What an awesome place! Everything apple fresh you've ever wanted can be found here! One can also buy local honey, fresh fudge, even sourdough bread. I bought apples - 1/2 peck of Gala ($10.79) and, (2) 1/2 pecks of Fuji ($10.79 each). Also, I purchased a 10" Caramel Apple Nut Pie ($16.99). Last, but certainly not least, I had to try their Carame Apple Pie Sundae ($9.00) from the Apple Bin Bakery and Cafe. It was incredibly delicious!! There are pumkins for purchase outside as well as farm animals on the "Back 40 Fun Acres" (which I admit I didn't get around to visiting). My tip is for you to go early as it can get quite crowded, especially on weekends. read more

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Tanners Orchard has gotten some great upgrades! I seen them doing remodeling before the season opened last year and I was pleasantly surprised to see the difference. I think back to 28 years ago, we visited Tanners all the time and so much has changed ever since then, they really grown & developed a lot new areas since then. I love that they have the animals there and that you can feed them and now they've got the little coffee shops and snack trailers which is a super nice addition. Inside the store there are so many different types of things that you can buy and they make all that stuff fresh too! Outside they've got pumpkins for sale and also mums at the entrance. Behind the building there are all kinds of fun stuff to do too like the apple arches, playground, point rides, animals to feed ect. They've actually got it pretty organized so that even when they are busy the aisles and traffic are still pretty well structured with a nice flow. *This is a great place to bring kids and make your own new memories! *Prices have definitely gone up but I guess that's happening everywhere. *Still love the remodel at the front entrance, it looks so nice and much safer now. *We got lots of yummy treats that we'll be able to enjoy in the days to come. *We'll see you again next Fall read more

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Review Visit: October 7th, 2012 From a fun-n-unique orchard to a nickel-n-dime tourist trap. With any great increase in popularity comes change. Some of those changes can be positive; some of those changes can be negative. Over the years, Tanners has gone the negative route. I originally visited this place back in 2009, back before I started my travels. At the time, it was a popular place with fair prices and nothing too crazy. They had plenty to do for an afternoon and we made the best of it. We showed up, spent only a few bucks on some apple-flavored items and made our exit as the sun went down. Fast forward a few years to 2012 and things changed. In 2012, prices started to creep up on everything. The things I remember being fairly-priced were starting to teeter on the side of scalping/gouging. Parents that I knew who went complained that they were being charged to enter the play area with their kids. This used to be free. While I am sounding a bit dramatic, there is still plenty of stuff to do despite them charging more and more for everything to do out there. In 2012, we went through a corn maze for about $5-10 a person, which was fair, in my opinion. We got to pet the goats and feed the animals for the cost of a few quarters. With any great rapid explosion in popularity comes change. I understand prices may have needed to increase to help pay for the increase in demand, but it is getting borderline crazy on them nickel-n-diming everyone. Take this as a warning to any parents taking their kids there... expect to pay a good amount there for anything. If you are going with friends, then you can be prepared to pay more but still get by with spending minimal amount of cash, if you are being frugal. Granted, it has been 7+ years since I have been there, but I haven't heard them getting any cheaper. I do plan on visiting in 2019, so I can update this post with any additional information (and correct anything I am wrong about). I will end this on an amusing anecdote. When I came here with my friends, I never had apple cider before. At the entrance, they had free samples with no limit. I put down 5-7 samples as I loved the taste of the ciders they offered. Fast forward to work that night (I was working 3rds at the time) and the cider turned from delicious drink to detrimental digestion discharge. It was a painful lesson on what consuming too much cider can do to you. read more

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Always a great place to go!! Apples and all the baked goods are outstanding. Lots for the kids to do. Great for gifts. I enjoy the baby beets in the food section!! Apple pie is the best.. I go several times per season. read more

We arrived early today and enjoyed looking around. Bought some things. Enjoyed a delicious lunch! Very friendly staff!

Having lived previously in the area, I knew about Tanners, but it had been a number of years since I had been there to give you an idea about the time frame we were there we visited on September 19. I also use an electric wheelchair, and I have to say that they were very accommodating. They do have handicap parking and they do have handicap ramps to use to get in and out of the main building.The parts of the orchards that are not paved were fine. Even in my wheelchair, I could access the entire place. I was there with my son and his dog. They do require a $10 donation to bring the dog in. But that money was donated to The A.R.K. humane society in Lacon. It's a small price to pay to help the animals that need homes. The main store was huge. They had all kinds of items from jelly and salsa, candles and even home décor. They had bags and containers of already picked apples and an entire section of baked goods. You could see the workers in the kitchen making all their goodies, they have a small cafe. Inside where you can get good homemade food. It was unseasonably hot the day we were there, so we never really made it around to where the animals are but they did allow us into the U-pick area to take pictures. It's a fun day and I could see how you could spend an entire afternoon there with your family and have fun. Some people said that they thought the prices were too high. I guess coming from that area it might be perceived as that, but me having lived in the Chicago area for a number of years, I thought the prices were really good. It's also something that you do for fun once in a while, it's not an everyday thing. I would definitely recommend going for a day and seeing everything.It was a lot of fun. The peach pie was made with fresh peaches - not canned. It was excellent! I brought home some taffy apples for the kids, and they said they were amazing. read more

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Fun for everyone. Only problem I have is the parking because the place is so popular. Feeding the animals there is unforgettable. A neighbor gave me a fresh apple cider doughnut from there 2 days ago and it was absolutely heavenly read more

TANNERS ORCHARD IN Speer, IL. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS FARM! After a two hour long car ride, I had to pee so we went into the store first to the restroom. Upon exiting the store to start our adventure in the corn maze and the grounds, I was chased down like a criminal by Rita, a store employee for not paying the $10 dog admission fee. As I explained to Rita that I didn't know I had to pay to bring the dog into the store to use the restroom and was going to pay for her when we bought our tickets for the corn maze. In a stern condescending manner she voiced that the dog walked through the store and didn't pay when leaving. Again, I explained to Rita I didn't know I had to pay at the store to bring her in and that I was just using the restroom before heading out to the farm. Also, I've never paid an admission fee to go into a store so why would I think I had to pay upon leaving the store. Rita did not want to hear my explantion. She exclaimed there are signs posted. I told her that i didn't see a sign for the store. (It was blown down from the wind) She treated me like a criminal and made me come back in the store and pay. I asked her why I cant pay for her when we get our corn maze tickets. She said because the dog already walked through the store. I have never been treated so poorly. I paid and left. As I waited to pay I asked the other woman with her dog in the store if she had paid for her dog and she said no not yet. Rita did not accost her. It's too bad because last year we had a wonderful time. Rita just lost the farm money. Best part of this is that the farm doesn't even get the $10, its a donation to a local shelter. Good job, Rita. read more

I love tanners and have come since I was a kid. I came today during a road trip and brought my dog into the store so I wouldn't leave her in the car because I knew they are pet friendly. When I'm checking out, they forced me to pay a $10 pet fee. I explained I didn't see the sign and would have had my husband wait with her in the car if I knew. Next thing I know, I am charged $10. Disappointed they didn't hear me out on this since we didn't do any of the outdoor activities which is what the charge is for. read more

Tanners Orchard - Farms Near Me - Speer, Illinois

The staff were engaging and friendly. Cost wise, I found to be a good value for the price. We first found this place when participating in a 350+ mile bicycle ride in July 2023. The folks at Tanners were amazing, opening their space for over 100 people participating in this annual event. Then in the fall, a group of us went back to visit and spend the day. We had an amazing time in the corn maze, playing on the property, picking apples, and visiting the shop. Once again, Tanners delivered on a great day. read more

Tanner's Orchard is a lot of fun, there's a big playground (with structures like planes, buses, and trains), petting zoo, gift shop with baked goods decorative items and more, and a corn maze where you have to punch holes at each station until you find out who killed Farmer Brown like Clue. The apples at this orchard are the best and of course you have to try their famous apple cider donuts. 4 stars because the prices for each part of the orchard add up to be a bit much and growing up my dad forced me to go here every year for the corn maze and I got sick of it. read more

We enjoyed a great afternoon at this family establishment with MANY things for the kids to do. They thought of the parents by placing benches everywhere. They had a large hand washing station. And my favorite was the HUGE country store FULL of goodies. I wanted to keep buying. I'm definitely coming back again and again!!!! read more

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Great fun and food was had here with our granddaughter. First time visit for us, she had been here before and showed "us" around, lol. We're considering a season pass for both our 2 and 7 year olds as a surprise in their Christmas stocking, a great place to let them play and explore while we can also watch/play and grab a bench from time to time. Tried many of the food offerings. A bit expensive but still very good. Their caramel/cheese popcorn comes interestingly close to "Garrett's" in Chicago. Would love if they offered it fresh like Garrett's. read more

LOVE this place! Always so much fun to come here annually. Food is so yummy and it's great for people of any age.

This is a wonderful place for a family. It has all the traditional feel of fall,e.g., apple cider, apple picking, wagon rides. The market is very busy if you choose to visit on the weekend. Expect a slow pace as you look at all the fantastic items, and food stuff for sale. Did I mention apple cider donuts? Yum. If you decide to pick your own apples it is $5 admission per person to get into the field. That seems a lot but once you see how much waste there is out there, such as half eaten apples, people eating apples as if if it's their only meal of the day and smashed pumpkins you can see Tanners has to recoop the cost somehow. A half a peck of apples is $12 and a peck is $20. That is a lot of apples! Great time there! read more

Let me start out by saying we had a wonderful time BUT I am very disappointed with pricing. $10 per person for the Back 40 activities which includes pony rides, a play area, pedal cars, a barrel ride and the grain train is very reasonable BUT the corn maze is not included and is $8 per person. You are charged $5 per person to pick and a 1/2 peck is $12. It was very expensive for a family of 5. I would love to go back but who could afford it at those prices??? And don't bring your dog...there's a $10 admission fee per animal. read more

First time visitor and really enjoyed it! Stocked up on my fall foods and then enjoyed lunch! Couldn't leave without an apple cider slushie-yum! read more

Love the Cider and the donuts and all the bakery good fun place to go with my family would like to go again sometime read more

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It is really nice place and very beautiful but if you don't have very much money don't go there everything is very expensive it's not for the poor I bought a dozen donuts for $12 to me that's very expensive everything there is marked up Like I said it's very nice place to look at but if you want there go to There to buy something is very expensive for people with low income Also very expensive if you have a dog $10 per dog to be able to walk around ridiculous read more

This place is a wonderful family friendly place that is a MUST for your fall activities. Amazing food drinks and activities read more

Love Tanners Orchard! Tanners is easily the best in Illinois. They have a large selection of apples, bananas, and on site made specialty products. Love their apple cider donuts. And their store is always a treat to visit. They have something for everyone. read more

Nice farm favorite! A lot of things to choose from and awesome selection. Parking is somewhat challenging. Great visit! Everyone within 100 miles needs to check it out. read more

Terrible...terrible.... terrible . $60 for a bag of apples and an overcrowded, poorly managed trip through the lower 40. $8 for kids...I don't mind. But to pay $8 for parents to enter is just greed. We were flagged back to the last parking area..no controls ...flaggers are saying we dont know if there is any more parking. There was 6 inches of standing water and smelled like a swamp. The cars are all directions. We go on apple picking wagon ..$18 for 2 dozen apples..about. Plus you pay $3 per man woman and child extra to go out to orchard ..so $30 for 24 apples. Go to play area...over charging ..$3 any other day ..parents dont pay ...but today everyone pays $8.... so crowded the line to ponies ...forget it ..then they went on break..no ponies...kids are crying...we sat in the school bus ...cost $24. OVERSOLD their day so you are paying premium prices and unable to enjoy anything. No face painting..no ponies run amuk kids .crowded..hang on tp your kids to save them from getting lost in the crowd.. Went inside..no ponies remember...the place is packed..call fire cheif to save you...samples..no ..all picked through and the dishes are lickd clean....so with a $30 bag of apples and $32 in playground that is so crowded you can't play we cut our losses after an hour of fighting.... Now try to leave the overcrowded lot. Mud flying...people waiting..more mud flying..people pushing cars covered in mud. Take a top from my daughter when we drove in ..should we go someplace else? YES! BLACKBERRY FARMS. .. read more

Great place. GREAT times. Very Family friendly. Would definitely go here with friends and family. Great place for kids to have fun. Pick your own produce. Onsite baked goods. Lunch cafe. Fresh juices. read more

We went with my in laws and it was a nice afternoon. Since it was so nice out and we got there after lunch it was packed. I would recommend getting there earlier in the day. That being said overall the lines to get onto the tractors for you pick and through the market moved quite steadily. The apples are delicious and we can't wait to try the other baked goods and treats we brought home. Went a little nuts but everything looked so good. Loved how they had little tasting stations for lots of their sauces and stuff. If I hadn't gotten to try certain things we might not h have purchased them. read more

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We recently moved here from a Chicago suburb and a friend recommended Tanners. We loved it! Compared to what we're used to paying, Tanners was very reasonable. When picking apples, you aren't "forced" to buy a bag for picking which I appreciated. Even after we picked apples, they suggested we go back and fill up the bags more. My husband loved the donuts and cider. Everyone there was so friendly and they have a lot of people working to make sure it runs smoothly. For some reviewers complaining about prices, honestly I cannot imagine the costs in running the place so I feel that the pricing was fair. Can't wait to go back next year! Also - loved that they have llamas! read more

Great gift shop and restaurant! We love to browse the gift shop and usually end up buying a few food items, including apple cider. The restaurant has a great menu!! We enjoyed large chicken salad sandwiches on large croissants! Delicious! read more

Tanners is a fun place to visit but their prices have climbed to the point of being ridiculous. $10 for a dozen apple cider donuts seems a bit much. It's fun to look and sample wares, but i seldom spend money there anymore. It's more of a place to take friends who come in from out of state. Just a warning, my aunt used to work at Tanners and she advised me the pies come in frozen and are baked there. Hence the "home baked" sticker on the box. Not homemade. read more

Tanner's Orchard has held a special place in my family's heart since I first discovered on my daughter's Pre School field trip 20 years ago. I am going there today and was kind of shocked by all the negative comments regarding the quality of food they serve. If you decide to eat there! You would get that same kind of food at any attraction, even Disneyland! Regarding the cost of their products, everything has gone up everywhere. It is a special occasion, get what you have always loved, the Cider, Apples, donuts or whatever. I gave my daughter my copy of the Tanner's Orchard Cookbook that Marilyn Tanner autographed and a Tanner's Mug and their APPLE JAX SOAP IT IS AMAZING! The employee's and family are always so nice too! Saturday, November 30th is the last day they are open for the season! Gotta get some Cider today and warm with Mulling Spices! Enjoy the memories and Apples, play area, petting zoo, shop, so much to do!!!! read more

We had a great time here! We have our own apple trees at home so we didn't pick apples. Our kids enjoyed the back 40. I read a lot of reviews that thought it was over priced but for 3 hours of fun, animals and snacks it was worth it. Food and drinks were priced appropriately in my opinion. We drove approximately an hour and a half to get here and appreciated that there wasn't a charge to get in. You could see chickens, goats, llamas and bunnies without paying anything. If you don't have little kids then you don't need to pay for the back 40 and can enjoy the wonderful apple and pumpkin treats, excellently priced mums, and a nice gift shop. However for the back 40 10$ per person to play outside, see unicorns, face paint, pony rides, mini golf and many other activities was worth it. The line for the apple nachos was a bit long so we opted for just snacks, coffee drinks, and snocones. Also, a very nice mining activity starting at about 7$. We are looking forward to going back for the experience again next year. read more

Been going here for years since I was a kid with my family. Now bringing nieces and nephews is tradition. Great atmosphere, well kept. Porta-Potty's weren't bad at all. Plenty for kids to do (the kids area is huge and there's also animal feeding and face painting) and the huge corn maze is always a good time. There's always a building with good hot food and hot cocoa which was much needed today with all of the wind and the cold! The inside shop is warm and stocked with goodies (fudge, popcorn, pies, baked goods, trinkets, clothes, decor and more) and friendly staff. Couldn't ask for more! read more

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This is such a great place to go to for all ages! One of my favorite things to do is to pick apples, they have a huge selection to pick from and they provide a tractor ride to get you to each different area. The shop has a great selection of things to buy. I usually purchase caramel apples, cheese, apple donuts (these are a must), apple cider, and apple salsa (also a unique find). They have tons and tons of different food items to purchase. They also provide many samples throughout the store to help you decide what to purchase! Usually while I'm there I will pick up a snack, whether a warmed up apple strudel or a cider slushy. It's also nice to spend some time with the animals! This is a fantastic place to bring your family to or just for a girls weekend! read more

Love going here every fall, I also love how kid friendly it is I can always bring my nieces and nephews here to have a good time and I love the crafts to the food not to mention the animals are adorable! read more

Very good family friendly fall destination. Fun things to do: train kiddie ride, slide, corn maze, Apple picking, plus hot beverages which we needed because it was raining and 50 degrees! Still had a good time. My grandson enjoyed the animals. read more

Tanners is great for both small and big groups of people. I first discovered this place during college at Bradley when an organization I was in would make trips out here. Even since I've graduated, a group of friends and I still visit every fall. I really think this place is charming. You can pick apples, feed goats and eat desserts until your stomach explodes all in one place. The store at Tanners is amazing ! They have so many food items that are really delicious. My personal favorites from the store are the cheeses, apple pies and the caramel corn nuggets. If you are coming to the store on the weekend, you better come early. Even at 1230/1pm the line is ridiculous. This year, they placed more restrictions on the apple picking. During previous years you could ride along for free in the wagon with friends/family that paid to pick apples. This year there is a fee for everyone that goes apple picking even if you are not picking apples. This was kind of a bummer since I enjoy the quality time spent with friends in the orchard without picking apples, but I understand that since Tanners is a business, they do need to make money. read more

We had our daughter's first birthday party here. We are vegetarian. There are not many non-junk options and if you are there on a crowded day, there is no hope for you. You have to keep your guests hungry till you get stuff from snack shack-veggie burger at $5.50. They cater at $9 a piece for the same pre made veggie burger if you pre-order. I got chips for kids so they dont lose patience while waiting for food from the snack shack. We had a terrible time planning with Jill Tanner- the rudest event coordinator I have worked with.She yelled at me for not listening and actually having a back up plan for crowds and had me dump the chips. Remember I ordered food from snack shack and was waiting. She knew I was not one of those who didn't deliberately want to spend money on overpriced food there. She definitely does not want business from folks who have a different dietary need. Everyone else including the folks helping in the parking lot and shuttling us were super nice and helpful. And did I tell you what a nightmare they created for us when we were trying to reschedule because of a thunderstorm. Everyone and their mother knew a storm was coming the day before the originally scheduled date and time. But no ...no sirree Jill would not let us reschedule till the day of the party, all while being rude of course. And I had to send last minute reschedule notices to all my guests 8 hours before the party. Rudeness doesn't sustain hospitality businesses or don't they know that? read more

The food here is good I recommend the apple cider doughnuts! The apple cider was also good and you can watch them make it on the side of the building closest to the corn maze. We also picked up some fudge which was good not amazing but good. I had an caramel apple and it was okay, the others in my group liked theirs more than I liked mine. They have a lot of food samples to taste and not everything is apple related. They also have a lot of miscellaneous items for the home including Christmas decorations. We walked around the facility and fed some of the animals. It's a fun place to take kids there is a lot for them to see and do. The play areas cost money as well as the corn maze but the prices are very reasonable. They also have an apple orchard where you can pick your own apples. read more

This isnt the same, down home feeling Tanners orchard anymore. They have gotten so commercialized, it just feels like a store in the middle of the country. Also, employees are very rude. 3 of them were gathered chatting in front of items (no, it wasn't break time as it was about 5 minutes after they opened). I said "Excuse me" because I really wanted to look at the items. They just gave me a rude look and went back to their chatting and would not move. They could have taken the chat fest to the booths or to the back rooms, no in front of displays and deny customers to look at their items. Wont be back as their items are soooooo overpriced now. read more

Caveat Emptor! Right then, so we need to start with a few words of caution (both which have been covered extensively in almost every review) bc if you don't heed the warning, you're going to be sorely disappointed at minimum or just through the roof Angry during your visit. 1. Come off peak day/hour, ie avoid w/e altogether and busy times. It's that simple. Until they can figure out a way to be more efficient or just simply expand, then it's what you need to do. Alternatively you could also just put on your big boy or girl pants and prepare for a long day along side a bunch of rude, boorish 'Mericans.lol 2. The prices are high, no doubt about it. But it's a matter of supply and demand and if ppl are willing to pay then Tanner's has the right to price an item at whatever point they want. No one is forcing you to buy anything. I will also point out the late, great Kurt Vonnegut's idiom/truism: You get what you pay for! and there are some items that are "must have's" where Tanner's has a lock on: Cider Donuts and Apple Cider to name a few. I grew up in the area and remember coming here when you could come pretty much anytime and actually park in the lot where it's now the cattle call, holding area with a queue a mile long. So it does have a nostalgia draw for me. I also have been bringing my 9 y.o son here every year since birth and he has come to love it as much as I do...at this age he is delirious about the "mining for gold, silver and rocks" exhibit, he is fascinated with that thing! In Sum: As someone who has been coming here for over 30 years, I will alert you to the things you must get at Tanner's, the other items you can probably do fine and save money elsewhere. - Cider Donuts (there is no comparison, i've tried others, impossible to duplicate) - Apple Cider (see above) - Caramel Sauce (see above...perhaps a theme here?) - Apple Tea Ring (this i believe is new? but it is ridiculously good, made in house) - Apple Fritters (Tbh, most of the bakery goods are delicious here, hard to go wrong) - Sweet Bourbon Glaze - Jams and Jellies - Blueberry Syrup, yup yup yummm! [X] Worth it for me! read more

Our family was terribly disappointed at the lack of concern during this pandemic. There was zero requirement for mask wearing or social distancing, there was hundreds of people preset without any precaution taken including the staff. We use to love Tanners but with lack even an attempt to keep people safe during this time we won't be returning. read more