Eckert's Pick Your Own Belleville Farm — Attraction in Belleville

In prior years, Eckerts has been a fun place to take the kids and kill some time and burn some energy on what would otherwise be a lazy fall Sunday morning. I fully expected it to be ridiculously crowded, which it was. The restaurant was over an hour wait, so we sat down at the outside pavilion to eat before hitting the pumpkin patch. At the pavilion, you order through an app, and a "server" brings out your food and drinks, while you're left to meander around to find condiments and water for your table. Our fries came out within 2 minutes of ordering and prior to getting our drinks. The spice mix on the fries was an odd blend of salt and sugar and various other spices. Strange, but not terrible. The rest of our food arrived an uncomfortable amount of time later. My youngest son's peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable was a molten hot mess from being microwaved too long. My oldest ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which was served lukewarm and soggy as if was dunked in meat juice. It was then topped with a piece of swiss cheese with hard, translucent edges, as if it was left out overnight. My spattering of nacho chips were swimming in a sea of southwest sauce with a sprinkling of pulled pork that was advertised as brisket. So, after paying for the food and tip upfront, I pulled a Karen and asked for several of the the more inedible items to be removed from our bill. I have no problem with ordering and paying for a meal deli counter style, but the whole concept of tipping at what is essentially a food hall that clearly doesn't even make the food that they serve is a bit weird. No one was waiting on us, we're had to get our own condiments, and there were no refills to be had, so why am I paying 20% for someone to buss my table and deliver food that I didn't order from them? So after what was an extremely underwhelming meal, we gathered the boys and ushered them into the market to get a treat before we left. My youngest grabbed a $3 push-pop, and the other two brought up some bulk candy from the back of the store. I took one look at the line and had them put everything back, and took them to the dollar store before heading to a different...

Go for the experience, but - its expensive, terrible bathrooms, only ok restaurant food. Going on the field, the barnyard animals and thinks for little kids, and the ice cream were the best parts. Great for a date or out with the kids. We go every year during apple and pumpkin season. First, this is not the place to actually buy your groceries. With the $5 field pass per person, on top of the high pricing of the produce, it is wildly cheaper to just go to your local store or farmers market. Like I can choose my pumpkin from a limited supply at Schnucks or Aldis for $6, this was closer to $40 for a pre-cut pumpkin I could choose from the field. If you want the experience, it is enjoyable but not inexpensive.

They do a good job moving people through the queues and getting them out to pick and back to check out, but it does take quite some time (think an hour to two hours), even if you aren't picking bushels of produce. There is no rush to get back, there is a constant route of tractors to pull you back to the start. The fields were full of discarded produce, as you would expect from a pick your own. Generally trash-free and nice smelling. Pet friendly, which is always a plus!

There is a very limited number of restrooms on the grocery/pick your own side, and none I saw out in the fields, so I suggest going over to the restaurant and using those over there (just behind the entry desk) - there are a lot more available.

The restaurant was just disappointing. I was anticipating a lot of delicious fresh food, but of our entire party of 10, no one thought the food was more than ok. Also the menu was...

A Beautiful Summer Experience 🌻🍑

We spent a lovely sunny afternoon at a local farm, and it turned out to be one of the most peaceful and refreshing getaways.

We arrived around 3 PM, though if you’re planning a visit, I’d recommend going in the morning since it can get quite warm later in the day. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and proper walking shoes because there’s quite a bit of walking involved.

Tickets were $12 per person, which included a short ride to the fields, the chance to pick five sunflowers, and access to a beautiful berry farm. Everything there was fresh, organic, and very reasonably priced.

The sunflower field was definitely a highlight. They gave us pruners to cut the flowers ourselves, and we spent time picking our favorites and enjoying the scenery. We also had so much fun taking pictures among the flowers.

After that, we visited the peach-picking area. It was such a fun experience, but the sun was strong, and we started to feel a bit drained. Thankfully, the farm provided cold water to help us stay cool and hydrated.

We finished the day at the little market area, where we grabbed some fresh farm-made donuts. They were warm, soft, and absolutely delicious — the perfect end to a lovely day.

This place is such a great spot to visit during the summer. It’s peaceful, family-friendly, and filled with simple joys. I’ll definitely be going back again — just a little earlier in the...