Relleke Farms, Pontoon Beach IL

Location: 519 Sand Prairie Rd., Pontoon Beach, IL 62040

Website: http://www.rellekepumpkinpatch.com/

This pumpkin patch is free to enter, and each activity costs tickets. This is what they offer and what everything costs (tickets are $1 each)

1.)JUNGLE MAZE – Get lost in our 5-acre maze. (3 tickets)
2.)CORN MAZE – A less challenging version of our Jungle Maze. (1 ticket)
3.)KRAZY-KORN PALACE – A place for kids to explore and parents to relax. (2 tickets)
4.)SPIDER TOWN – Bigger every year! Discover many new play activities and climb a giant spider web. (3 tickets)
5.)PYRAMID SLIDE – A masterpiece of adventure built from straw. (2 tickets)
6.)CAMEL RIDES – Slow down and enjoy the humps and bumps in the trail. (5 tickets)
7.)HAY RIDES –Find a cozy seat as you go along the pumpkin patch. (2 tickets)
8.)PETTING ZOO – See firsthand and up close every farm animal imaginable including goats, chickens, ducks, donkeys, turkeys, geese, pigs, and even a lama. (2 food cones - 1 ticket)
9.)PONY RIDES – Come ride your favorite spotted pony. (5 tickets)
10.)BARREL TRAIN RIDES- Ride thru a special corn maze track. (2 tickets)
11.)FACE PAINTING – Pick from over 60 free-handed designs by Deb Tracy with 30 years of experience. (2 tickets)
12.)GIANT "Wild Thing" SLIDE – Ride on your own potato sack all the way to the bottom. (2 tickets)
13.)SPIN THE PUMPKIN RIDE – Climb aboard a giant pumpkin and take it for a spin with your friends. (3 tickets)
14.)THE HAUNTED BARN – See what is new this year to spook the brave and daring produced by Granite City students. (2 tickets)
15.)BOUNCY HOUSES – An assortment of inflatable activities. (tickets vary)
16.)CRYING CHICKEN ROLLER COASTER – Rides like this one date back over 100 years. (3 tickets)
17.)PUMPKIN PAINTING – Kids can paint a pumpkin here to take along and leave the mess. (3 tickets)
18.)TRAIN – Kids and adults can climb aboard the Train at the depot and enjoy the ride. (2 tickets) 19.)SWING - Bench chair swing that is super-fast and soars almost horizontally to thrill kids and adults. (3 tickets)
20.)PIRATE REVENGE BOAT – For kids of all ages, and parents alike! There is a surprise with every wave. (3 tickets)
21.)PUMPKIN CHUCKER – Feel the excitement and anticipation as the pumpkin gun takes aim just before shooting a pumpkin over a field toward targets. See it on YouTube.

Pyramid slide

The patch

Corn maze

The spider town play area is great with tires to climb on, a huge spider web, tunnels, and spider web swings.

The petting zoo has quail, cows, horses, sheep, donkeys, turkeys, ducks, pigs, llamas, chickens, and goats. 

 

This patch is large and has a large variety of activities for all ages. One of the best patches out there!

Emerson Family YMCA, Ferguson

Location: 3390 Pershall Rd., Ferguson, MO 63135

Website: https://gwrymca.org/locations/emerson-family-ymca

Playground Ground Cover: Wood Chips

"More than 200 volunteers from UnitedHealthcare, the Emerson Family YMCA and the Ferguson community joined KaBOOM! to build a kid-inspired playground at the Y. The new playground will serve the urgent need for kids to have a new, modern play space.

In June, kids from the Y put markers to paper and drew their dream playground. The playground, which includes includes two slides, multiple climbing features, ADA access ramp, learning boards and other features, is based on the kids’ drawings.

“The Y is grateful to KaBOOM! and UnitedHealthcare for partnering with us to provide this additional resource to the Emerson Family YMCA that will allow us to expand our reach in the Ferguson community,” said Tim Helm, Gateway Region YMCA President and CEO. “The Y is Ferguson’s community center – the place where families and youth know they can come together for social, emotional and physical wellness. This playground will be open to the public and help ensure our Y remains that safe destination children can come to in off-school hours to feel supported, nurtured and celebrated.”

The Emerson Family Y works to strengthen the Ferguson community through programs and activities that help people of all ages and abilities grow in spirit, mind, and body." (Quoted from this article)

This playground is one large play structure which includes several slides, monkey bars, stepping stones, a balance beam, a climbing wall, a maze board, bead board, and various bars and poles. There are 2 benches to sit on and I assume the restrooms are inside the YMCA which is a little bit of a walk to the front door. All in all this is a great addition to Ferguson!

Herman's Farm Orchard, St. Charles

Location: 3663 N Hwy 94, St. Charles MO 63301

Amenities: playground, fruit picking, pumpkin patch

Website: https://hermansfarm.weebly.com/

Playground ground cover: Wood chips

This is a small orchard that is perfect if you have little kids and don't want to drive all the way to Eckerts. It's family-owned and operated and they have a large selection of fruits and veggies you can pick and/or buy (pumpkins, apples, tomatoes, squash, and watermelon). We rode the wagon out to the orchard just for the fun of it, but it is so close you could walk. They give you bags, answer any questions, and show you where everything is that you're interested in picking. 

The kid area includes a big wooden castle structure with bales of hay (good for photo ops), slides, and ladders to climb. There is also an indoor covered area full of picnic tables, wagons, and toy tractors. They have wooden tractors kids can play on and they have added a corn bin filled with toy farm equipment. Don't forget to check out the market where you can buy yummy seasonal fare.

Apple orchard

This was the setup in years past. This year they didn't have hay bales out but we went very early in the season, end of September.

Glad they added a cover over the metal slide to cool it down!

Inside the castle is a pole to slide down and a staircase to access the upper level

 Market

Hayride area