Fall Festivals & Apple Orchards

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FALL FUN Over the next four pages you’ll find dozens of familyfriendly activities to fill your September weekends.

MARTIN’S HILLSIDE ORCHARD

The fall season is now open at Martin’s Hillside Orchard, 2024 Ashland Road, Ceresco, Nebraska. U-pick will not be offered this year, but other fall activities are on — corn maze, photos in the butterfly garden and with Rosie, scaling the tire mountain, the corn box and much more. Pre-picked apples should be available for purchase. Entry fee is $5 per person; children under 2 are free. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Mondays, except for Labor Day (Sept. 5), Columbus Day (Sept. 10) and Oct. 17.

SUPER BEE ORCHARD

Find fresh off the tree produce and other goodies at Super Bee Orchard, 4571 US Highway 75, Fort Calhoun. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. U-pick apples will be available sometime in September. Watch their Facebook page, bit.ly/3R12LiF, for more information.

WOSTREL FAMILY’S UNION ORCHARD

During the fall season at Wostrel Family’s Union Orchards, 2405 S. Highway 75, Union, Nebraska, the orchards and fields are brimming with farm fresh apples and plump pumpkins, squash, and other gourds. Union Orchards offers 18 varieties of crisp apples from Honeycrisp to Arkansas Black. Each apple variety has a very distinctive flavor and produces at various times throughout the season. Watch their Facebook page for an apple ripening calendar. There is also a country store with fruit butters, preserves, pies and turnovers.

SMALL’S FRUIT FARM

On the slopes of the Loess Hills at Small’s Fruit Farm, 1844 194th St., Mondamin, Iowa, you can pick apples and pumpkins from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On a visit to this fifth generation orchard, you can taste some cider in the sampling shed, enjoy a piece of pie and ice cream in the pie parlor and pick your own apples on their 33 acre orchard. They offer 25 varieties of apples to choose from. To check if apples are ready for picking, call 712-646-2723.

TYLER MEYER, THE WORLD-HERALD

Ryan Lotz picks up a bag of apples inside the Apple House Market located within the Arbor Day Farm.

NEBRASKA CITY TOURISM & COMMERCE A family enjoys picking apples in Nebraska City. TS&M ORCHARD

Come pick from the nearly 3,000 dwarf apple trees, which produce apples from your knees to as high as you can reach, at TS&M Orchard, 3803 Cornhusker Road, Bellevue. There are 13 varieties of apples to pick along with some pears. Each variety ripens at different times and has its own distinct flavor. Venture out to pick them yourself or shop from their pre-picked crop in the store at Trees, Shrubs & More. It was estimated that apples will begin picking in early September. Check the Trees, Shrubs & More Facebook page for picking information.

KIMMEL ORCHARD & VINEYARD

The U-pick barn at Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard, 5995 G Road, Nebraska City, will open for the season on Sept. 17. Check their U-pick website, www.kimmelorchard. org/education/u-pick-barn, to see what’s ripe for picking. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for ages 4-14 and 62+ and military, free for ages 3 and under. Admission does not include the price of the produce.

ARBOR DAY FARMS ORCHARD

U-pick orchards will open mid-September at Arbor Day Farm Orchards, 2611 Arbor Ave, Nebraska City. Enjoy the natural beauty of the fall season by picking your own apples in the Arbor Day Farm orchards behind the Tree. U-pick typically continues into midOctober, depending on weather and the harvest. Purchasing U-pick in advance is highly encouraged, at www.showclix.com/event/u-pick-attree-adventure, $10 for half a peck, $15 for a peck. Closed Mondays. For more information, visit www. arbordayfarm.org.

FIELDS OF FLIGHT & MIDWEST KITE FLYERS

Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard, 19475 225th St., Council Bluffs, offer U-pick apples, sunflowers and pumpkins every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, in September and October. The farm also features a corn maze, tractor rides, goat petting zoo, bounce houses, inflatable axe throwing, inflatable Connect Four, bumper balls, barrel cart ride, large yard games and a human hamster wheel. There will be live music at the orchards throughout the season.

Ditmars will also host the Fields of Flight event, a benefit for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, from Sept. 9 to 11. There will be live music as hot air balloons take to the sky. Friday’s flight is at 6 p.m., with music from 5:30 to 9:30. Balloons will glow at dusk, approximately 7:40 p.m. Saturday will include flights at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., with music from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and glow again at dusk. Sunday will feature a flight at dawn, live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a chance to get up close to the Ditmars hot air balloon. The pancake man will serve breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. for $8 per plate. Cost is $30 per car for parking and includes admission. Walk-ins won’t be accepted and no balloon rides will be offered. Find tickets at ditmarsorchard.com.

Join Midwest Kite Flyers at Ditmars on Sept. 17 and 18 from noon to 4 p.m. Bring your own kites to join in, or a variety will be for sale at the orchard. There will be live music from 1 to 4 p.m. each day. Cost is $7 per person, which also gets you into the U-pick area and includes unlimited activities all day.

KENTON KRUEGER

Skinny Bones Pumpkin Patch in Blair opens for season on Sept. 9

FLASHNIGHT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT FESTIVITIES

Skinny Bones Pumpkin Patch, 3935 State Highway 133, Blair, opens Sept. 9. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. September cost is $12.95 plus tax Monday through Thursday and $17.95 plus tax Friday through Sunday. October admission is $20.95 plus tax Friday through Sunday. Children 2 and under are free. Season passes are also available. The pumpkin patch features pumpkins, food, fire pits, hayrack rides, petting zoo, Eerie Trail, mazes, rides and children’s attractions and games.

Fridays offer Flashlight Night runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Navigate your way through the giant corn maze with the help of your flashlight. Bring your own or buy one in the gift shop.

On Saturdays, try the Haunted Night runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Enter if you dare! Scarers move through the giant corn maze. No flashlights allowed. The haunted corn maze is limited to one time per person.

HONEYCRISP, CIDER & SUNFLOWER FESTIVALS

Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard’s fall season will kick off on Sept. 23, but the farm is celebrating a couple of festival weekends before. The Honeycrisp Festival runs Labor Day weekend through Sept. 25. The Cider & Sunflower

KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD Midwest Kite Flyers will be at at Ditmars Orchard, 19475 225th St. in Council Bluffs, on Sept. 17 and 18, from noon to 4 p.m. both days. Come out to enjoy kites of all shape and sizes. Cost is $7 per person, which also gets you into the U-pick area and includes unlimited activities all day.

Festival will run Sept. 9-11 and Sept. 16-18 at the patch, 12102 S. 180th St., Gretna. Admission for summer festival weekends is $28.99 per person.

FAMILY-OWNED FUN

Welch’s Pumpkin Patch, 17676 Sunnydale Road, Council Bluffs, is a family-owned pumpkin patch with no admission fee for any age, just pay for what you pick. There are a variety of pumpkins and gourds for sale (cash or check only) and children’s games and activities are available. Dogs welcome, if leashed. The patch opens Sept. 10 and is open from 4 to 7 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

MOQ FALL FESTIVAL

Mary Our Queen invites the community to its Fall Festival from 4 to 11 p.m. on Sept. 10 in the Mary Our Queen parking lot, 3405 S. 118th St. The event includes outdoor Mass, food, inflatables, meat wheel, raffles and pickles, live music, carnival games and more. The Husker game will be available, too. Advance tickets for games and wristbands for the inflatables are available online at facebook. com/MOQFallFestival. Pre-sale cost is $20 for 50 tickets, $10 for a wristband and $2 for a koozie.

MONARCH TAGGING

As monarch butterflies make their way to Mexico, Hitchcock Nature Center will host a monarch tagging event. Participants should meet at the Loess Hills Lodge, 27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek, Iowa, on Sept. 10. There are events at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Learn about monarch butterflies, their life cycle, their miraculous migration to Mexico, and how to catch, handle and tag monarchs for research. Afterward, hit the trails with nets in search of monarch butterflies. Bring your own net or one will be provided. This event will be held entirely outside. The cost is $5 per person and preregistration is required. Children ages 3 and under are free and do not need a reservation. The fee includes admission to the park and use of equipment. For more information, call 712-545-3283.

JULIE JOHNSON MULHALL’S HARVEST PARTY

Mulhall’s, 3615 N. 120th St., will host a Harvest Party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 10. Celebrate the season with live music by bluegrassinspired Daniel and the Deliverance. Grab a bite of fresh, wood-fired pizza from Mootz and shop pop-ups from more local favorites. Sample a lineup of natural honeys at the honey-tasting, try your hand at screen printing with The Union for Contemporary Art and take home a limited print by local artist Dan Crane. Shop the fall plant sale and talk with Mulhall’s team of experts.

In collaboration with Whispering Roots, donations of fresh produce from your garden will be accepted and turned into meals served at local shelters, or shared directly with dozens of underserved communities in our city.

FAMILY NATURE DAY

Benson Park, 7028 Military Ave., will host a Family Nature Evening from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 17. Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Urban League of Nebraska’s Young Professional Group, Kappa League Alumni

Group, Urban Financial Services

Coalition, Omaha Black

Community, North Omaha

Neighborhood Association,

Connect Black Omaha, North

Omaha Community Partnership and I Be Black Girl to explore nature, enjoy outdoor recreation and celebrate community. Activities will include kayaking, fishing, family nature activities, s’mores and food

SARAH HOFFMAN, THE WORLD-HERALD It’s time to pick apples, pumpkins and other fall fruits; go on hayrack rides; cook marshmallows over a bonfire; get lost in a corn maze and attend fall festivals. You can find all this and more at local pumpkin patches and orchards.

trucks. For more information, email lindsay.rogers@nebraska.gov.

APPLEJACK FESTIVAL

Apple pie, apple cider, apple cider donuts, candy apples, caramel apples, apple fritters, apple salad … pretty much anything you can imagine made from apples is available at the AppleJack Festival. The festival offers up two full weekends of fun. Sept. 16-18 there will be a fun run, parade, water barrel fights, flea market, vendor fair, car show and more. Sept. 2425 will include the third annual Nebraska City Food Truck Street Fair on Saturday and the “All Things Apples” contest on Sunday. For complete details, visit nebraskacity.com/festivals.

ROCA BERRY FARM

The Roca Berry Farm’s Fall Festival begins Sept. 17 at 16531 S. 38th St., Roca, Nebraska. Weekday hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., $10.50 per person; Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $10.50 per person. Weekend hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; cost is $16.95 per person. Food, train rides, ropes course, slides, games, corn maze, House of Illusions, Life Size Candyland, play equipment, farm animals, prairie dog show, zipline, farm animals and much, much more. Even more attractions available on weekends. Roca Berry Farm is cashless.

BELLEVUE BERRY FARM

Bellevue Berry Farm’s Pumpkin Roundup opens Sept. 17 at 11001 S. 48th St., Papillion. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weekday admission is $10 per person, weekend admission is $15 per person and children 2 and under are free. A special $12 admission price is set for opening weekend. The farm has a How the West Was Fun play area, featuring ziplines, a fun barn, slides, ziplines, climbing nets and swing. There’s also a bounce pillow, children’s train ride, corn maze, haunted walk and haunted hayrack ride through the woods, as well as a pirate cove area with two life-size pirate ships. Pumpkins are available and priced by size.

TYLER MEYER, THE WORLD-HERALD Spend the weekend at the annual AppleJack Festival in Nebraska City. Take a spin on a carnival ride, visit the craft fairs and enjoy tasty apple recipes, as well as live music, a parade, flea market and much more.

TAMMY PARTSCH, NEBRASKA CITY TOURISM AND COMMERCE The River City Classics Car Club of Nebraska City hosts a big car show during the AppleJack Festival.

HONEY FESTIVAL & APPLE DAYS

Various fall events will be held at 3 Bee Farms, a family-owned orchard at 14922 535th St., Griswold, Iowa, including a Honey Festival on Sept. 17 and 18, and Apple Days on Oct. 1 and 2.

The farm also provides fall fun, including a pumpkin patch and corn maze, and is a hot spot for local produce every weekend. The farm is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. In October, hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

FALL FESTIVAL & BBQ

Hollow Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze opens Sept. 18, during its annual Fall Festival and BBQ. Split Oak Hollow features a 9-acre corn maze, pumpkins for donations, concessions, laser tag, jumping pillow, bounce houses, petting barn, hayrack rides, 350-foot ziplines, pedal karts, barrel train rides, slides, free campfires, and more. Hours are Saturdays from 1 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 3 to 11; ages 2 and under are free. For more information, visit splitoakhollow.org. The camp’s fall festivities are rebranding as Split Oak Hollow this year and staff will begin moving activities into the theme of the booming 1800s at Camp Fontanelle, located at 9677 County Road 3, Nickerson, Nebraska.

GIFFORD FARM FALL FESTIVAL

Gifford Farm, 700 Camp Gifford Road, Bellevue, will host its Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 24. Admission is $5 for ages 2 and up (cash or check only.) Come on down for a day of “Good ole fashioned farm fun” — including food, hayrides, animal presentations, games, farmers market vendors, pony rides and more.

FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL

Kros Strain Brewing Company, 10411 Portal Road, Suite 102, La Vista, will host its Fall Harvest Festival from noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 24. This family-friendly event includes hay bales, an inflatable bounce house with slide for the kids, free carnival games with prizes, giveaways, food trucks, live music by Josh Powell and a special release fall-inspired beer. There will be a trailer of locally-grown pumpkins, gourds and milo for sale from Kumpf Pumpkin Patch. Free snow cones from noon to 2 p.m. No admission charge.

FALLFEST

City of Omaha Parks and Recreation will host FallFest from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 1 at Hummel Nature Center, 3033 Hummel Park Road. The event will include guided nature hikes, fall crafts, s’mores, archery, outdoor games, cornhole and more.