Kids exploring the pumpkin patch and activities at Goebbert's Farm on a fall afternoon

Every Year in Chicagoland

Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch in October 2026: Which Farm Is Open, What It Costs, and the Gate Rules

Two Goebbert's farms, two different seasons and rules. Here's which one to pick and what your admission covers.

By HellginOctober 8, 20269 min read

You've got a free weekend in October, the kids want pumpkins and you type "Goebbert's" into the map. Two farms come up, 20-some miles apart, and they aren't the same trip. One family runs both, but each farm sells its own tickets and a ticket from one won't get you into the other. Pingree Grove has the apple orchard and closes after Halloween. South Barrington keeps its activities going through Nov. 1, and its market stays open almost to Thanksgiving. Pick the farm first, then buy the ticket.

Two farms, and what is still open

Goebbert's Farm, Pingree Grove, 42W813 Reinking Road, Pingree Grove, IL 60140. It sits at Reinking Road and Route 47 near I-90 in Kane County. Phone: 847-464-5952. This is the one with the apple orchard. The 2026 Fall Festival runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. The farm's October calendar shows Halloween as "open till 12p," so plan on a morning visit that day. Some event listings still show the usual 8 p.m. close, so check with the farm that morning.

Goebbert's Farm & Garden Center, South Barrington, 40 W. Higgins Road, South Barrington, IL 60010. Fall activities run through Sunday, Nov. 1. On Nov. 2 the cafe and activities close. The fall market stays open Nov. 2–23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Nov. 24 it's open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for Thanksgiving preorder pickup, and on Nov. 25 it's open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. before it closes for the season.

The ticket rule is easy to miss: a South Barrington ticket doesn't work at Pingree Grove, and a Pingree Grove ticket doesn't work at South Barrington.

What the wristband costs, and what it does not buy

At both farms, everyone 3 and older needs a ticket. Kids 2 and under get in free.

South Barrington prices are set. Weekday admission is $20 a person. On Saturdays, Sundays and Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 12 this year) it's $27 at the gate or $24 online. The weekday rate doesn't apply on Columbus Day. All of those prices are before the Village of South Barrington's 45-cent amusement tax, which the farm adds to every ticket at checkout, online or at the gate. A weekday season pass is $60 plus tax and doesn't cover Columbus Day.

Pingree Grove prices vary depending on where you look. Most published October prices are about $22 on weekdays and $30 on weekends. The farm's own weekday party packages also charge $22 a guest. But the farm's main ticket page still shows $17 weekdays and $25 weekends, with no month attached, and the ticketing site lists the season as a range from $15 to $30. Go by the price in your cart at checkout. Sales are final. Guests 65 and older can buy a senior ticket. Tickets are recommended online but not required for the Fall Festival.

What admission doesn't cover. Pingree Grove's FAQ lists these as extra:

The pumpkin you take home (priced by size)
The apples you pick (half-peck and peck bags)
Food and drinks
The shooting gallery
Pony rides and camel rides
Animal feed

South Barrington posts its prices for the extras:

Gem mining: $10 for 3 ounces, $15 for 6 ounces, $25 for 10 ounces
Pony rides: $8, for riders 2 and up, with an 80-pound limit
Camel rides: $8, weather permitting. Riders 2 to 5 ride with a paying adult.

Pingree Grove for the rest of October

On the farm's October calendar, Monday through Wednesday are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The exception is the noon close on Halloween.

Friday nights have live music from 5 to 7 p.m., with the food stands open. Still to come:

Oct. 9: Hillbilly Rockstarz
Oct. 16: Modern Day Romeos
Oct. 23: Semple
Oct. 30: Eric Church tribute

A wagon ride to the pumpkin patch and the orchard comes with admission. You pay in the market for whatever you pick. The orchard covers 35 acres and has 18 varieties. Not every variety is ready at the same time, so what's on the trees changes over the season. You can't buy apple picking by itself. It only comes with Fall Festival admission.

The farm says it has more than 50 attractions. They include:

The pumpkin-eating dinosaur, which bites real pumpkins and blows smoke from its nose
The Pumpkin Express train, a six-lane pumpkin slide, a carousel and pedal karts
Pig races, a corn box, a corn maze, a jumping pillow, a haunted house and tire mountain
Mr. D's magic show, on October weekends only

Animal Land has a giraffe, camels, kangaroos and other animals. The farm's indoor zoo made the news in 2021. On Sunday, Oct. 3 that year, a young male and female zebra got out, crossed Route 47 and were caught about two hours later. Neither zebra was hurt, and neither belonged to the farm. It's a well-known local story, and it may be part of why you'll see so many people stop at that barn.

The cafe is open daily with pizza, burgers, a chicken sandwich and hot dogs. On weekends, stands sell:

Tacos, smash burgers and Italian sausage
Pretzels, roasted corn and lemon shake-ups
Hot apple cider, cider slushies, hot chocolate and coffee

For adults there's a beer bin and a pumpkin pub. The market has caramel apples, donuts, kettle corn, cookies and pies.

South Barrington, the longer season

South Barrington is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and ticket sales stop at 5:30. On weekends and Columbus Day, you pick an arrival time when you buy. The farm asks you to come at that time and recommends arriving by 3 p.m. Last entry is 5 p.m.

What the wristband covers:

Animal Land and a giraffe barn and slide
The Little Farmer's Play Yard and a playground
A haunted house, a corn-stalk maze and straw mazes
A cow train, a wagon ride and a corn box
Pig racing and a duck derby
A pumpkin-eating dinosaur here too
A jumping pillow, for riders 32 to 54 inches tall, with no one under 2 allowed

Weekends add a magic show and a candy cannon at 1 and 4 p.m., both included in admission.

Look up at the silo to find Happy Jack, the fiberglass pumpkin made in 1979. He's 18 feet wide and 15 feet tall, and there's a second Happy Jack at Pingree Grove.

You can shop without a wristband. On weekdays (not Columbus Day), the cafe and market are open to anyone without a ticket. On weekends and Columbus Day, you can shop the market for produce and pumpkins without a ticket. To go past the market into the activities, you need a wristband.

If you're bringing toddlers, the farm's advice is:

Come at opening.
Plan on two to three hours.
Bring a wagon instead of a light stroller.
Put everyone in closed-toe shoes.
Treat the haunted house as optional, because some kids don't like it.

Food, kids, and the rules at the gate

No pets at either farm.

At Pingree Grove:

No outside food. The only exception is desserts brought for a party package.
Accessible parking is near the main entrance, and most of the farm is on paved walkways.
The Mama and Me Hut has space for diaper changes and feeding.
Groups buying 20 or more tickets in one transaction get 10 percent off.
School field trips for 2026 are already booked.
Weekday parties include a private area for 25 guests, a pie pumpkin for each guest and two dozen apple cider donuts. Each extra guest is $22. Party slots are 11 a.m.–2 p.m. or 3–6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m.–2 p.m. or 3–7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Parties aren't refunded, but the farm will reschedule for severe weather. Questions go to info@goebberts.com.

At South Barrington:

Parking is always free.
The farm runs rain or shine.
The current ticket page doesn't list an outside-food rule, so check with the farm before you pack a cooler.

How one roadside stand became two farms

It started in 1948 with George Goebbert's roadside vegetable stand in Arlington Heights. In 1972 his son Jim bought a 40-acre farm in South Barrington. The next year, Jim's three children started selling pumpkins there, and that roadside business grew into the fall festival. Happy Jack went up on the silo in 1979.

In 1985 Jim bought the Pingree Grove farm, which the South Barrington history page describes as 200 acres. The apple orchard there was planted in 2017. Jim Goebbert died at home in June 2023 at age 94.

Today Lloyd Goebbert runs Pingree Grove with his wife Terry and their sons Jacob and James. A February 2025 profile listed Lee Goebbert, Diane Goebbert, Ben Goebbert and Kelly Conner as the owners and operators of the South Barrington farm.

Sources (22)