Grim's Orchard & Family Farms — Local services in Upper Macungie Township

WARNING ON PRICING EFFECTIVE 2021

Grim's Orchard has been a Fall staple for my family for years. During the week, you can enter for free. It used to be that way all the time; no admission fee, and patrons could purchase tickets to use for the different attractions.

Effective 2021, on the weekends, everyone 3 and up is required to purchase a "package." There are a multitude of packages, enough to be confusing. The cheapest is around $8.95, which gets you access and allows you to fill a very small bag with apples that you pick while dodging the bees. For kids (or adults) looking to enjoy some of the attractions like the bounce pads or the cow train ride, it's $17.95 per person minimum. Significantly, this is NOT on the front page of the website. You have to navigate to the Fall page and scroll down to find this information. If you just wanted to verify that it was open for the day, you would have no reason to think that Grim's had switched its pricing structure.

If you show up with the grandparents and 2 kids and expect to be able to go in and buy some tickets for the kids and maybe buy some food, prepare for massive sticker shock at just the price of admission.

Grims also did away with the edible cookie dough, which was another staple for our trips that is sorely missed. I had historically purchased food and bought a few pumpkins and some apple cider, and wound up spending about the same amount in the past as this year's entry fee. This time, we did not purchase any food or drinks during our trip there, and left without even looking at the pumpkins, which are hidden in the back corner furthest away from the entrance.

We also observed staff being rude to children at the bounce pads, complaining about their job responsibilities of keeping it clean, which was unacceptable. We had not encountered rude staff issues at Grim's in previous years.

We will not be returning in the future. The ridiculous pricing structure which operates to upcharge kids is offensive, but more than that, the fact that it's a hidden price, not clearly advertised right on the front of the website and only apparent if you dig for it (or you're physically standing at the entrance and can't realistically turn away without dealing with upset children) is appalling. This has nothing to do with charging a reasonable entry fee. If overhead costs increased, $5 per adult and $3 per kid age 3+up would be perfectly reasonable if clearly advertised ahead of time. It's not, and it's obvious that it is deceptively placed so that people will show up expecting it to be the same as it has been for years. Moreover, the "package" pricing system is frustrating and unnecessary. While I strongly believe in supporting local businesses, the quasi-bait-and-switch approach soured me on Grim's and it has lost...

I am highly disappointed in one particular staff member/employee of theirs, at Grim Orchard. We came once they opened and enjoyed the scenery. We knew the pricing was a bit high. However, that's not what threw us off. We had a staff member/employee (heavy set older male) come to the trampoline area where I was with two of my counterparts. Immediately, the heavy set dude gets off his atv and tells us, "You're done," and points at me and my two peers to get out. All three of us were confused. The young male employee who let us in stated to him (heavy set guy) that we just got in. The heavy set male must've been confused with a prior group that was jumping on the trampoline prior to us getting on and thought it was us running on the trampoline. It is completely understandable if he made a mistake in misidentifying the wrong group of people. But he never apologized or showed any humility. The heavy set male employee then stays there and watches us after he tells us not to run (which we did not do to begin with & we advised him it was not us). I told my group to let's go to another event since he has terrible discernment and made it awkward for us. We told him, "He killed the vibe," to which he stated, "Awesome." ( Sarcastically, of course)

This heavy set male employee was not apologetic afterward, just filled with pride. I didn't want to go back and forth with him verbally, because I did not want my group to feel uncomfortable or get kicked out because of that employee, so we went on to the next event.

I will probably never go back here again with my church group or family. I never disrespected their staff or their facility. I felt bad for the young teen staff employee who was in charge of the trampoline area. He probably had second-hand embarrassment from the heavy set guy.

Thank God that disgruntled employee (heavy set male) is not a police officer by any means he lacks the human skills.

The younger demographic staff are pleasant and welcoming. It's a bit pricey, but it was a good time. The apples were tasty (wished we got the bigger bags), and we also got pumpkins, onions, peppers, and garlic. The corn maze was really fun, and the questions made it a fun group activity. Oh, and their apple cider icy is pretty good. Great place to take photos with...

This place is overrated, overpriced, and the owner is a world class jerk. Charging admission to pick vegetables is insane! The so-called activities are lame. For example, you pay for the Apple Cannon and they only give you one apple per ticket. Furthermore, there are homeless people starving and Grim’s has people shooting apples into a pond. My husband and I bought the best package because I wanted to do the Flower Picking only to be told after the fact that there were no more flowers. The vegetable fields were completely picked over, and the food they served at the Scarecrow Café gave both my husband and I diarrhea. My husband and I went to Grim’s to pick vegetables and so we bought the largest bag they provide, the ½ bushel bag. Grim’s charges $46.99 for the ½ bushel bag, which is a complete rip off. The bag they give you is half the size of a plastic grocery bag and twice as flimsy. After a very disappointing experience, my husband and I went to leave. We were herded towards the exit like cattle with our ½ bushel bag and some potatoes in our wagon. As we’re walking towards the cash register, this kid stops us and tells us we can’t go any further. He was hovering over me, which made me very uncomfortable. When my husband told the wannabe security guard to back up. He did, but only slightly.

The kid told us we had to pay for the potatoes in our cart, which we had no intention of taking. He was rude and arrogant, so my husband asked to speak with the owner. What a waste of time that was! The owner was smug, self-righteous, and a total jerk. He told us we had to pay for the potatoes even though we did not want them, or he was going to call the police and have us arrested for Retail Theft. I’ve never heard anything so absurd! Ultimately, my husband and I decided that Grim’s and the owner was a waste of time. We paid for yet another ½ bushel bag and gave it to the owner. We told him to give the vegetables to another family but he no doubt threw them back in the field so he can overcharge someone...