Simmons Farm — Local services in Peters Township

We used to go to Simmons Farm every year for pumpkins growing up. It's been a while since I've been back and it's changed a lot. The changes are pretty disappointing considering how much the farm has grown. It used to be that you could stop by the shop, sample cider, grab an apple, and head down to the pumpkin patch via hayride and go into the field and literally pick your perfect pumpkin from one of many fields and then grab your ear of Indian corn. With all the growth and improvements they've experienced over the years, it seems they removed the charm of that. No more cider or apple bins up top, the hayride is still there but when you get to the "pumpkin patch" it's just piles of tiny, smashed up (literally just smashed to pulp) pre-picked pumpkins. No going into the pumpkin fields or picking your own. If I wanted to pick up a pumpkin off a pile, I would have just gone to the market at Trax or Ambrose and gotten a nice, big one instead of spending $17 per person to pick up a low-quality pumpkin from a pile. I imagine they hide the fields away and pick the nicest,, biggest pumpkins to sell at their market because they charge those by the pound. The Indian corn is still pick your own and they've still got the corn maze and petting zoo, but there's just busy vendors and lines and flower picking. You have to wait forever to get anywhere. Can't even call it a pumpkin patch anymore because there's no pumpkin patch to be seen. Not at all worth the money, unless maybe you have very small children who can just do the kid activities and won't mind waiting around a long time for lines and can't do a pumpkin patch. We couldn't even catch the hayride back because the line was so long and after waiting in another long line were told they were out of water and it was too hot to stay anymore. Wound up walking over the hill and hand carrying our pumpkins even though we purchased the hayride. Extremely disappointed in what it's become, honestly regret going back. Wish we would have known that "pick your own pumpkin" doesn't mean what you think. Might be nice for other activities but I'll never know because I won't be back. Nice memories from when the farm was good and cared about a nice experience, but that's about it. Don't get tricked into thinking it's a pumpkin patch still...

Just had my 12yo daughter's birthday party here. Things went relatively well.

The employees were all extremely nice, a rarity these days. All of the outdoor activites stayed open even through the sleet and cold. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. I loved that they had a fire going for everyone to warm up their hands. I also must make special note of the big corn maze, which was far more difficult and in far better shape than Trax Farms' (where we usually go for a fall festival). Given all of the above, and the included pumpkin and indian corn, I found the $11.50 price more than reasonable.

However, there were a few bumpy areas...literally. Parking was a nightmare and I bounced the bottom of my car off the ground more than once. Later, I was given a parking pass to bring my car down and park in front of the place to unload, but when I got there the area was full so I had to take my car back up and park it even further away than I started and carry everything from there. This was (I think) a symptom of general disorganization among the workers up front who, while nice, seemed overwhelmed with the number of customers on hand.

There were also, I thought, too few signs. We walked half way to the field before realizing the hayride loading area was the opposite direction and had to walk back. Meanwhile I never actually saw the petting zoo (though the kids found it while I was figuring out payment).

Though I said more about the negative above than the positive, it really was a very good experience overall. I would certainly have a party here again. Though if I could make one suggestion to Simmons it would be to improve organization and maybe even get a personal party planner to get each group unloaded, shown around, and their important activities...

Very nice local farm. Its always great to find delicious local fruits and vegetables from such a spot. I even found some items that brought back nostalgia. The prices are very decent, too. I tried their grapes (very unique), apples, tomatoes, and got some decorative pumpkins as well.

The grapes were the most nostalgic item for me. Many people probably won't love them, but these taste very similar to the ones found in my old home in Kreminna. It's probably the closest that I've gotten to Kreminna grapes. The inside is somewhat jelly-like and a bit hard to chew. There are also seeds, so beware. But, the flavor is nice, a bit on the tart side.

The apples were quite nice as well. They taste distinctly different from those available at the store, but very good. Not too sweet or too tart. The apples I got were small and miniature. Another thumbs up from me.

Tomatoes were significantly larger than what you'd find at the store. Honestly, I'm not such a big fan of huge tomatoes. I'd much rather have smaller but more flavorful tomatoes, like back in my home country. This was a bit of a let down, but still, not bad and definitely better than some store bought varieties.

All in all, come here to do some handpicking for vegetables and fruits. The prices are reasonable and you may even save money. The flavors are great and you can feel good about supporting a local farm. They also have activities going on during Halloween, Christmas, and...