Center Grove Orchard is about two hours west of Iowa City, just off I-35 in Cambridge. It's a real day trip, so here's what's waiting at the end of the drive: a 20-acre orchard with more than 34 apple varieties, a pumpkin patch, a four-acre corn maze, and 40+ attractions on one family-owned farm.
Buy Tickets127 miles, about 2 hours. Take I-80 west toward Des Moines, then I-35 north to Exit 102 (Highway 210, Huxley/Cambridge). Head east about five miles on Highway 210, then north an eighth of a mile on 610th Avenue. You'll see the barns from the road.
Allow an extra 10 to 15 minutes on October Saturdays. Parking is free and there's plenty of it. For drive times from 26 Central Iowa towns, see our directions page.
Our You-Pick apple season runs August 30 through November 2, or until the trees are picked clean. More than 34 varieties grow across our 20-acre orchard, and September brings the widest lineup on our calendar. Honeycrisp and Jonathan are our two most popular.
Grab your You-Pick bag at the You-Pick entrance or the South Train Station, wander the rows, and fill it to the brim. Bags run from $9.95 for a quarter peck to $64.95 for a full bushel. Honeycrisp, Evercrisp, and Ludacrisp are our premier apples, so they cost more.
Everything you need to know is in our apple picking guide, and our month-by-month variety guide shows what we expect to be ripe when.
Find your pumpkin in the patch, then take the hayride out to the orchard and the corn maze. It's all on the same farm, so pumpkins and apples are one trip.
October is Pumpkin Fest, and on Friday and Saturday evenings from October 2 through 24 the farm stays open until 9 PM for Pumpkin Nights, with fireworks every Saturday night. That's more daylight and more evening after a two-hour drive.
Since you're coming a long way, check the patch status on our pumpkin patch page before you head out.
The farm is open 9 AM to 7 PM, closed Tuesdays, and until 9 PM on Pumpkin Nights. Online admission is $14.95 on weekdays and $19.95 on weekends. Ages 2 and under are free, and admission is required for ages 3 and up to pick apples.
Planning a long drive around the weather? Admission tickets are transferable to another date during the season, up until one hour before closing on your ticket's date. Once you've checked in at Admissions, refunds and date transfers aren't available for weather.
About 127 miles, or roughly two hours. Take I-80 west, then I-35 north to Exit 102, and head five miles east on Highway 210.
Yes. The orchard, the pumpkin patch, and the corn maze are all on the same farm, and the hayride runs between them.
With kids, plan at least two to three hours. Exploring the whole farm can easily take all day.
August 30 through November 2, or until the trees are picked clean. September has the widest lineup of varieties.
Yes. Admission is required for ages 3 and up, and apples are priced by the bag. Apples are also sold in the Country Store, which you can shop without admission.
The farm opens and stays open in rainy weather. Admission tickets can be moved to another date during the season, up until one hour before closing on your ticket's date. Once you've checked in at Admissions, refunds and date transfers aren't available for weather.
