Camel Rides, Giant Slides And A Pumpkin Barn Fill Fall At This Illinois Farm

Most fall outings in Illinois follow a familiar script: pick a pumpkin, snap a photo, head home. Then you pull into a farm where a camel is plodding past the parking lot and a giraffe is leaning down toward a kid holding a carrot, and the script goes out the window.

Add parallel slides built into a hillside, pig races, and a barn-sized market stacked with gourds, and a quick stop turns into most of an afternoon. It is the kind of place families keep returning to year after year, usually with more relatives in tow each time.

Where The Farm Sits On The Map

Head northwest out of Chicago on I-90 and, about 34 miles later, the suburbs give way to a stretch of open ground along Higgins Road in South Barrington. That is where Goebbert’s Farm and Garden Center sits, at 40 W Higgins Rd, roughly a 40 to 45 minute drive from downtown depending on how the Kennedy is behaving.

For families in Schaumburg, Barrington, Palatine, or Hoffman Estates, it is barely a detour. Folks coming from Lake County or the far western suburbs can generally make it in under an hour.

Year-round, the property works as a garden center and farm market, selling plants, seeds, produce, and pantry goods. Come September, the back acreage wakes up into a full fall festival with animals, rides, and games spread across a big, walkable footprint.

The Goebbert family has run the operation for decades, and staff have mentioned the business passing the 57-year mark. There is also a sister location in Pingree Grove, so double-check which one you are navigating toward before you pull out of the driveway.

A Family Operation With Decades Behind It

Fifty-seven years is a long run for any business, and longer still for a farm sitting in the path of suburban growth. Employees are quick to mention that milestone, and several say it is the best place they have worked, which tends to show up in how visitors get treated at the register.

Shoppers who come in looking for tomato starts or fruit trees in spring often report being walked to the right aisle rather than pointed at it. The same crew that handles bedding plants in May is running the fall festival gates in October.

Growth has been steady rather than sudden. Longtime guests say new attractions appear most seasons, which is part of why the annual trip keeps its pull for families whose kids have aged through toddlerhood and out the other side.

The retail side never really shuts down. Even outside pumpkin season, the store carries fresh produce, pies, gifts, holiday decor, and a deep gardening inventory, so a visit in June looks nothing like a visit in October but still fills an hour easily.

Riding A Camel In The Northwest Suburbs

Not many Illinois fall festivals can offer a camel. Goebbert’s can, and the ride ranks among the most talked-about things on the property, with visitors bringing it up constantly when they describe their day.

Handlers lead the animals along a set path while riders sit up top, and the height alone is enough to make it memorable for a first-timer. Camel rides carry an extra fee beyond general admission, so budget for it separately.

Pony rides run on a similar setup nearby and tend to suit smaller children who find the camel a bit imposing. Both usually draw longer lines on Saturdays and Sundays than they do midweek.

One repeat guest summed up the appeal simply: the camel ride was the highlight of the whole trip. If your kid has only ever seen a camel behind glass at a zoo, climbing onto one in a Cook County field lands differently.

Ride availability can shift with weather and staffing, so it is smart to check what is running the day you go.

The Giant Slides Kids Race Down Twice

Parallel tracks, two kids, one unspoken challenge. The giant slides at Goebbert’s are built for racing, and most children run back up the stairs the second they reach the bottom.

Height and speed are enough to satisfy older elementary kids while staying manageable for the under-six crowd with a parent nearby. It is one of the attractions covered by general admission, which makes it an easy repeat.

Slides are far from the only place to burn energy. There is a jumping pillow, tunnels to crawl through, a hay bale maze, and climbing structures scattered across the grounds, and families with toddlers say the variety keeps little ones moving for hours.

Expect a queue on peak October weekends. Going earlier in the day, or on a weekday, generally cuts the wait considerably.

Parents often stake out a spot near the bottom of the slides with a coffee while kids cycle through. It is one of the few attractions where adults can stand still for a few minutes and still be technically supervising.

Gourds By The Thousand In The Pumpkin Barn

Orange in every direction. The pumpkin patch and market area function as a sprawling pumpkin barn, with bins and pallets of gourds sorted by size, color, and general weirdness.

Warty green varieties sit alongside pale white ghost pumpkins, tiny decorative gourds, and the heavyweights that require two adults and a wagon. Pumpkins are priced separately from admission, and regulars generally describe the cost as reasonable for what you carry out.

Around the gourds you will find mums, cornstalks, straw bales, and the rest of the porch-decorating arsenal, which means one stop can cover the entire front-step display.

A word from experience: pick your pumpkins on the way out, not the way in. Hauling a 20-pounder through the pig races and the corn box is a workout nobody signs up for.

The market and bakery are accessible without a festival ticket, so if you only want gourds and donuts, you can do that without paying gate admission.

Feeding A Giraffe In Cook County

Ask anyone who has been here what they remember and the answer is usually the giraffe. Animal Land houses a lineup that goes well past the standard petting zoo, and the giraffe enclosure with its elevated bridge is the centerpiece.

From the walkway, you are at eye level, close enough to hand over a carrot and watch that long tongue do the rest. Visitors describe it as a first-time experience even for adults who have visited plenty of zoos.

Kangaroos, camels, goats, alpacas, and a long roster of farm animals round out the collection. Feed is sold separately, and while cards are accepted at ticket booths for carrot and cone vouchers, carrying some cash simplifies things at the feed stations.

Guests consistently note the pens look clean and the animals seem well cared for. Weather matters though, since rain can send the giraffe inside, so a drizzly visit may mean no feeding that day.

Plan extra time here. Kids rarely walk past an animal they are allowed to feed.

Pig Races, Corn Boxes And The Pumpkin-Eating Dinosaur

A mechanical dinosaur that chomps real pumpkins should not work as well as it does, yet crowds gather every time it fires up. Watching a gourd get demolished is oddly satisfying, and kids ask to see it again immediately.

Pig races run on their own schedule and draw a cheering section of all ages. There is a candy cannon too, which regulars single out as one of the wilder surprises on the grounds.

Younger children gravitate toward the corn box, a big pit of dried kernels that works like a sandbox without the sand in the shoes. Toddlers have been known to settle in there and refuse to leave.

Also in the mix: a corn stalk maze, wagon rides through the property, and a haunted house pitched at families rather than thrill-seekers, so it stays on the mild side.

Show times and race schedules shift day to day. Grabbing a schedule at the entrance helps you build a loose plan instead of crisscrossing the grounds three times.

Cider Donuts And The Red Barn Cafe

Warm apple cider donuts have a way of ending arguments. The Red Barn Cafe and Bakery turns them out through the season, and guests routinely call them the best thing they ate all day.

Pumpkin cookies, caramel apples, pies, and fresh cider round out the sweets counter. Roasted corn sold outside gets praise too, and shoppers often leave with a jar of pumpkin butter from the store.

Food stands spread across the grounds handle the savory side, and one visitor who has been to both locations noted the South Barrington food court offers a wider variety.

Fair warning from parents: the menu leans heavily sweet, and some wish for more fruit or lighter options for kids. Gluten-free donuts and dairy-free ice cream are available if your family needs them.

Everything here is priced separately from admission. Between snacks, pumpkins, and add-on rides, a day can add up quickly, so it helps to decide in advance what you are treating everyone to.

Weekend Magic Shows And Live Entertainment

Sitting down for twenty minutes in the middle of a farm day is its own kind of gift. Weekend magic shows give families exactly that, with a performer working a crowd of kids on hay bales while parents finally rest their legs.

Guests describe the act as genuinely funny for adults too, not just a distraction for the under-ten set. It lands well as a midday breather between the slides and the animal barns.

Shows typically run on Saturdays and Sundays during the fall festival. Times can shift, so check the posted schedule when you arrive rather than assuming last year’s slot still applies.

Weekend visits bring the fullest lineup of entertainment, which is part of the tradeoff against bigger crowds. Weekdays are calmer but may have fewer scheduled performances.

If you have a child who fades around mid-afternoon, timing the show for that stretch tends to reset everyone. A seated break has rescued more than one family outing from an early exit.

Who Gets The Most Out Of A Visit

Families with children roughly two through eight hit the sweet spot here. Nearly every attraction, from the corn box to the pony rides, is built with that age range in mind, and admission stretches furthest when little ones are along.

Older kids and tweens still find plenty, particularly the slides, corn maze, and haunted house. Adults without children sometimes say the place skews young for them, though couples on fall dates report having a great time feeding the giraffe.

Accessibility holds up reasonably well. A wheelchair user noted paved paths made most of the property navigable, and all-terrain strollers are welcome throughout.

Plan on two to three hours to see things properly. Rushing it in under an hour leaves attractions on the table and makes the admission price feel steeper than it needs to.

Restrooms are outhouse-style, worth knowing before you arrive. A Mama and Me Hut offers a curtained space with rocking chairs for changing and feeding babies.

Hours, Admission And What Costs Extra

Gates open at 9 am and close at 6 pm, seven days a week, through the fall festival season. That season typically runs from early September into the first days of November, generally wrapping up around October 31 or November 1.

General admission covers most attractions on the grounds. Recent seasons have listed around $25 per person at the gate and roughly $23.50 online, with a small card processing fee, though pricing can change year to year.

Extras add up separately. Camel rides, pony rides, gem mining, animal feed, food, and pumpkins are all charged on top of admission.

Credit cards and Apple Pay work at most stands, but bringing cash smooths out the feed stations.

The market and bakery stay open to anyone without a festival ticket, which is useful if you just want donuts and a pumpkin.

Hours and dates shift with the calendar and weather, so confirm before loading the car, especially late in October.

Parking, Crowds And Timing Your Trip

Free parking helps, and there is a lot of it, split between paved and grass lots on the property. No shuttle hassle, no metered street hunting, which is a relief after driving out from the city.

Crowd levels vary sharply by day. Weekday visits mean shorter lines for the camel, ponies, and slides, while October Saturdays and Sundays fill up, sometimes substantially.

Regular visitors offer the same advice repeatedly: arrive early in the day if you are coming on a weekend. Morning hours tend to be calmer, and the animals are often more active right after opening.

Weather changes the experience. Rain can keep the giraffe indoors and muddy the grass lots, but families who visited on drizzly days still report a good time.

Mid-October weekends bring peak color and peak crowds together. If you want photos without strangers in the frame, a Tuesday in late September usually delivers better odds.

Layers are wise. Illinois autumn mornings can start near frost and end in shirtsleeves.

The Verdict On A Northwest Suburban Fall Tradition

Some places earn a spot on the annual calendar, and for a lot of Chicago-area families, this farm has done exactly that. Parents talk about coming every October for years running, watching new attractions appear while the core of the day stays familiar.

What sets it apart is the animal roster. A giraffe, camels, and kangaroos within a 45-minute drive of downtown is not something most pumpkin patches can match.

Costs do add up, and honest visitors say so. Admission plus food, feed, pumpkins, and ride tickets can push a day out into real money, particularly for a small group of adults.

Value tilts strongly toward families with young kids, since that is where nearly every attraction is aimed. Give yourself two to three hours, pack cash for the animal feed, and go on a weekday if your schedule allows.

Season dates and pricing shift each year, so a quick check before heading out is always the smart move.