These 7 Illinois Fruit Farms Where You Can Pick Your Own Apples And Pumpkins This Fall
There’s a special kind of joy in wandering out to a country farm in Illinois, reaching up to twist a crisp apple off the branch, or hunting through a patch for the perfect pumpkin to carry home. The smell of warm cider donuts, wagon wheels crunching over gravel, and rows of trees heavy with fruit make autumn feel like something you can actually taste.
Some of these places have been welcoming families for generations, quietly turning an ordinary weekend into a tradition worth repeating. Here are seven farms across the state where the picking is good, the treats are better, and the memories stick around long after the season ends.
1. Tanners Orchard, Speer, IL
Four generations of the same family have been tending this central Illinois farm since 1947, and you can feel that history the moment you roll up the drive. What started as a fruit farm has grown into a full-day country outing.
Hop on a wagon ride that carries you out to the orchard, where you can twist your own apples off the trees or hunt down the perfect pumpkin in the patch. If you’d rather skip the walk, there are always freshly gathered apples and pumpkins brought up from the fields for you.
The extras are half the fun here. A bakery serves noon lunches, the big country market is stocked with mums and fall decor, and kids can wander the Back 40 Fun Acres to feed goats and take a spin through the corn maze.
Word to the wise: the pumpkin donuts have a reputation, and the prices stay fair even when the pumpkins run generously large. Open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM, it’s an easy place to lose a whole afternoon.
2. Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch, Champaign, IL
Fall enthusiasts in the Champaign area have a reliable ritual, and it usually involves walking the trails of apple trees at this beloved orchard. You can fill a bag straight from the branches or grab a pre-picked one if you’re short on time.
Beyond apples, the pumpkin patch invites you to roam and choose your own, along with gourds and more scattered across the fields. It’s genuinely a spot built for all ages, whether you’re a toddler chasing a wheelbarrow or an adult here purely for the snacks.
And oh, the snacks. Homemade cider donuts pair beautifully with a cup of the orchard’s own apple cider, and the shelves of the grand country store are lined with apple butter, pumpkin butter, fritters, and even pumpkin ice cream.
There’s a down-home cafe on-site for lunch too, so you can refuel between picking sessions. Hours run Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
3. Stade’s Farm & Market, McHenry, IL
Sprawling fields of sunflowers, raspberries, and vegetables greet you at this family-run farm in McHenry, and that’s before you even reach the fruit. The place is huge, and it packs in a little of everything.
Come fall, the pumpkin patch takes center stage, with hayrides that ferry you out to gather your own. You can pick apples along the way, and depending on the season, cut your own flowers or grab a potted mum for the front porch.
Kids don’t sit still here for long. There’s an area to climb on farm equipment, plenty of activities, and food stalls dishing out treats when little legs get tired.
The indoor farmers market is a beauty in its own right, stocked with pies, taffy apples, kettle corn, and those apple cider donuts that have a way of disappearing fast. Open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, it’s an easy, breezy stop for a quick visit or a lingering one.
4. Kuipers Family Farm, Maple Park, IL
Ever loaded a trunk full of pumpkins and watched a bag of doughnuts vanish before you even hit the highway? That’s the standard experience at this laid-back farm in Maple Park, where the picking and the eating go hand in hand.
The orchard invites you to gather your own apples, while a huge pumpkin patch waits nearby for the season’s classic hunt. The Orchard Shop rounds things out with fresh-baked goods and gifts worth browsing.
Families tend to make repeat trips, coming early for apples and circling back later in the season as more varieties ripen. There are plenty of neat activities scattered around to keep kids busy while you shop.
A quick note on timing: this farm closes on Tuesdays, so plan accordingly. It runs Monday from 10 AM to 6 PM, Wednesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
5. Edwards Apple Orchard, Poplar Grove, IL
Fifteen family members work this fourth-generation farm in Poplar Grove, and their care shows across every acre of apple trees, pumpkins, squash, mums, and berries. It’s the kind of place built for making new memories or continuing old traditions.
On weekends, wagons roll out into the orchard to drop you off among the trees for your own apple picking, and pumpkins come home with you too. The large barn feels like a proper farmers market, brimming with jellies, honey, pretzels, soup mixes, and pre-bagged fruit.
Little ones get plenty to explore, from a playground and a corn play area to mazes and a petting zoo. There are even antique cars and trucks around for the kids who love anything with wheels.
Fresh apple pie, warm apple donuts, and hot cider make it hard to leave hungry. Doors are open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM.
6. Jonamac Orchard, Malta, IL
Picture launching an apple out of a cannon, then wandering off to pick a pumpkin the size of your torso. That’s a normal day at this three-generation family farm in Malta, part of a 105-acre spread with more than 20,000 apple trees.
The activity list here is almost dizzying. Hayrides carry you out to the orchard and pumpkin patch, while a corn maze, pretend-play village, duck races, corn pit, off-road tricycles, slides, and hay bales for climbing keep the energy high.
The apples themselves are the real headliner, with a great selection to pick and one particular variety so big and sweet that a single bite feels like an event. Food trucks handle lunch, so you can graze between adventures.
Don’t skip the famous apple cider and cider donuts on your way out. Open daily from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, it’s a full-tilt fall destination.
7. Braeutigam Orchards, Belleville, IL
Down in Belleville sits a seasonal farm market that spends June through October growing fresh fruits and vegetables, and by fall it hits its stride. The charm here leans small and homey, the kind of place you’ll want to make a yearly stop.
Free tractor rides carry you out to pick whatever is in season, be it apples, peaches, pumpkins, or corn. If you’d rather browse, the open-air barn shop sells pumpkins, gourds, and apples ready to go.
The country store rounds things out with apple-y goods and treats, plus a cafe when hunger hits. Kids love the animals scattered around for petting and gawking.
When the weather turns crisp, the cider slushies and cider donuts become the stars of the show. Hours run Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 6 PM, Saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM.