Apple Picking and Pumpkin Patches in Oz

Fall is here, and that means it's time to get your pumpkins and apples!  Luckily, finding a humble pumpkin patch, or a sweet-smelling orchard in Oz is not too difficult a task.

One of the best ways is to let the farmers come to you at one of the area's Farmers Markets: Port Washington on Saturday, Saukville on Sunday and Thiensville on Tuesday.  Of course, if you're looking for a farm to visit, we have those, too:

Cedarburg Creek Farm has just about every pumpkin hunting experience you could hope for: a kid's straw bale, a corn maze, and much more fall fun, close to home. Add in no admission fees and FREE Hay Wagon Rides, and they are THE place for affordable family fun.  Cedar Creek Farm is located at 649 Hwy. 60 in Cedarburg.

Appleland in Fredonia has apples, of course, and a stunning variety of them, at that, but they also have pumpkins to pick or already picked, and an assortment of jams, bakery, caramel apples, cider, and more in their market store.  Free wagon rides on the weekends.  Appleland is located at 4177 Highway 57 in Fredonia.

Buechler Farms offers a fun family fall experience on the weekends in October, beginning October 2nd with their Fall Festival from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.!  The farm is located at 587 South Royal Ave in Belgium.  Join them in the evening of their Fall Festival on Saturday, October 2nd, beginning at 7:30, for live music with Road Trip ($8 cover charge) or their Packer Tailgate party on October 24th.  Regular pumpkin season will continue every weekend in October.

Creekside Valley Farm opens for their season on Friday, September 17th, with a pumpkin patch, hay maze, petting zoo, fall decor, pedal tractors, and more.  Find them at 13101 N Wauwatosa in Mequon, open daily from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Nieman Markets, located at 14335 N. Wauwatosa Rd. in Mequon, has apple picking, a corn maze, pumpkins, a petting zoo, a market, and more.  

Barthel's Fruit Farm is synonymous with apple picking.   Located at 12246 N Farmdale Rd. in Mequon, the barn has plenty of already picked pumpkins and gourds, or you can go to the field to pick your own.   Barthel's apples are also available at Outpost in Mequon.  Open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily, Barthel's offers homemade bakery as well as a Beer Garden (weather permitting) from noon-6 Fridays through Sundays.

If you're willing to venture a bit out of Oz, there are a few places worth the trip:

Spieker's Pumpkin Farm in Random Lake features a massive corn maze, hay rides, and an incredible variety of pumpkins and gourds, as well as a petting zoo, and more.  Find it at N1181 Hwy. 57 in Random Lake.

Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm and Market in West Bend has quite the exotic petting zoo, and a haunted corn field, a totally unstaged and hair-raising adventure through 8 plus creepy houses and 3/4 miles of narrow trails in tall, dense corn, on narrow confined trails.  Not exactly family fun with young children, but possibly a great outing with your teenagers or adult friends.  Find Meadowbrook at  2970 Mile View Road in West Bend.

​Happy picking!!