Last year I missed lavender season. This place is run by two sisters. The farm has been in their…read morefamily since 1863. It was a produce farm, switched to crops and in 2016 the sisters took over the farm and now it's a lavender farm. All of their products are handmade on the farm. They offer Pick your own or you can just shop. Delicious lemonade and popcorn to enjoy while you shop. The season is very short so I encourage you to get on their website.

We had a fantastic time! They took us on a tour even though I forgot to schedule online. A…read morewonderful place to relax and enjoy the outdoors! Staff was knowledgeable and shared history of the farm.

We had an awesome experience here and I can't wait to come back next season…read more The products we got were all AWESOME. I loved the shower steamer so much. All the employees (family members working there) were incredibly helpful and kind. This is a great place and you have to check it out if you haven't already!

We visited Eckert's in Millstadt on a Friday evening with a group of high schoolers, and overall,…read morewe had a really fun night! We live in St. Charles, so it was a bit of a drive, but it was an easy trip, and the signage along the way made finding the location simple. Check-in was super easy. You purchase your tickets on your phone, and everyone just scans in when they arrive. From there, we headed over to find our bonfire site, which was an additional charge. I will say, the bonfire sites were a little lacking compared to what I had envisioned. They're basically a small fire pit in the middle with straw hay bales surrounding it for seating. The description said the site accommodated 25 people, but I honestly think that would be extremely tight with 25 adults. The group at the site next to us definitely had that many people, and they were spilling over into our space. Luckily, our teenagers were coming and going, so it wasn't a huge issue for us, but the sites definitely felt crowded. We could also hear each other's music, so there wasn't much separation between groups. We were allowed to bring in all of our own food and drinks, which was really nice. We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs around the fire, but I do wish there had been a picnic table nearby. Without one, we made several trips back and forth with everything. Thankfully, we had brought a folding table of our own. Another thing to keep in mind is that there isn't any lighting around the bonfire sites. Some people came prepared with lanterns, but we didn't think about that ahead of time, so we relied on our phone flashlights. Definitely something I'd recommend bringing if you plan to reserve a bonfire. Now, onto the fun stuff! We all did the haunted hayride together, and that was definitely the highlight of the evening! I loved when the tractor came out and started chasing us. It was such a fun surprise and got everyone excited. The corn maze was another favorite. It was challenging enough to make it interesting, but thankfully, we managed to find our way out! Having scare actors throughout the maze made it even better. There was also a creepy tractor with eyeballs that reminded me of something straight out of Cars. Just when you thought the scares were over, they managed to throw in two more surprises at the end, including a guy with a chainsaw. They definitely kept us on our toes! There was plenty more to do, too. They had lots of food and drinks available for purchase, along with activities for younger children all the way up to the high schoolers we brought with us. There really was something for everyone. One of my favorite unexpected details was the view. You could actually see the Gateway Arch and the city lights in the distance, but you were far enough away from everything that it still felt peaceful and relaxing. It was a really pretty backdrop for a fall evening. Would we go back? Absolutely! We had a great time, and the haunted attractions were worth the trip. My biggest recommendation for improvement would be the bonfire sites. I think they either need to be spaced farther apart or the capacity should be limited to 20 people instead of 25. Having that many people packed into such a small area makes things feel crowded, especially when neighboring groups are practically sharing your space. A few picnic tables and some lighting around the bonfire areas would also make a big difference. Overall, it was a fun fall experience with plenty of activities, great scares, and a beautiful view of the St. Louis skyline. Just bring your own lantern, plan for a crowded bonfire area, and get ready for that haunted hayride.

This one is the most family friendly of the Eckerts locations. My 3.5 year old loved it! You can…read moremake an entire day of it here and still feel like there's more to do. We actually forgot about the apple picking part and left it to the very end, because there were other fun things to see/do first. I thought it was worth the price of admission. The staff members were all friendly and efficient. Loved the apple cider slushie - my daughter licked that clean. I look forward to coming back!

I stopped by this evening about 4:30 to take a look around. It is a gorgeous, small farm with lots…read moreto do! There is a gorgeous garden, which is a photographers playground -- bees, beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds pollinating all around and enjoying the sweet nectar. Flowers everywhere -- it is so beautiful! It was super quiet as I walked around, it was just me and two hikers that went down to the little trail and back. This is such a wonderful play for kids! There are turkeys walking around loose, that just pass by, so used to humans, obviously. There are two pigs in a pen, a few goats chilling on their tables and a horse, two donkeys in the barn. Friendly, and curious if I had treats to give. (Which you can feed some of the animals, others have signs not too.) Groundhogs running around too but they do hide! Not scary at all. Lots of space for a shaded picnic lunch and a good sized play area for kids. It's well worth checking out. It is gorgeously maintained and the animals are beautiful, so very well taken care of. Just go, already -- It's good for the soul! :) Will definitely be back.

Willoughby Heritage Farm and Conservation Reserve is a peaceful little escape right in…read moreCollinsville, IL that is perfect for slowing down your day and taking in some good nature vibes. They have a few miles of hiking trails, but beware they are kind of hard to follow and it's really easy to get lost, but also pretty easy to get back on track! They have farm animals you can feed, pet, and check out along with vintage farm equipment dotted all over the farm. It's free to visit and is definitely a local hidden gem in this town!

Came here to the my oldest step daughter. Our first time here and came across their page from a…read morelocal city Facebook group. They are located off caryle Ave. Not far from Scott Air Force Base. Support local! We got there around 10:30 or so and hardly anyone there yet. It was so nice this family opened up their property to let the public pick pumpkins and provide some fun fall activities. They even allowed us to meet their miniature cows and baby sheep. All around happy we got to come here. We purchased at least over 4+ pumpkins of all sizes, shapes, and colors. The smaller ones are $1 and the rest are by the lb. They have many wagons set a side to use to load up your picks. They did tell us the ones on the vine may not be ready yet, but if you did they can come out to help cut them. They have a little corn maze to get through to the patch. They have ample grassy area parking. With signs and portable bathrooms if needed. They accept cash or card. Also time wise we only knew of the weekend times. 10-3 that we are aware of currently. They have their own facebook page and website so you can see times etc

This family had a dream. You pick or select from pumpkins around the farm. Price is by the pound…read more She has merch, pumpkins and fun. Check them out.

This was such a pleasant stay. The staff and owners were is so welcoming. The property was so clean…read moreand inviting. The food and drinks were excellent. I highly recommend.

This place was so fun! Even though we were there for at least two hours with one year olds, I would…read moresay we went through half of what they had. I am itching to go back already, it is well-worth the price ($18 for both my child and I). There is a lot of outdoor activities, so I would go on a nice day, but there's plenty to do inside as well if you need a rainy-day activity. So many fun activities for children, from a racing car track to a large outdoor xylophone, a "tree house" and fun little pretend areas, such as a hospital (the nursery, of course) pizza parlor, a market stand with fake food. Outside has a lot of fun things for Littles to climb on and explore. We will definitely be back!

Sooo many thing to see and do! Had to leave but will come back to do more activities.read more

I don't know why I've never been to this festival until this year. Maybe the very strange…read morepromotional art? I thought it was going to be very hippie, and it was in a way, but it brought out a lot of people...and not all of them were hippies. I do love the idea though: arts and crafts through upcycled material...how much cooler is that? Getting there is somewhat of a pain because Highway 50 narrows down to one lane each way when you get close to the park. Add to that Oktoberfests galore, and you have a very nice recipe for "traffic jam". Everyone parks everywhere, but surprisingly enough, parking wasn't that big of a deal. It is really a family thing too. They have arts and crafts for the kids, indie bands playing, lots of picnic tables set up with the usual assortment of fair foods, an alpaca petting zoo, and of course, Girl Scouts selling cookies. But the booths themselves are the showcase, and the media is quite varied, even though I heard a booth owner complain, "It is so hard nowadays to be original." She was selling wire jewelry, so I guess I can see her point. And really, my favorite booths are really the unique ones like Beqi Clothing and Newberry Furniture. The Newberrys repurpose old wood for new stuff...their current thing consists of Adirondack chairs made from an old barn. And Beqi takes vintage clothing and changes it all around..she has quite the gift. The whole thing is pretty big, and it really does impress me that there are so many craftsters in the area.

The Strange Folk Festival is the COOLEST shopping festival I've ever attended. The wares are the…read moresort of thing you'd find on Etsy. Great place to get Christmas and birthday gifts. From what I understand, artisans come from all over the US to sell at this event. There is a huge variety and it's so much fun. Cool crowd too. I only wish it was a regular fixture rather than once a year in one place. 17/100 Yelp Challenge 2015