Didier Farms — Local services in Buffalo Grove

Visited on a Friday morning, and the rest of the day I kept thinking about my experience...

The good: no entrance fee free parking you can bring in your own food and beverages large, lots of “attractions” sanitizer stations were numerous, masks were being worn/required about 40 minutes from the north side of the city

The just ok: tickets are $1 each (no discount on large quantities) and you will go through them quickly every attraction costs tickets. 3 tickets at a minimum and up to 6. And I mean every. single. one. Wanna jump on some hay bales? 4 tickets. Want to see some animals? 5 tickets. I understand that is the business model here since they don’t charge an entry fee but it was a little surprising no indoor bathrooms (?) I may be mistaken here but it looked like it was porta-potty only one entrance and one exit. Everything funnels through the very front of the farm, so if you want to bring pumpkins to your car or take a kid to change, you have to go all the way through the grounds, out the exit, and all the way around to the parking lot. And then you have to do that in reverse to get back in. For a place that’s catering to families and kids I think it would be wise to have a least one more exit by parking!

The really bad: the “rides” and attractions are pretty old, & a bit run-down looking, and staffed with less than enthusiastic employees. if you have a very young child or child with disabilities (both in the case of my group) and want to assist or ride with them— expect to pay your own ticket entrance. So, a $3ticket ride ends up being $6. The “pumpkin playground” was the only place with a sign that said one adult was allowed in with paid child, and there were 2 rides that the employees allowed adults to assist for free after we asked. This isn’t Disneyland, we’re not squeezing into a rickety old ride because it’s enjoyable— we’re doing it to help our children. Let any kid 5 or under have a free adult. You’ll still get all our money (tickets are non refundable of course!) I only saw one ride operator sanitize the seats between rides! Masks were being worn and sanitizer was nearby but only one (!!) actually took the time to wipe it down. The fun slide reuses the same mats for everyone without sanitizing between— FYI

We did not eat anything, ride any animals (although I have to agree the camel eating his fence looked pretty sad) or purchase any take home items so I cannot review those attributes of the farm, but overall I was not wowed, did not feel especially safe or clean, and felt that my wallet was being milked for every dime. Probably would not make the trip again unless I caught wind of some major...

Took the grandkids… sorry to say, I will never go back. We used to take our kids there year after year. I heard the farm was sold or something and someone else bought it to keep the pumpkin farm going and all the family stuff going in the fall. That said, it’s an obvious money grab. For example. 2 adults, 2 children under 6 $24 to enter the feeding corral they call Feeding Zoo Land. Then we had to pay $3 more for carrots and feed for each child! What? We bought $50 worth of tickets at the entrance and went on 4 rides and the animal feeding thingy. $36 for pizza and 2 donuts and another $30+ for some pumpkins. Over $100 for a pumpkin farm. Idk… something is off. I’m glad I have the means to do it but sheez. Like I said. I’ll pay $100 for something else but it won’t be Didier’s farm next year. He’s another view. If a child went on every ride or attraction it would be more than $50/per. (SMH) 4 people would be $200+. And that doesn’t include food or pumpkins!

All that said, I’ll end on a nice note. It is a nice place and I’m glad they’re trying to keep this “farm” going. I’m sure it’s not cheap. And they also honor veterans (I am) with free passes for all attractions so I saved there. Thank you for that. Entrance is free and so is parking.

I’d say the only big fix is to not charge to go into the Zoo Land and it probably wouldn’t even register in my brain as an...

I visited Dider Farm today with my 3-year-old daughter and a friend for a playdate. While the kids had fun playing together, I cannot recommend this place. Unfortunately, it has become a greedy money-making machine. The staff were rude, unwelcoming, and had absolutely no smiles on their faces—just a cold, irritated demeanor.

We went to the petting zoo, and besides the fact that they charge $6 per person at the entrance for what is essentially nothing, once you’re inside, you have to spend even more money to buy feed. A tiny cup of carrot sticks, containing only 7-8 pieces, costs $3.

The worst part of the experience was when my daughter received a half-filled cup of carrot sticks, so I helped her adjust by taking just one carrot stick from another cup. Immediately, a staff member rushed over and started cursing at me in front of my daughter. When we bought a second cup, this same staff member rudely snatched several carrot sticks out of my daughter’s hand and glared at us.

Charging $3 per cup for a handful of carrot sticks is already outrageous, but the staff’s behavior was simply unacceptable. I spent less than 10 minutes at the petting zoo, was scammed out of more than $30, and left extremely upset.

Avoid this...