McLaurin Farms — Local services in Greensboro

We went December 2018 to go on the hayride and see the lights. We had gone there during Halloween, and we love the open space and town square feel to it. The Christmas display was was even better than the Halloween (in terms of being family friendly). Growing up in the country in NY, I have been on my fair share of hayrides and have been to a lot of farm hosted celebrations. This one is done very well. For the cost of admission ($8) you get a little check list for the kids of things they get to do - see Santa, go on hay ride, free treat at gift shop, make an ornament, write a letter to Santa, & go on a kiddy train ride. It was such a relief to have those things included, and all the actors and employees were kind and warm. Everyone seemed to embrace the holiday spirit there. The Santa was pretty good, although I wish he was a little more jolly, he didn't even say "ho-ho-ho". That is by no means a deal breaker, or even a negative, it's just my observation and personal opinion. My daughter doesn't really like Santa anyway, she was more focused on what the Grinch was doing. Haha. I loved the camp fires they had ready for people to toast marshmallows or to make smores. That was my favorite part after the hayride. The smell of the fire and the clear, starry sky made it unforgettable and very memorable. I was less impressed with the free "gift" they got at the gift shop, a small piece of candy. I was expecting the gift to perhaps be a small ornament, or a little stocking with some small pieces of candy. Something Christmas themed, not a few cents worth of candy. That would be my only "big" complaint, and even that is nothing major that I can deal with. The small complaint I'd have to bring up is the cost of the refreshments they sell. It was $1 for a bag of 4 marshmallows and over $2 for a cup of hot apple cider. I get it though, they are a business and they make money via refreshments. You could very well bring a thermos of cider and marshmallows with you, had you known what to expect (which we didn't as it was our first time there for the Christmas lights). There was nothing stating you can't bring in your own food or drink. Overall, the relatively low cost of admission more than makes up for the high cost of snacks. The inclusive nature they have set up makes it great for families and kids...

Honestly disappointed in the price for what you get. The ticket prices aren’t truthful - they say $12 and SMALL PRINT cash only but they have no signs leading up to the gate about it. So while in line we purchased tickets online for $15 ($3 fee). Turns out there’s also a fee to purchase in person with cash ($2). So just be honest and say tickets are $14 in person and $15 online. Even if you purchase online we still waited in one long line at the gate. The ticket price doesn’t include face painting, feeding the animals, the nice train, or a pumpkin - so even if you buy online be ready to bring cash and spend more $. Pumpkins are a ridiculous $1 a pound so after watching a family of 4 spend $100 on pumpkins we opted out. There were a couple inflatables and a handful of animals. There was no soap or paper towels to dry your hands near the animals, just water which is disgusting to think about (and this was an hour after they opened). Pumpkins were on tables. Gravel everywhere so strollers are no ideal. It wasn’t the worst we’ve been to but not the bang for your buck I...

Expensive and too crowded, lots of lines even if you pre-purchase the tickets. $10 parking was handled well but once parked, the lines to get in were insane and slow. We missed the main event (Christmas light hayride) as no one informed us we had to scan to get into a que before getting in yet another line. Once we found this out, we were 85th in line and then 30 minutes later, 42nd in line. It was 8:30pm by then and it starting raining so we left (got there at 530pm). I'll take ownership of this spendy mistake but giving a heads up for anyone else. The que definitely makes sense but the customers should have been coached on it (maybe while standing in line for an hour beforehand). Also, the adult beverage stand was a little distasteful for such a family-friendly event. I wish there would have been hot cider & hot chocolate stands, instead. I enjoyed the Greensboro Science Center much better, even though that's a walking experience. We did that last year but thought a hayride with the family would be neat this year....