Northern Ohio pumpkin farm

October 8, 2014 7:53 PM

We will be driving from Chicago to Cleveland along I-90. What is the best pumpkin farm along that route?

I am from Wisconsin so I am kind of picky about pumpkin farms - patch is the best. I like country stores and apple picking. Corn mazes, hayrides, haunted barns etc. are all fine, but a lot of the places around Chicago are like city people traps with horrible parking lots and chain link fences and cheesy carnival rides, and I do not want those things.

The two best pumpkin farms I have been to are Riley's Farm in CA and Swan's in WI. Really I think that Riley's is the Platonic ideal of pumpkin farms, so I guess I am looking for that in northern Ohio.

posted by goodbyewaffles to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

I'm no pumpkin farm aficionado, but I'm assuming you've tried querying pumpkin patches and more? Another option is to check out Corn Mazes America and see places along I-90 and see if they have pumpkin patches. A quick search yeilded Fleitz Family Farm, which looks pretty cool (had me at popcorn on the cob)
posted by Perko at 9:24 PM on October 8, 2014

It's probably about an hour from Cleveland, but Maize Valley Farm in Hartville is what you're looking for. Although their website positions it more as a winery, they have a huge pumpkin patch, hay rides, corn mazes, a pumpkin cannon, pig races, a good farm market, and wine and beer. We take the sloggerlings every year and it's great fun. If you go on a Saturday you can also hit the Hartville Flea Market, which is pretty much the best flea market ever.
posted by slogger at 9:31 AM on October 9, 2014

Fleitz Family Farm. We go there every year for our pumpkins and gourds. There's hayrides and stuff but mostly it's a good selection of pumpkins and gourds... and doughnuts! Doughnuts, cider and pumpkin picking.
posted by charred husk at 1:44 PM on October 9, 2014

Patterson's! I've been going there for decades and it hasn't really changed much. The donuts are outstanding, I love the apples, especially the Staymen-Winesaps and it has acres of pumpkins. You can also stop in at Eddy's Fruit Farm just down the road - they have a nice farm store with fresh vegetables grown on site, fresh baked goods, jams, candy and also lots of pumpkins and apples.

Both are sort of sleepy, low-tech places. No chain-link fences. They might get a little crowded on a sunny fall weekend but that's crowded for Northeast Ohio, not big-city crowded.
posted by Kangaroo at 4:16 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]