A Visit to Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm

One of my favorite parts of fall is getting to visit pumpkin farms. I used one of my school holidays this month to take the boys to visit Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm in Minooka, IL. We went last year, and had an amazing time. I liked the emphasis on the outdoor and fall-themed activities without all the rides and expensive extras. 

 

One of the highlights of this farm was the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. It was a bumpy ride, but an exciting one, thorough cornfields and such. 

I was very glad to have Grandma Toni along, since Greg had to work. The sun was out and the day was fairly warm for October. 

This was a real pumpkin patch, and the pumpkins were varied and interesting, with bumps and color variations. Walking through the path was great fun 

I did take some video of the pumpkin patch romping. 

The boys were able to compare the pumpkins, as in "This one is the largest," or " This one has the most pimples." They felt the vines and we tried to find the longest ones. We even looked at the leaves and talked about how the large leaves get enough sunlight to the plants to make the pumpkins grow big. 

This is the pumpkin Nick picked--not for carving, just for his personal pumpkin. He has carried it around for several days and been very possessive of it. Henry picked his own pumpkin, too.

After pumpkin time, we visited the petting zoo area. The animals were pretty docile, and some even wandered about the farm at will. 

Probably the boys' favorite area was the corn bins. I agree that they were very relaxing, and from a sensory point of view, we could've spent hours in there. 

I loved that corn bin In fact, I want one in my garage for when the boys get bored. \

I even went into the corn bin with the boys for awhile, and I found it quite relaxing. I could've taken a nap in there, even with all the little children crawling around me. 

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Corn bins are awesome!

Henry wanted to stay forever.

There was more to see in the Barn o' Fun. Climbing hay bales sounds like exhausting work, but the kids really enjoyed themselves. 

Nick made it all the way to the top, but Henry just kept trying in vain and screaming in fury. 

I'm not sure there's much Henry could've done to get up there. He was sure determined, though. 

Henry sure gave it his all, though. 

I'd definitely visit Heap's again. For the price, I thought the attractions were great, and the lack of crowds or expensive rides made it a fun excursion that wasn't too far from home. We finished with a trip through the soybean maze (I wasn't risking getting lost in a corn maze again.) and then headed home, exhausted from our fun.