Siegel's Cottonwood Farm — Attraction in Crest Hill

I still enjoy coming here, but unfortunately I would no longer use "affordable family fun on the farm" to describe Siegel's Cottonwood Farm any more. They are about as expensive as other farms that are closer to me. I paid $98.93 for three people to walk in on a weekend. I used to purchase the discounted tickets during the Christmas in July sale, but now that they started adding black out dates, that is no longer an option for us because we are not always sure of the weekend we would be able to go. They have added a lot over the years. There is something new almost every year we go. As they add new things I think some other things get looked over when it comes to annual maintenance. For example, in the sports area the tarp that is tacked down in the baseball area is no longer stuck in the ground so the baseballs keep getting stuck at the top. The staff is still super friendly! There are still a lot of great photo opportunities. In some spots (that they utilize for weddings) they have "selfie posts" which I think is a great idea. You can prop your phone up there (use your timer) and go get in the picture. Some of the play areas, like the pirate ship, have been replaced to make room for new attractions. The ticket price is pretty inclusive. You need to purchase train tickets, animal feed, gem mining, and paintball. Everything else was included (play areas, tractor ride, sports area, jumping pillow, zip line, giant slide, corn maze, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something). Overall, we had a nice time day out. I'm not sure if we will return next year due to prices going up and kids getting older and not wanting to spend as much time there.

My Review from 2018: It really is affordable family fun on the farm. I love this farm and have been going the last 5 years straight. Every year they have added more activities included with your admission. There are tons of photo opportunities around the farm. It's a real working farm so you'll see plenty of animals including goats, horses, and pigs. They also have chickens. In the last 5 years they have gone from the gumball machine hand full of good to cups, carrots, and greens you can purchase for a small fee to feed the animals. There are a few different play areas for kids. Pirate ships, fairy/tiny houses, and cars/trains. They are all made out of wood. They recently added a corn pit(?). It's basically a sandbox but instead of sand corn is used. Don't let the tiny corn maze fool you! It's a lot bigger than I expected. I figured it would just be a quick walk through, but we were in there for at least 10 minutes. My daughters favorite things the last two years would be the zip line and the giant slide. The best part? All of these activities are included in your general admission. No ticket lines. No hidden fees. The only things they charge extra for would be for any outside vendor they use, like pony rides or camel rides, and food. The food is great. It's moderately priced. The pulled pork parfait is my new favorite. There are different buildings that sell different products. One building has apple cider donuts (Another favorite!), another pulled pork, another chicken tenders. That's just a sample of the food items they sell. This past year they started selling alcohol. Last year (2017) they started to sell a refillable cup. I like this much better than the paper cups they provided before. Plus it's a souvenir you'll actually use. Pumpkins are charged by the weight. This year we pulled our pumpkins from the patch and unfortunately they didn't last very long before they started to rot. In previous years we've picked from the pre-picked pumpkins and have never had an issue. You can find pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Overall, I highly recommend this pumpkin patch. It's worth the drive. I like that it's an all inclusive price. Other farms I've been too you have to buy tickets for different attractions on top of a high admission fee. There is plenty to do to keep you busy the whole day. The staff is friendly and helpful. It's a nice family...

We are writing to formally express our profound disappointment and concern regarding a series of incidents that occurred during our recent visit. Our group consisted of families participating in a special program designed to provide affordable opportunities for children with special needs to experience a pumpkin patch. We arrived with high hopes for a joyful and inclusive day, and initially, our large group significantly contributed to your business through considerable purchases of food and beverages, especially given the warm weather. However, the positive atmosphere quickly deteriorated due to the unprofessional conduct of the staff. Early in our visit, a female staff member, identifiable by her white floral overalls, addressed the special needs families waiting in line in an unprofessionally abrupt and discourteous manner. She curtly instructed them to move aside, stating that her priority was to attend to business operations, which caused immediate distress and a feeling of being unwelcome among the group. The organizers of the special access program were deeply dismayed by this lack of empathy and basic courtesy. The situation further escalated following an innocent occurrence involving one of the children. Near the paid train ride attraction, a child in our group discovered a fallen branch on the ground. Believing it to be discarded and harmless, the child picked it up and cherished this small find throughout a significant portion of our visit. Later, while the children were enjoying a ride, the aforementioned staff member in white floral overalls approached us, sternly inquiring about the branch. Despite our explanation that it was a discarded item found on the ground by a child, she asserted ownership, claiming it was property used for their displays, and proceeded to confiscate it. A young employee assisting with the ride attempted to intervene on the child's behalf, explaining the branch belonged to the child, but was regrettably reprimanded publicly by the senior staff member and instructed to return to his post. He subsequently offered an apology to the distressed child In an attempt to console the child, a family member managed to retrieve the branch from where it had been set aside. However, another employee, seemingly instructed by management, quickly reclaimed it, once again causing distress. Our inquiry as to whether the branch might be available for purchase was met with a blunt refusal. Subsequent attempts to engage with a manager regarding these concerning interactions were met with utter dismissiveness. The manager appeared to deliberately ignore our relatives and instead alerted security to what she termed a "problem." When confronted, the manager became defensive, identifying the item as a "wisteria branch" (despite it being a simple pumpkin vine) and offered to sell it for $20, presenting our only other option as immediately vacating the premises. Under considerable duress and solely to alleviate the child's profound upset, a relative decided to purchase the branch. Shockingly, at the point of sale, they were charged $30, a significant increase from the initially quoted $20. When the relative attempted to address this pricing discrepancy or seek a refund for the overcharge, security personnel became confrontational. They made derogatory remarks and explicitly threatened to involve law enforcement if we did not immediately depart. Feeling entirely devalued, unjustly treated, and threatened, we had no choice but to leave. The entire experience was profoundly disappointing, undermining the very purpose of our visit and leaving a lasting negative impression of the establishment's customer service and ethical standards, particularly in interactions with special needs families. We believe this conduct warrants a thorough...

UPDATED RESPONSE: It’s honestly amazing how this farm’s owner chose to respond. Twisting facts, inventing details, and pointing fingers instead of simply taking responsibility.

Let’s clear up a few things: A member of our group arrived a half an hour early and we were still left waiting outside 20mins after guests arrived because your staff couldn’t locate a deposit that had already been paid. Your mistake, not ours. We DID NOT receive any “complimentary pumpkins.” That’s a flat-out lie, and the fact that you’d make that claim publicly says a lot about your integrity. I was stopped for doughnuts that I purchased. Imagine what would happen if I left with a “free pumpkin” I don’t want it. Asking for a small check-in table for a large, organized group isn’t unreasonable, it’s common sense. Yet we were refused because it “wasn’t arranged ahead of time.” As for your under aged staff “verifying purchases”being accused of stealing doughnuts that were bought earlier is not “loss prevention.” It’s rude, unprofessional, and insulting. The fact that they have a minor that can’t remember me 5 mins after I was stopped and was “disrespectful” towards shows the level of poor management this establishment has.

Your response only proves what we experienced: a complete lack of accountability, poor communication, and zero understanding of what customer service actually means. Instead of addressing legitimate concerns, you chose to fabricate details and publicly attack your guests. I’d advise anyone planning a group visit to go somewhere that values honesty, hospitality, and basic respect because this farm clearly doesn’t.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Our experience at this farm was nothing short of frustrating and disappointing. From the start, communication was minimal and unhelpful, emails were short, incomplete, and lacked the courtesy you’d expect when planning a large group visit. Before booking, I even drove 40 minutes to see the farm myself, only to be told I needed an appointment. I ended up purchasing a ticket just to look around for half an hour. When our group finally arrived on the event day, we were told the farm never received our 50% deposit, even though we had already paid it. Our entire group had to wait 20 minutes outside the entrance while they tried to sort out their mistake. We also asked for a small table outside the entrance to organize check-in and distribute wristbands, a very simple request, and were flat-out refused because “it wasn’t arranged ahead of time.” To make matters worse, nowhere in the proposal or emails did it say that outside beverages were not allowed. We brought our own apple cider, only to be told we couldn’t bring it in and that “it’s all over the website.” I had to take it back to my car and purchase drinks from them instead. The worst part was the behavior of one of their teenage employees. As we were leaving, I was stopped and asked if I had purchased the doughnuts we bought from them earlier, implying that I was stealing. Moments later, after I put them in the car and walked back in, the SAME employee asked, “Who are you?” as if I was sneaking in. It was incredibly rude and unprofessional. It’s a real shame that a family-owned farm seems to have no understanding of customer service or hospitality. Our group will absolutely not be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone planning an organized visit or...