A good Halloween attraction to see this season is Didier Farms Pumpkin Fest in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The fest is open until Halloween from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Although it is more of a family event, they do have some attractions that are a must see, including carnival rides, hayrides, very interesting animals attractions (other than farm animals), a Halloween store (if you need to get that special costume they have a store on site for that) and much more!
The carnival rides are more children orientated but there are some good ones including the classic scrambler and other interesting attractions such as the Haunted Forest Fun House. All rides run Thursdays through the weekend with weather permitting. Some will run on the weekdays. The cost per ride including the hayride is $3.00 per person. The pony rides are $4.00 per person.
Besides the rides, there are the animal attractions. They have the usual farm animal attractions where you can see chicks hatched from their eggs. One fun farm animal attraction is the “Pig Bin” where you will see a sow with her piglets. Come and see this because this attraction draws quite a few people.
For a real thrill there is Woody’s menagerie with over 200 creatures exhibited. Most of them are of the creepy crawly type- spiders, snakes, scorpions and other types that you don’t want to find in you closet. However, the biggest ones are the baby grizzly bear, ligers ( a cross between a tiger and lion), a hyena and others you won’t see anywhere except in a zoo or circus.
However, for a real Halloween treat you can kill two birds with one stone by taking care of your costume and party needs shopping there while having fun! They have their own Halloween store called “Spooky Cabin.” There, you will find everything you need to decorate your home and office and fulfill your costume needs.
Hungry? There is a wide variety of food available. Hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, corn dogs and nachos are just some of the food items they offer. They also have freshly made doughnuts, pies, cakes, cookies, caramel apples, homemade candies and other tasty stuff.
Looking for fresh organic produce? They have their own vegetables grown on their farm and from local growers in the area. All fresh and ready to eat, their grape and cherry tomatoes are excellent! They also have straw bales and pumpkins (49 cents a pound) for sale there too.
They are located in Buffalo Grove which is about a 30 minute drive from NEIU depending on traffic. You can take I-94 north to the tollway and get off on Deer Field Road, go west towards Milwaukee Avenue, go north to Aptakisic Road and go west you’ll see it on your right.