I've been to many different u-pick farms throughout the area and Heider's three times now, and this…read moreis by far my favorite farm for strawberry picking specifically. Their strawberries are truly the best I've ever tasted!! Check Facebook for the most recent updates if you plan on coming here! Do not rely on their Google page or their website for hours. Typically strawberry season starts early to mid June but it seemed to be delayed this year. I've been checking their Facebook everyday since early June and eagerly waiting for a day that finally worked out for me to come!! They advertised that strawberries were very limited the day I planned on going, but we filled an entire bucket in about an hour or less and we even got there 2.5 hours after they opened! I was so happy it all worked out. I just love the simpleness of this farm. There's no large attractions, big food court, or commercial feel to it. People pretty much just come here to pick berries then leave, which really keeps the crowds down too. Their farm allows for a peaceful activity to take your mind off of busy life for a bit and spend some quiet time in nature. They do have a small shop with a few souvenirs and other items, plus some small snacks such as chips, but they mostly encourage guests to bring their own food and enjoy a picnic on their picnic tables! I loved petting their little rabbits too. They were so friendly!!! I appreciate that they do not charge you until after you are finished berry picking. I've been wanting to go raspberry picking here as well, so I picked up three baskets. I was getting tired so I decided against it and was able to return the baskets easily. Overall amazing family-owned farm that I hope never changes and I can keep coming back to every year!

I think your experience here will depend largely on what time you visit and what they have to…read moreoffer. To me, it's more fun when there are significantly more people around, and during peak summertime when there are plenty of strawberries, red raspberries, and black raspberries, that is the most fun and, in my opinion, worth the higher price. Off season both strawberries and raspberries are not going to be very sweet. It's rare for me to find black raspberries just in general, so that is a major draw for me returning!! It is so much fun to pick your own berries and such a fun outing for families and kids! They run a tight ship about making sure people stay in certain areas before they open up more, so I can see how that can be an inconvenience for some. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience and I definitely recommend a visit!!!

Loved this pumpkin patch. It's big but not overwhelming and the wristband you buy to get in covers…read morealmost everything. This is nice as so many of the orchards/pumpkin patches charge for every single thing separately. The staff was friendly and everything is kid appropriate. If you don't love loud noises, watch out for the corn cannon but other than that this is kid heaven. There are also treats for adults with a beer tent, live music and shop for snacks. The bounce area, giant slide and especially the zip line seem like favorites. Pumpkins are a set price and are a reasonable cost. You could easily stay here for hours. Parking is decent - and they've got an area for overflow. Great spot!

Would have probably rated this place 4 stars last year, but taking off a star this year because it…read moredid not feel worth it for the price. This place is ran by Benedictine Monks and is non-profit which is good, but for $23 weekend price ($19 weekday) it just didn't feel worth it. IMO entrance should be free (or suggested donation) while it's encouraged to buy pumpkins, food, and stuff from the shop, especially at a place like this where there is no huge attractions. Last year I think it was cheaper, and for some reason we basically had the whole place to ourselves which is why I wanted to come back because my memory of it was good. On weekends they have live music and a bar to purchase drinks. There's a couple fun things for kids to do (a small zipline, a hayride, a slide), but not too much for adults coming here for a date. The corn maze is very old with lots of gaps in it from people making their own paths. There were also no pumpkins left or the ones left were rotting. I expected there to be a lot more to buy and take photos with, but when we got in, there were maybe 5 pumpkins left on the grass and none that I wanted to purchase :( The one thing I do love about this place is the petting zoo and it was a big reason I wanted to come back. They seem like they take care of the animals and don't allow constant feedings too. It's also not too crowded and they don't allow too many people inside at once. But when there are farms that allow goat petting for free, I don't think it's worth the money just for that. We purchased some pumpkin donuts from the shop too and they were okay. I read the ingredients after purchasing and was a bit turned off. I don't really like to see Red 40 and a bunch of preservatives when I'm expecting it to be fresh and homemade. I don't know if I would return.

It's hard not to want to gatekeep this wonderful orchard! I have been on the hunt for an apple…read morepicking farm that doesn't feel super crowded and filled with attractions. I absolutely loved the simplicity of this orchard and it's probably my new favorite one that I will likely be returning back to every year from now on. The workers were super friendly too. I went in late September and we shared a 1 peck bag to fill with apples. They take you on a ride around the apple orchard and drop you off at the different apple trees. There were so many trees to pick from and plenty of apples. There's a giant sunflower field right at the entrance that's beautiful too. They also had pumpkin picking, which I wish we did because their pumpkin patch looked great. They had a friendly horse, a couple goats and chickens to pet/feed. They had the best apple cider donuts I've ever had! They tasted so fresh and soft. And their cold apple cider was delicious and refreshing too. I also purchased some of their honey from their own bees.

Fun apple picking with a nice variety and lovely staff available to guide you through the process…read more Apple cider donuts, apple cider, and Dutch apple pie all tasted yummy and fresh! Pie would've been better served warm.

We visited in October 2020 during the pandemic. I did a lot of research to find the farms that are…read moretaking proper safety precautions with a setup that allows for social distancing. Dollinger Family Farm checked all the boxes, so we gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did because we had a very positive experience. We arrived on a Saturday right when it opened to avoid crowds. There were others there, but distancing was so easy. There were signs everywhere about wearing a mask and there was also a hand-washing station. We noticed a lot of other farms that are an easy drive from like Chicago did not take this pandemic seriously at all, so we loved supporting a farm that did take it seriously. We looked a bit at the animals--so cute!--before heading over to look at the pumpkins (AKA the main event). They had a tractor set up with a bunch of assorted squash for the perfect photo op. Then, pumpkins were sorted into piles based on size with a sign with the price. For example, a pile with $8 pumpkins. I believe the most expensive were $12. We selected two $8 pumpkins that were huge! My only suggestion would be to actually label the pumpkins with prices. The people in front of us in line picked a pumpkin from the $9 pile, but the employee insisted that this was too big of a pumpkin to have come from that pile. She said sometimes customers move the pumpkins around. I don't blame the customers for being a little frustrated because they obviously picked their pumpkin with the price in mind. We were worried this might happen to us, but they did not question when we told them we picked $8 pumpkins. The service was excellent. An employee actually took our pumpkins and we could drive up to pick them up before leaving. It was so helpful not to have to carry these huge pumpkins over to the car ourselves. We will definitely be back next year!

It was closed I think!! They should of put that on their post. It took time to find then when we…read moregot there no one was anywhere around! Very disappointed!

I love this place so much. It's a 1890s living history museum, and there's so many interesting…read morethings to learn about here. In the winter, they do ice carving demonstrations that you can participate in. In the summer, they make hand-churned ice cream with the harvested ice from the winter and host an "ice cream social" for everyone to participate in. They also do maple sugaring demonstrations in the spring. Every hour, there are house tours where you can learn some history about life in the 1890s. The farm animals are adorable too. It's also free to get in. Perfect for adults and kids!

The website promotes the idea of having several things to do, which we didn't find to be the case…read more We arrived at 10am which is supposed to be tours of the farmhouse, didn't happen. One lady did say that, "someone probably looked outside and didn't immediately see anyone so they skipped it." We did walk around and see pigs, pet the sheep, saw cows. The horses were off under the sheds. A 30 min walk. Tha

My family had a great time at Keller's Farmstand in Oswego. We came for apple picking and it was…read moreour first time on the farm. Parking was easy (free, and roped off sections on gravel/dirt and there were greeters who welcomed folks at the entryway and helped point people to the direction they want to go (concessions - straight ahead; apple picking - to your left; ticketed activities - to the right). I had looked at their website beforehand to check their apple varieties available for picking and when we arrived, there was pleasantly more available than I was expecting (all of this is seasonal of course and dependent on Keller's and lots of other factors). We were two adults, two grandparents, and one toddler. Kids under 4 are free. You must purchase a plastic tote as your entry ticket, and we opted for the 1/4 peck (approx 3 lbs of apples) at $11 each. We had a blast wandering the orchard and there were plenty of signage and staff located at different sections to help answer any questions. We really liked the Rosalee apples! After we wandered and picked and ate as we went, we got some hotdogs, cider donuts, a pretzel & cheese, a cider slushie, and kettle corn from the concessions stand. We relaxed at some picnic tables (uncovered, no shade) which was fine for us if you don't mind being in the sun. There is a shaded picnic bench area, but only available if you purchase tickets to the "farmland" activities area. There is also a pumpkin patch to bring home your pumpkin(s) of choice but we didn't get a chance to check out the patch while we were there. Heads up, the bathroom situation is port-o-potty's only so plan accordingly. Some tips would be to bring a wagon or a stroller that you don't mind pulling across fallen apples, damp grass, mud/dirt, etc. Or, bring a bag to keep your stuff in, like a water bottle or snacks/food if you plan to picnic. Rain boots for kids would be a good idea. Pets are not allowed. All in all, we had an amazing time and would love to come back soon. Their staff are really friendly, the prices are fair, and it's a great weekend family-friendly activity. Sit on the giant red Adirondack chair or take a photo in front of their butterfly painting on the side of their barn. Five shining stars for Keller's Farmstand.

This was such a fun and festive way to celebrate fall! My whole family loved it - they had tons of…read moregames and activities, plus a corn maze! We got some delish apple pie and ice cream shakes...loved seeing the baby cows and playing all the games. A great way to spend a few hours! Next time we'll go earlier and pick apples!

Boggios is legendary around the area, a true hidden GEM…read more I have been going since I was a little kid so over 24 years. This place is a great family spot, check their media and website pages for special events. They offer Homemade and Grown: Pick your own produce, pumpkins etc. Bakery Fudge Breads Pies Juices Canned Goods

My family really loves their homemade salad dressings, kettle corn and donuts. The orchard is well…read moretaken care of and the workers are friendly.

I really enjoyed my visit to rancho el Silencio! Great farm. Owners are great! Highly recommend it!…read moreOwners are wonderful!

We love going here for apples and for the general store. This year the apples were pricey. It was…read more$49 for half a bushel. Used to be $44 for a full bushel. Yikes! That's quite a change. We did buy our usual items at the store including donuts, sweet corn salsa, marshmallows, and olive salad in a jar. Those prices didn't go up as much. Follow the signs to the cashiers to get fast service. They're friendly, too!

Oh how I enjoyed my visit here this Fall! Expansive grounds, lots of produce and fresh apple…read moreanything you can imagine, and a large, spacious area to hangout. They even gave some samples of apples inside the barn, which I enjoyed cause I didn't know what some of their unique varieties where, and as a result, I ended up buying a bag of the Smitten apples (YUM). The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. Enjoyed getting my apple on and buying some pumpkins.