you even grow anything here? This Strawberry Festival just seems to be a lure to get people in to buy the ice cream, jams, face painting, cotton candy and cheap vendor booth stuff. The place is very run down as well. A good cleanup and throw out of some of the broken stuff might be in order. read more

After Halloween, at the counter we were offered bales of straw used for display the month before, many mixed with gravel and rotting pumpkins and gourds, at a discounted price of $5.00 each. We went home to get our pickup truck, and when we got back a female employee insisted on the full price of $10.00/bale. At the feed store, bales of both straw and high quality hay were less expensive. After being verbally abused by the employee, who said that only she could offer price reductions and told us they were out of straw bales anyway (while we were looking right at them), we went to the feed store instead. I will never go back with my kids and grandchildren again, even for their pumpkin festival. read more

Came here for the pumpkin festival. Very impressed. No charge to park and none for admission which is way better than lots of the other local farms. Lots of vendors selling goods and food. Tons of pumpkins to choose from plus there is a market with local products. read more

I love Fruitville Grove. It is the closet fruit and vegetable store out past 75 near Stottlemeyer's. The have a small, weekly selection of local farm produce that is superior in freshness and taste. The tomatoes and loose lettuce are sweet. They have a small dairy section that includes Richards homemade candy and fresh ice cream. The blueberries are not mushy like most. Avoid the crowds at other local markets. The ladies there are very nice. read more

Wow. Love this place already. I went in to get some fresh mangoes and see what they had. They have quite a few things, even ice cream. (I'm from Illinois, we dont have fruit stands with ice cream!) they have many types of honey. Raw milk. All sorts of veggies & fruits. Some refrigerated beverage choices. I saw coconut and cucumber waters, fresh juices. Salsas. The best part was the lesson I got when I asked about the mangoes. She told me all the ways to cut it, prepare it, serve it. She showed me how to pick a ripe one. I would have thrown them out if she hadnt spent so much time explaining exactly the best way to peel them. I had no idea mangoes could dissolve into mush. I got the last couple which were very ripe and she told me to use them immediately. Our smoothies were awesome the next day! read more

Fruitville Grove - My first attempt at cutting mangoes. Luckily I had received great tips from the awesome girl at fruitville grove. - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We love going here. They have great hours for a "fruitstand," being open til 6pm most days. The prices on produce and raw milk aren't the cheapest, especially compared to detwilers, but it's much less crowded and a better experience overall. We also love checking out the animals if we have time. read more

It is on the south side of Fruitville road, just beyond the Texaco station to the east of I-75. It is an open air fruit market and ice cream store. They had a wide selection of various honey. Sourwood, Orange blossom, tangerine blossom, blueberry, and some others. They had dry granulated honey, which I had not seen before. I found that part of the store interesting, but then I am a beekeeper and that sort of stuff interests me. Other than that, it was pretty ho-hum. They were not very busy. Some of the fruit was over ripe. The strawberry quarts were not heaping full. No orange samples to try or samples of orange juices. read more

My daughter and I went to fruitville grove to pick up some peaches last week. The peaches were the BEST! We did get a watermelon which was not as good. The icecream was awesome and the animals on location were a plus! I suggest this place to any families with children who love animals that come right up to them! My daughter loved it and we went back again the next day! read more

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Just got back, orange juice is great and produce very nice! I would highly recommend this grove. Did I mention how nice and polite the people who work there are? read more

Fruitville Grove is a fun place, located just a mile East off I-75. All year they have a great little store with very high quality fresh produce of all types. Their store also sells ice cream, frozen or refrigerated pies (chocolate silk, key lime, etc.), goat's milk, baked goods, meats, fresh butter and cheeses, and many assorted varieties of jams, jellies, mixes, soups, oatmeals & cereals, pastas, and more. During Halloween they have the area's largest pumpkin festival, where they sell hundreds of pumpkins, including unusual varieties such as ghost pumpkins & squashes. They also have a hay ride, petting zoo for the kids (& you can buy feed to feed the animals), & a young children's playground. It is a great place to have a birthday party for younger children. It is also just a great place to pick up a few groceries now and then. Family owned and operated for years. read more

Great place! It is nice to be able to go get all the produce you need for a week (for a family of 4) for under $25. Some of the produce is organic & grown locally, some is conventional & is from elsewhere. They have baked goods from Yoders & lots of locally made honeys, jams, jellies & such. Their prices are fair & the staff is friendly. They also have a very nice animal petting area for the kids. Definitely a place to go visit. read more