Bengtson's Pumpkin Farm and Fall Fest — Attraction in Homer Glen

My review contains Pros and Cons of all aspects with as much neutral language as possible for all to benefit from the information after having gone multiple years. 〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️ Only CON:

💰💰BUDGET💰💰 Solely does not get five stars because I have to be honest with my truth and say that this is not financially accessible for a family with multiple children. Single parents (or adult couples) with one child can expect to drop $70-$80 admission with taxes alone.

You will be charged $37 regardless of age and how many people you bring. I have gone Halloween Weekend and early October, same prices.

I HIGHLY recommend Bengtson do a group discount because even with the free rides/attractions and free parking…the gas to get to the farm and the food and drinks once there really adds up exponentially.

In total one can expect to casually spend $25-$40 max not including the price of admission per person for a “general experience” as follows: $37 Admission $3 Donut ($20 half dozen) $6 Coffee/Cider/Beer $13 Sandwich $3 Soft Drink $3 Sweet Corn $5 Animal Food at petting zoo optional $8-$20 Gemstone Sifting $20 T-shirts

PROS:

🌭🥪🍕FOOD🍕🥪🌭 Food can be somewhat affordable if you split the big ticket items but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you eat something before coming and enjoy the food here as a treat not a meal.

sometimes the lines can take up to 40 mins to order plus receive food. Other times no more than 15 mins, never really consistent to predict.

Specifically, I recommend the bbq pork sandwich for a large portion (share size for two) and chili cheese dog for those who just want a cheaper treat.

Pizza is garlic bread with cheese and pepperoni, nothing special.

Sweet corn dipped in butter is to the left passed the restrooms behind the barn store. Get your corn there and sprinkle some salt!

The donuts are fresh, warm, dense and “cakey” which is why I recommend you get at least one with your visit. —————————————————— 🍺☕️DRINKS☕️🍺

The beer is beer. If you like casually sipping on hops then you’re gonna get one anyways if I recommend it or not.

The hot cider has no special flavor, but is a classic to keep your hands warm if you forget to wear layers when you visit. Has a slight sour aftertaste but definitely good when it touches your tongue.

Same goes for the coffee stand. It’s mostly to keep you warm while drinking it or if you enjoy flavor shots in your coffee (they have pumpkin flavor lol) if you’re a coffee drinker it will call out to you anyways 😂 —————————————————— 🎡🎠🎟️RIDES🎟️🎠🎡

All rides are FREE! They are all fun and achieve their purpose of entertainment.

Pig Races start at the top of every hour. So plan accordingly when you want to arrive and people start sitting ten mins before. They do ask for volunteers so be ready to make noise with your kids *cough cough especially if your dad has a “pork belly” 🤣 *

Sit with your back towards the pond if you want to face the pumpkin chucker in the hayride.

🔥🔥DISCLAIMERS🔥🔥 • There is a semi-steep hill to go “down” to the food/rides area and you will have to go back “up” to leave the premises. Just be prepared if you have difficulty walking with angled paths or too weak to push a stroller with bags and a child. Some parents carry their kids up the hill 😂

• Please be mindful that sometimes there will be long wait times for the rides at peak season. Remind yourself you are coming to a family (primarily children) targeted space. Don’t overthink it, laugh with each other and keep an open mind.

•THE PUMPKINS HAVE SMALL THORNS on the stems most of the times. Please WARN your children and adults in your group to not just grab them by the stem right away it does hurt.

•THERE IS MUD in the parking lots. Do not wear nice shoes and make sure your shoes have traction.

finally… ⭐️⭐️PRO TIP⭐️⭐️ Grab your HEAVY PUMPKIN at the END of your visit. You have no idea how funny it is to see people STRUGGLING to carry a 30 pound pumpkin up a hill and throughout the venue. It’s not worth it and there’s always sooooo many pumpkins to...

Very disappointed with our experience! We drove one hour to get to the farm & arrived at 11:45 on a Friday. By the time we arrived, we already had to park in the third overflow lot. While the farm appeared to be crowded, there were still a lot of remaining spots to park. Since they had several other parking lots they hadn’t filled yet, we assumed the farm must have a large capacity. There was a long line to buy tickets. We bought tickets & headed to the rides immediately. We waited 1 hour for the Happy Swing ride. I am an average- sized female, but couldn’t sit comfortably in the seat despite saying it accommodated up to 75 inch tall people. After that, we went to get lunch. The line at the Barbecue place was super long & after waiting an hour in the line for the ride, we were not up for waiting for food. There were several other food options, but also had really long lines. We eventually found an Italian food truck in the pumpkin patch that had a shorter line. That said, they were already out of several of the food options. Anyway, we were hungry, so we ordered something they had & it was really good, but they didn’t have cold drinks, so we had to wait in another line to get drinks. After this, the line for the cow roller coaster ride was 2.5 hours & the swings line was 1.5 hour wait- so our kids played in the corn pit. They had fun, but it was packed! Some kids were throwing corn, etc, & really hard to keep track or kids. The Haunted house, fun house, & the farm animals were the only things we could do without waiting in a line.

The all included entrance fee felt misleading considering the long lines for everything. Our kids only got to ride two rides - the Happy Swing & the Barrel Blast. We did talk to one manager, named Danny, but she only offered insincere apologies & blamed it on the nice weather & because it was the Friday before Columbus Day weekend.

The farm should really limit the number of visitors they allow during peak hours when they know that the lines are going to be so long. It’s misleading to guests to think that you would even have a chance to do all of the activities or find food when the lines are 1.5-2.5 hours a piece.

We spent $125 on admission plus $80 on lunch for our kids to ride 2 rides. Not worth it. We left feeling disappointed in the experience & feel the farm is taking advantage...

We had a great time here, though there is room for improvement. Going on the weekend, be prepared to wait. We waited 45 minutes for two of the rides, and somewhere between 20 and 40 for others. There is a wide variety of tasty treats, though I would stay away from the pizza. It bad, just average. Corn was delicious and we went back for more!

I am leaving 4 stars instead of 5 because of two things. First, they are not very handicapped friendly. There was rough terrain and no benches or tables reserved for handicapped (for eating or waiting for kids on rides). While some people probably wouldn't adhere to the signs, at least it would be helpful to have them around the park, especially extra benches. There should definitely be more benches or places to sit in higher traffic areas.

I also had a situation where I put my children on a ride and went to put down my cane and get on the next one. The workers had no clue and I was a little peeved to ask the guy behind me to get off the ride so i could be in line with my children. The workers didn't expect a handicapped person with a cane to get on the ride and thought I left when I was just putting down my cane. They obviously weren't paying attention, and didn't even ask if I was riding. In the future, I would tell them I plan to ride. I think they could have been more polite or at least ask if someone is riding instead of assuming they are not. I was right next to the lady while I was putting down the cane and not walking down the exit row. A small bit of observation might have indicated to her that I wasn't leaving but planning to ride...

We also witnessed a situation with an autistic child, who was not able to wait in line. They were not allowed to "line jump", but I think that management could do something better for these special cases. For medical necessity, I think that exceptions should be made. That young man had every right to ride the roller coaster, but I completely understand he couldn't wait for close to an hour. My 5 and 10 year old family members had a little trouble, but it was manageable. People with special needs cannot always tolerate that, and it broke my heart that the family...