I've only been to one pumpkin patch before (multiple times), and I have to say I was really surprised by all there was to do here! There was SO much more to do than the one we would go to every year back home in the Midwest, which is why the price to get in didn't really bother me. Even though it was busy, we still had a blast! Paid extra and waiting in a line for a pony ride, but my three year old loved it so it was well worth it! Love that the pumpkins were included in admission! Thought it was funny that as everyone is out getting pumpkins, the poor employees are frantically unloading pumpkins from large boxes. The employees working seemed to really enjoy their jobs. The food was pretty good. They had actual bathrooms, which was great. We also went back for the Christmas lights, which wasn't quite as awesome as our first visit, but still a good time. I really would recommend this to anyone for a fun day with your family! Side note: Two of our poor pumpkins barely made it three days before rotting. However, can't complain because they were essentially free!
Family fun place for all ages. So much to see and do. My children loved the train ride and seeing the pig races. We spent all day there and still felt like we needed more time. It was like a mini fair in one place...food, rides and games. Plus the added fun with hay rides, pumpkins and corn pits.
We recently took our kids and grand kids to the Hill Ridge Farms in rural Yougsville , NC on a "day trip". The "farm" is clean and nicely laid out however, about 25% of the stations / "attractions" had apparently been closed for the season. Regrettably, their admission prices failed to reflect that, which was disappointing, considering the expense. While there are a number of animals to see, none of them are made available for petting. In fact, most areas were double-fenced to keep youngsters at bad from the animals; a huge disappointment to our grand kids. The train ride (an extra expense) was nice but very short. At least the engineer did a second loop of the tracks. The "hay ride" was decent and the driver very pleasant. It seemed that a lot of the employees that probably work extra jobs around the farm were, instead, putting up Christmas lights and decorations on the property. Perhaps a night time visit would be in order during the month of December. Overall, while the grand kids were generally satisfied, Grandma and I felt like there was a lot of expense with little to show for it. On a positive note, I will say that all of the employees we spoke with were polite and friendly.
I lived in SC for 10 years and went to many places that let you pick pumpkins, apples, blueberries, and more. They would hold festivals, brew cider, make donuts, and you could pet the farm animals. I was only 30min outside of Charlotte so I wasn't in deep country per se. After moving to Raleigh, I had hoped to find somewhere that held a quaint fall festival like I was used to. Came across HRF (Hill Ridge Farms) and it all seemed right. Then I went. $20pp is a bit steep but hey, it included the farm animals, a pumpkin from the patch, and access to their grounds. So we bit the bullet and went.The hayride is a short ride to the "pumpkin patch" where not a single pumpkin has ever been grown. It was pre-picked pumpkins set out in rows for people to pick from. The pumpkin's even had PLU stickers on them. Big disappointment.So, let's forget that and head over to the animals. We had bought some feed for them in the store out front and couldn't wait to hold it out for them to gobble up. Well, the animals are all double fenced in two circles so the public is unable to touch them. How do you feed them? There are PVC pipes set up in angles that you can happily pour the food down so it lands in a pile with the food from everyone else that was fooled into thinking they were going to feed a farm animal.Well, we can enjoy the slide and hay maze. Take our pumpkin, shop at the quaint store, and head home. Entertainment for those who have never been out of the city but a poor representation of what farm fun can really be. Went once, wouldn't go again. Will have to continue to hunt for a better farm experience.
It was a bit of a hike for us, but well worth it. My kids are 4 & 2, they loved it. There wasn't anything they could do there, mazes, bounce house, big pillow, hayride, corn house, slides. it was a great day and we would go back again. Plenty of parking, great friendly employees everywhere. The pig, goat, and duck races were the kids favorite. They took us on a hayride and we got to a big field where the kids got to pick their own pumpkins, Very clean, even the bathrooms. We didn't eat there but I did get a bottle of water, it was $1.60, I thought that was pretty good for a park. We spend about 3.5hrs and probably could have stayed but it was getting hot and we were hungry. It is a bit pricey for what it is but we did have a great time. The super package included a few extra things but $80 for a family of 4 with small kids wasn't something we wanted to get. We did the basic package without the train ride and there was still plenty to do.
My 2 year old son had a ball playing on the farm. He didn't fight going to sleep that night! The staff was very polite and friendly. They all seemed to enjoy being at "work." We will definitely be back!
We went on for a company sponsored event so the food was catered, can't comment on their food. The activities were simple but entertaining for the children. The hayride culminating in a pumpkin each was fun. We all enjoyed the short train ride as well. In fact all activities were fun, not sure about making this an annual event but maybe... My son loved the "gem panning" as a 4th grader he is at the upper end of what I would consider the activities appropriate. Curious to see how it's decorated for Christmas.
My dentist had a free family day here for all of their patients. It was great and we were able to participate in all the attractions. Even as a local resident I probably wouldn't have visited otherwise because i have a large family and the big city admission entrance is expensive. Way too expensive for a small place like this. I may, however, be investing in a season pass this Spring 2015. It pays for the general entrance and its a good place to take the kids for an hour or two each week as I live very close by. Anyway, on our visit, compliments of my dentist, the kids had great fun here. We all loved the train ride and the views in the Fall were gorgeous! The huge slide was a hit as well as all the jumpers and the rock pan mining was exciting for my children. It's a Family environment, with lots of children everywhere, which is what we prefer. The country store was fun to walk around in and the fudge was yummy. I cannot comment on most of the food being sold, but I did have a corn on the cob which was gross and not worth the price i paid. The oil available to put on it, which i suppose was a substitute for butter, was yucky and the corn had a burnt taste. All in all a great place to go with a small family (like one child) if you want to have some country fun, but for a big family like ours it's way too expensive for a onetime outing. I wish they would lower their prices or maybe offer Youngsville residents a free admission pass once a year. That would earn my patronage!visited: 9/2013
Was there for a family mud run race which was great and meant that we didn't have to pay to get in (was surprised that they charge for parking; not common outside of large venues and cities). As for the farm itself, it has several low-key things for young kids to do (animals, slides, places to jump). We saw literally no staff at any of these places (except animals) but they were well maintained and kids loved them. Only major criticism was food. Of course, you don't expect great food, but literally cold corn dogs and frozen "grilled chicken" patties were both overpriced and inedible. If we return, we'll either pack lunch or eat elsewhere.
Nothing but good things to say about this place. I took my girls to check out the new splash pad and it is AWESOME!!! A lot of other stuff for the kids to do as well (giant pillow bounce, animals, hay jump, mazes, big tunnel slide, etc.). I love that you can bring your food in and picnic if you want. There are plenty of shaded picnic areas to eat and relax. Staff was super friendly and I thought the price to get in was reasonable since the splash pad was included. We always have a great time when we visit during the fall but now it's a new summer spot for our family as well!