The orchard here kind of takes a backseat to the rest of the family-themed entertainment. Not a lot of varieties (though more than many places) and not a lot of trees for how large a place this is. I can understand how awful this year has been for orchards, but prices are high compared to most other orchards I visit, and picking is limited pretty heavily. We picked braeburn apples which weren't really ripe but still taste good. As a picking/buying orchard, I can't think of a reason I would come back here. As a destination orchard for family trips where a nice day outside and a few apples or pumpkins would be your real interest, Jonamac would be just fine. read more

Wonderful times here! Spent the first day of fall here with my family. The kids had a blast on the playground and we took our picture on the rocking chair... The only downside was the fact that I had to give up my delicious hot apple cider to the many bees that were swarming me. Nobody got stung in the 3 hours we were there but if you are allergic be cautious read more

Jonamac Orchard - Getting Wild in the corn - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Malta, Illinois

We go here for the kids. I am not paying $15 for 1/2 peck like 8 or less apples. Ridiculous. Bees everywhere. Couldn't eat or drink anything without constantly being swarmed. Petting zoo is animals covered in flies and $2 for a Dixie cup of pellets. Food trucks weren't great either. The caramel cider float is amazing but threw half out because I couldn't even eat it with all the bees. We won't go back again not worth the drive. read more

This is the second year my family has visited Jonamac. Last year we made two trips, one for Apple picking in early September and one in October for pumpkins. This year we decided to go during October to grab apples and pumpkins. We were able to select from about 5 different varieties of apples. For $15, we brought home a big bag of apples. Next, we made our way to the pumpkin patch. They offer free wagon rides but we had our own wagon from home. We walked to the patch and then grabbed a wheelbarrow to load up our pumpkins. U-Pick pumpkins are 3 for $20. 2 of our pumpkins were huge, so it was a good deal for us! The play area was a favorite for my two kids, 4 yrs old and 2 yrs old. They especially enjoyed the black tube slide and playing in the corn kernels. My husband and I grabbed a few bottles of caramel apple wine and honeycrisp wine. Both are our fall favorite wines! Of course, we grabbed a dozen apple cider donuts and apple cider to go! Visiting Jonamac is our new family fall tradition! read more

Was very impressed with the operation, aside from the circus for the kiddies. Gotta say the apples were in abundance, and several to choose from. Even found some not on the menu laying on the ground {if it falls from the tree, it is ripe}, and in great condition. Shame to waste, so we grabbed a few. The wheat fleas were biting, so if you go, coat yourself with bug spray. My only gripe is the general rudeness of folks;stupid is that stupid does.. Plenty of pushy, obnoxious people. Especially those with baby carriages, undisciplined children, and groups of teens looking to mess around. And then there is general ignorance; One family had their kids climbing the trees to get golden delicious and subsequently broke a huge branch because papa had to get his scardy-cat kid out of it. read more

This place is a breath of fresh air. All of the "fall fun" places in our area have been overrun with large crowds, overpriced admission and just too much going on. Jonamac strikes the right balance between simple and fun, with enough to keep the kids entertained, but not a ridiculous over the top circus. Also, the country store is beautiful and well stocked, the bathroom is sparkling clean, staff is friendly and helpful, and the treats from the bakery were delicious. We look forward to coming back! read more

Nice apple orchard and pumpkin patch not too far from the western suburbs. It's really nice that there's no admission fee like most places in Chicagoland. The only reason for the 4 stars and not 5 stars is the subpar food sold on premise on the weekend. Those Pazzaz apples were on point! read more

So utterly disappointed in this orchard. We drove an hour to get here and were shocked at the disorganization, lack of product, and utterly ridiculous lines for donuts. There were very few apples, no cider, and an hour long line for donuts. We left with apples only and drove to Kuiper's Family Orchard and spent another $55 on cider, donuts, apple pie, candy corn, caramel apples, and other gourmet food. No line for donuts and such a far better experience. I will NEVER go back to Jonamac for apples and apple products. read more

Fun for the entire family. Play areas for kids, cider doughnuts, a pumpkin patch, corn maze, several dozens of rows of apple trees, and best of all, apple wine tasting. If the apples themselves don't make up the gap from Chicago to Malta, IL, the Apple wine will. read more

great place for kids. donuts aren't as good as honey hill. but the haunted corn maze is super fun read more

This is a fantastic place to bring little ones! Lots of activities - we didn't even manage to get to everything because there was so much to do. Employees are friendly and helpful, and the entire place is very clean, well-maintained and just really a pleasant place to spend a day. Yes, the apples are pricey, but you're not shopping for them at the grocery store - you're paying for the experience, at a small, locally-owned business. I feel like our money and time were well-spent, and we will be making this an annual visit. read more

We visited Jonamac this year after trying almost all of the other "big" orchards in the area. Having been to others, I have to say this one was just ok when compared to similar places like Kuipers and Royal Oak. The one big perk going for it (in my eyes) is that it was less expensive. This is mainly due to the fact that they only charge for the bag you use for apple picking, instead of per person. However, that perk is somewhat cancelled out by the ridiculously long lines for apple picking, donut purchasing, and the apple launcher. Granted, it was a Sunday, and they were having live music that day, so perhaps it was busier than usual, but you'd think they'd have figured out a better system by now. I also wish there were a couple more "little kid" activities in the barnyard area. My one and a half year old loved pretending to drive the big tractor, and seeing the animals, but the rest of the activities were all for bigger kids. HERE'S A TIP: If you must have apple cider donuts and don't want to wait in said ridiculously long line, go straight into the store where you'll find frozen "day old" donuts. They were defrosted by the time we got home, and when popped in the oven for 2-3 min, they taste just as warm and fresh as those made that day. Maybe even better. Heck, I may start warming up all my donuts. read more

Oh yeah....back to the farmlands. I grew up in nearby De Kalb, and have visited this orchard countless times since they opened up in 1974. They have always had a cute little petting zoo, pumpkin patch, hay & pony rides, and an adorable and fun 'country store'. I have great memories of this place, and love to go back & feel like a kid! Apple picking and sampling of fudge & fresh made donuts, etc. is a sweet treat...you can even borrow a wagon ! Just a fun day & great for kids, and me. The corn-maze is a blast ! The season is coming to a close, so you should visit before there is frost on the pumpkins! read more

I give it 1 star because they became another high price farm trying to nickel and dime you. Haunted corn maze used to be awesome for such a long time , now they jump the price and have 8 workers "actors" trying to scare you. But instead tell you who to vote for. Save your money and go to basement of the dead or something else. The employees are rude , disrespectful, and these are the corn cops and cashiers . Used to be a great family farm , now a overpriced attraction dependent on city folk willing to pay high prices to feel "country". read more

The food in the store has declined. I purchased a caramel apple and they used a soft mushy apple instead of a nice crisp one like they use to. Also a thin layer of caramel:( The donuts tasted like several days old. Hopefully my apple crisp apples will be good. I will have to go to a new orchard. read more

gala apples are tasty and staff is very friendly. prices are ridiculous . trees are small. flies swarm everywhere. read more

My girlfriend and I headed out to Jonamac today for some apple picking. We found it to be a lovely experience. Our favorite part was the pumpkin patch. There was such a wide variety of different shapes, sizes and colors of pumpkins. The pumpkin was also very large with many pumpkins to pick from. Last weekend we went to Kuipers in Maple Park and found there to be very few pumpkins to choose from and the overall appearance was subpar. The apple orchards were also vast with plenty of apples to pick from, of the ones that were in season. The spiced cider from the little store was on point. Only complaint would be that you have to pay and have wristbands to enter the animal barn to see the animals. Other than that this was an overall fantastic experience and I would recommended this to others that want a great outdoor fall experience! read more

We had a fantastic time at Jonamac Orchard! The new Cider/ wine barn is really a great addition. The kids had an excellent time in the barnyard and we picked fresh apples to bring home. Staff were kind and knowledgeable. Just a great experience all around for a good price! read more

I was rather disappointed in my visit here. On the up side: the food was really good especially the cider slushy, apple donuts, and all of the apples I had. However, I just felt this incredibly commercial and somewhat greedy vibe from my visit - all for little Malta. For example, alot of the food has different pricing inside than outside by shack, which I didn't realize when I first came. While I was waiting for my friends I bought some apple donuts for $1 outside, to later find at the end of my visit they were $.85 indoors. The "you pick" apples were about $3-4 difference than the pre-packaged comparable apples inside.The staff also seemed a bit irritable for being so early in the season. The hayride driver gave a lengthy safety lecture at each stop on the way. Also, the staff at the apple cannon kept harassing my friend and little brother for their wearing Bears jackets (which they didn't really care, but just wanted to launch apples into pumpkins instead of being bothered). I think the most frustrating part was the actual apple picking aspect. Many of the places that were open for "you pick" were well over-picked already and the staff wasn't willing to open new lanes. To be fair, most of the staff was relatively friendly. I also understand charging higher rates as the orchard is only really popular at this time of year. However, I feel like they would be better off offering more package admissions deals than using the nickle & dime them method with their visitors. read more

Jonamac has been a yearly fall tradition for our family. It's the most economical place for fall fun. We spend the day there picking apples, pumpkins, jump pillow, corn maze and of course the bakery where the apple slush, cider, donuts and pie are all taken home. The staff is great! Just this past year a staff member took our little ones on a golf cart through the orchard and showed them how to pick apples. He also treated them to a free shot at the apple gun. They loved this extra special treatment. I highly recommend this place to young and old. We look forward to eat every fall! read more

This orchard was not what we expected. There were only a few rows open for u-pick, which we knew was the case due to a cold spring and summer. However, when we got there-- they had staff picking from the best trees and apples (like the honey crisp!) and were not allowing u-pick from them even though they were ripe and ready. On top of that, there was staff watching us the whole time, following u-pickers around the field-- very unfriendly, just watching us conspicuously but not interacting-- very uncomfortable. The employees were downright RUDE. Finally, we would advise that you DO NOT purchase the larger bag for u-pick. They fit exactly the same amount (we counted), but the larger bag costs twice as much. The playground was super fun for the kids, but for $10-- we could have gone to the playground much closer to Chicago. If you go at the end of the day-- the playground is free after 5pm, and is MUCH better deal after you have already paid for all the other items (such as u-pick and the apply train...) read more

We were also there on Sunday, October 6th (see Mary S. review). The prior weekend and week were rainy, so we expected some mud. However, what we got instead was a full parking lot. We were planning on attending with 2 other families. Both of them were able to park, but we were turned away (despite us arriving only about 30 minutes after they did). The staff at least let us pull over and get out with the kids, but poor hubby had to drive off to town on his own while we went in for apples. The cost was $15 for a half peck (5lbs). There were only 5 varieties in u-pick now: Jonagold, Pazazz (super tart), Golden Delicious, Early Fuji and Empire. Since there are only a couple of rows of each, there wasn't a huge selection. The kids section is $6 for kids above 2 and $4 for adults going into the kids section (this included hay bale tower for climbing, corn kernel pit, a few slides, some tricycles - and everything extra muddy). The $6 did include the pillow bounce or petting zoo, which is a bargain compared to Kuipers. Hubby encountered issues with getting back to pick us up (sheriff had the road blocked off in one direction) - we were at least able to have him come through the other direction to pull over and grab us (mind you by this point there were a TON of parking spaces available - so not sure why they were turning people away still). We didn't even get to see the corn maze, u pick pumpkin patch, cider house or other things. IMO - if they have a limit on people allowed in, they should sell advanced tickets with time slots so people aren't driving a super long distance to be turned away. read more

This place is nice. Best time to go is on October, more selection of apples to choose from. If you don't kiddies not too much to do. Other than apple picking, corn maze, and cider tastings. They have a good amount of things in general store, I recommend the apple slushy, donuts, and dumpling. I would suggest that management who have a staff member take phots of patrons on big chair. Or have more areas prompted for photos. Which will promote more business. And free advertising. Who wouldn't want a group photo of a family outing? read more

The corn maze is fun (we didn't do the haunted corn maze tho!). I was super excited to get a hot donut fresh out of the oil, but they refused. TOTAL disappointment. Because of that, I don't think it was worth the hour drive. We're headed to Edward's Apple Orchard for a warm donut and our fall apple needs! read more

A fun place for kids with very nice and attentive staff. We went there with our one-year-old for apple and pumpkin picking - got a nice bag of apples and three big pumpkins. If your kids are older, they will enjoy the barn yard area for slides, haystacks, petting zoo, etc. They also had good food and delicious apple cider + free apple / pumpkin wine tasting. But our best experience was with the staff. Our daughter got bitten by a service dog. The staff was helpful and immediately directed us to the back of the store where a lovely woman who's an RN and also the grandma of the family running the farm came and helped our young daughter. Despite the incident, it was a fun afternoon! read more

Great orchard with many additional things to do. A lot to do for the whole family. We were there the first week of October. The have a lot of things to offer. The play area for the kids is good. The corn maze is EXCELLENT. We went out and shot apples out of the apple cannons and the apple slingshot. That was great fun. We thought that getting the family pass was a good bargin. They have a petting zoo. The orchard is large and you can walk through it. You can pick apples or buy them in the general store. They have a great hay bale maze. They also have a jumping pillow. We planned on staying for an hour and a half, but had such a good time we stayed for over 3 hours and the kids were complaining that we had to leave. The general store has a wide variety of things for sale. They have apple donuts, apple cider, wine, several different kinds of pies (we bought a regular apple pie which I thought was really good), and of course many different kinds of apples. read more

We love Jonamac Orchard! It's a family tradition to go Jonamac every fall! The donuts are delicious! They have the best fruits of the forest pie! My kids really enjoy all the outdoor activities Jonamac has to offer. The haunted corn maze is scary and fun! I recommend Jonamac Orchard to everyone I know! read more

When you go apple picking, they let you sample the different apples available for picking. You can also eat apples as you pick which is nice. T apple cider was tasty. It is $2 outside, but $3 in the bakery. Inside the bakery, there are many goods to buy. I really wanted a warm dessert since it was so cold. My husband asked a worker if they could warm up desserts, and she said, "We can do that!" I brought up the dessert and she had the worse attitude, and seemed disgusted with me. When she returned with my dessert, I thanked her and she refused to even look at me or acknowledge me. I don't what her problem was. I must note however my husband is white and I am black. I have never been mistreated like this before. I refuse to support this place. read more

Love this place, I have been going to here for years, not to big nor small, the staff is friendly, and the supply's are delicious. There plenty to do at this orcherd to keep the family busy, and the family n I love the corn maze, I say the best around read more

really wanted to love this place. if you have perfectly abled children then it's great. unfortunately our child is older and needs assistance with mobility and guidance. there was absolutely no accommodation. I asked if I could simply help her and was told no, i'd have to pay. I should also mention that the grounds are not wheelchair friendly. read more

I loved my experience at Jonamac. My family and I went the first Sunday of October. There are so many activities to do; from a petting zoo, haystacks for kids to climb, slides, a maze, a live band, apple picking and you can even go out to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins. Our group consisted of 8 ranging from ages 65 to 3 and we did everything but the corn maze. To those were disappointed in the apple picking, you need to do your research. Certain types of apples are offered at only certain times of the season. The pricing I found was very affordable, especially compared to others Orchards. I'd recommend Jonamac to anyone of any age looking for a great time. read more

the apples are delicious and, if course, supremely fresh. but the hour-plus dive from the city and the SUPER EXPENSIVE apples ($13 per HALF peck) make it not worth the trip, unless you have small kids who like high priced pony rides and lukewarm cider. if you just want apples, Whole Foods is a better option, in my opinion. read more

Now this review is based off of the phone call that was made . I spoke to Sherri that has No customer service skills whatsoever! The sad part is that she exclaimed that she was the manager. Wow! I wanted to get basic information , like how much , is there an entrance fee, the activities , are they open, because I've never been there. I'm trying to bring a group and I'm traveling almost 2 hrs. I need to know certain things before I take this excursion . Once I told her that she needed to talk better because I Will go on Yelp, then her attitude changed just slightly. She kept cutting me off mid sentence. Saying over again "would you like to know blah, blah, blah. Let me finish talking first ! She even told me to go to the website . Maybe I don't hav e a computer, maybe I'm driving, maybe I want concrete info. Whatever the reason, Sherri, you need to get another profession where you don't have to deal with the public. Just a bit of advice... And it was Free! read more

Jonomac is the best place. It is a family owned, family centered business. Jonomac is all about fall fabulousness. The shop is chock full of yummy surprises. We frequently drop in to stock up on caramel apples, doughnuts, fudge, cider, and apple wine. We always take our daughter out to enjoy the activities. There's all the play ground equipment, the petting zoo, the cannons, the jumping pillow. My husband and I will stop in a few times to pick apples and have a blast enjoying everything fall. I am always jeeping an eye on their calendar. They have something special every single weekend. There are events geared towards kids, or the young at heart. And they also offer events that are awesome at bringing something new for adults to try, like the Chicago food truck weekend. You HAVE to check them out. Even if it's just to stop in the shop to buy some goodies. The caramel apples, seriously, they are THE best ever. You will not regret it. read more

Nice place! Not a great selection of apples, but the kids had fun and I really just wanted a few pics of them picking the apples. They love all the activities and especially the jumping pillow and corn silo. I wish they would go back to having to pay cash for the pony rides, instead of needing to use apple tokens though. Apple cider slushee is the best and the donuts are amazing, especially when they are fresh and hot! We'll be back next year. read more

We've been going to Jonamac for probably 15 years at this point. I believe in that time, we have only missed going there one year. There's no way to argue that in the past 15 years, the orchard has gotten a more commercial feel. However, we still enjoy going out there, which we just did today. Our girls are getting big for the barnyard stuff, so we didn't do that this year. We went out today and fortunately the golden delicious (my fav) were ready. For the person who complained that staff wasn't willing to open more rows, this isn't the supermarket. If a row isn't open, it's either already been picked, not yet ready to pick, or the trees are too young for u-pick. My main advice is that if you're going to go on the weekend, go early. As in right when they open, which is at 9am. You'll avoid the crowds and you'll have your picking done before most other people even get there. Did I mention to get there early? We did the corn maze, which was fun. My advice there is to forego the map and go without it. It's more fun to find dead ends and figure out how to get out on your own. Finally, you cannot leave without getting some apple donuts. Back in the day, they sold apple fritters, but those have been gone for many years. However, the apple donuts are incredible, and if you're lucky, they'll still be warm. Price-wise, it is what it is. We always buy a half-bushel, which was $30 this year. I have no idea how many points that equates to, but if I had to guess, I'd say 20-ish. But we look at it more as an experience that bargain shopping for apples, so it's OK. read more

If you like waiting in lines that make Disneyland look fast - then come to Jonamac. We waited an astonishing hour and a half just to get into the orchard on a Saturday at 10am. To say they were not prepared was a mega-understatement. Mass confusion with the hayrides to get to the orchard with people not knowing who was going where. Restrictions on every variety of applies you walked into. They specifically forced you to pick the smallest and crappiest apples while the largest and best were taped off. To me; if I'm getting overcharged $50 for a apple basket - I better be able to pick what I want to pick. But here; they tape off the best ones so they can sell those to stores and leave the apple pickers with the worst ones. When I 'accidentally' ventured into a good area for picking; I was quickly intercepted by their apple Gestapo and escorted to a less fruitful area to insure maximum profits for the orchard. They even charge you for your kids to play in their play area with the Playskool plastic slides and swings. Seriously..... Then you go to the store. I thought the lines were over? Wrong. Ridiculous lines again because they have two dimwit high school kids running the shop with several hundred people in it. Then there were lines for the two bathrooms in the store. I ended up just sitting with several other dads (was with group) by the stage as the kids had their best fun throwing hay at each other. A wasted Saturday of waiting, waiting, and being gouged. read more

Jonamac Orchard is a wonderful place to take your family! We have made the trip to this orchard many times over the years. We love the apple picking the best - you get to wander the rows of this beautiful, immaculately maintained orchard for as long as you want, and choose from a large selection of apple varieties. It's a little slice of heaven. There's tons of nearly perfect apples within an arms reach, and because of the size of the orchard, no crowding. We make sure to always get some sweet varieties for eating fresh, some tart ones for baking, and some unfamiliar ones for experimenting with. I always been impressed with the quality of fruit this orchard produces, and If you have never tasted an apple fresh off the tree, you don't know what you're missing. We also loved the corn maze. The first time we did it I expected it to be easy, but it's amazingly complex, and my kids were delighted to explore it. I should also mention that the staff is friendly and professional and seems to really care if you are enjoying your time there. read more

I really really want to like this orchard. However, after today, I will not go back. First of all, the lines are really bad. To get a hotdog at the cart took 45 minutes. The line to buy backed goods inside, also 45 mins. Seriously guys, if you want people to buy from you, put in a second cash register! This was the same thing last year. Next year we're headed back to County Line Orchard. This place is too far from Chicago to spend so much time waiting around for what they're selling. Oh, and today, they were practically out of apples! We were advised to "pick them off the ground, as those were probably ripe anyhow." Sorry, we won't be back. read more

Great place to take the kids. Plenty of things to keep them busy. The family pass was a great deal. Definitely will be making this a family tradition. read more