Homestead Farm of Jones Family Farms — Attraction in Shelton

Perfect Christmas experience! We live in Manhattan and are sick of paying $250-$400 for very mediocre Frazier firs. This year, I decided we'd trek up to CT for the day and cut down our own tree, or pick up a fresh cut tree at one of the many Christmas tree farms in Southern CT. I did a little searching and discovered the Jones Family Farm. So happy we made the trip. Yes, its a bit of a trek from NYC at about 75 miles. As we approached the far, I saw long, long lines of cars, 2 police cars directing traffic, and my first thought was "oh god, this will be a total nightmare..." Couldn't have been more wrong! We found a parking space easily and once we walked into the area with the stands selling their own fresh trees and other items, we realized what all the fuss was about. Huge selection and great prices - 8-10' Balsams, Fraziers, Blue Spruces were only $75-80! As we looked over some of the trees, a very polite, tall young fellow named "Trent" helped us out, asked if we wanted him to stand up a few trees, etc. Her told us all the trees were cut within the week. We settled on a nice, full, well shaped 10-11' balsam fir for $100. Trent tagged it, hauled it away to be baled up, and told us we could enjoy the rest of the farm, and pick the tree up whenever we wanted. We headed over to the gift shop and the lower area to pick up some greens, a wreath, etc. What amazing prices and beautifully made. Gorgeous wreath was $12! The whole farm is just so adorable, with a quaint red barn New England feel. The process of having the tree tied on the roof was a snap, another nice young guy hauled the tree down for us, tied it perfectly to the roof (extremely securely i might add - he noted he was a volunteer fire fighter so his knots were very good!) At any rate, the farm was crowded but in a good, festive way. We really enjoyed the experience and the service. We will definitely be back next year - maybe we'll try to walk the farm and cut down our own. And a PS note - just set the tree up last night - looks amazing, it is WAY bigger than i thought and I was amazed at how few needles it lost - i mean a very very small amount after wrestling it into the stand, and getting all the lights on. ...

The idea of cutting down a Christmas tree may seem like an arduous task to some, but having come here for the first time, I don't think I can ever just "buy" a tree off a lot ever again.

First things first, you will need a reservation as there are hundreds of thousands of trees to choose from but there are also thousands of families who come here, so make a plan.

This farm is also enormous so once you have decided you are coming, prepare yourself for a wonderful day in the outdoors. Think, waterproof boots, hats, gloves, etc.

I arrived the day after Thanksgiving which is the earliest I have ever purchased a tree but I was assured by the staff that provided I cut the base again when I got home and kept it watered, it would last till Christmas.

With dozens of fields, each field has different types of trees to offer. The staff are super helpful and can help you choose where to go to find the perfect tree based on type of tree and even height. You will have to walk the property so, again, plan accordingly. If you forgot a saw or don't own one, don't worry, they will lend you one. Just, don't bring a chainsaw, they are not allowed.

Tip: if you bring an old plastic tarp, it makes it easier to drop your cut tree onto the tarp and drag it across the grass to your car, sparing you from having to carry it. Number one fastest route to a family argument is over having to carry a tree that one person is sure is too big.

If you are coming with a young family make sure everyone is... involved, well-rested, hydrated, and fed. Many people bring dogs (we had one with us) but short of peeing on someone else's tree they are rarely of much assistance and someone will need to walk them which means they are not helping carry the tree.

Lastly, there is also a huge barn area with cut trees, wreaths, snacks, bathrooms, and activities, so it's easy to make a day of it or just cut...

It pains me to say that my ongoing family tradition of getting my tree here since I was a kid has come to an end. As we were checking out with our overpriced reservation of $110... the man asked us if we had a second tree in the trunk.. me thinking that it was a joke I said haha no. He continued to ask to check the trunk and found a TREE TRIMMING that we picked up off the ground no larger then 10 inches long. And would not let us leave until we paid full price for an entire second tree(another $110). He started accusing us of killing a baby tree and stealing it when it was literally just a tiny branch/tree trimming that fell off. He immediately assumed we were up to something shady when in reality we just thought it was a cute little tree trimming. He threatened with the police and that he has us on video of putting the tree trimming into our car.. we ended up just giving him $30 (with no receipt) to just get out of this very uncomfortable situation. This farm has turned into a money grab and will do anything for an extra penny. I highly recommend that you find another farm to go to as this one ruined the experience for us.

EDIT: I felt the need to give a response to their feedback on my review as it seems like there may be a misunderstanding. This was not a 2ft tree. This was no larger then 10-12 inches and it was a branch that was already on the ground that fell off of a tree that someone must have already cut down. Someone probably saw us put this branch in our trunk because we weren't hiding it. If tree trimmings were free as you stated, then I want my $30 back? And check your website because it Cleary says $105 plus tax. I paid $111.67 and the checkout staff was clearly asking for another...