Twenty minutes south of campus. Pick your own pumpkins, get lost in a four-acre corn maze, and stay for 40+ attractions at Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge.
Buy TicketsAmes has several pumpkin patches within a few miles of town. Center Grove Orchard is the Ames pumpkin patch families drive 20 minutes south to when they want the whole day: a pick-your-own field you ride a hayride to, a corn maze cut fresh every fall, an apple orchard, a bakery, and more than forty attractions on one admission. With more than 2,100 Google reviews at 4.7 stars, it's the most-reviewed farm in Central Iowa, and a good share of those reviews started the day on Lincoln Way.
There are half a dozen farms and patches within fifteen minutes of Ames, in Story City, Nevada, and on the edges of town, and they're fine for grabbing a pumpkin. Center Grove Orchard is a 25-acre working farm with more reviews than any of them by a wide margin. The pumpkins are in a real field you take a hayride out to. The corn maze is four acres with a new design every year. The orchard has more than 34 apple varieties. And the same admission covers the jumping pillows, the corn pool, the slides, the train, the farm animals, and everything else on the full pumpkin patch page. If all you need is a pumpkin, there's one closer. If you want the day, and the memories that come with it, come see us.
Pick-your-own pumpkins from the vine, with sizes from tiny to porch-ready and a few specialty varieties for carving and decorating. The hayride out to the field is included with admission and is wheelchair accessible. You pay for what you pick, so bring a wagon or borrow one of ours. The patch opens for Pumpkin Fest on October 1 and runs through November 8, or until the field is picked clean. Early October has the fullest field. Late October is picked over but still has pumpkins.
There's something on most weekends from late August through early November. If you're driving down from Ames, an event weekend is worth building the day around. On Cyclone home-game Saturdays the farm is noticeably quieter in the afternoon, so if you're not going to the game, that's your window.
Pumpkin games, the Pumpkin Princess, and the busiest weekends of our season.
The farm after dark, with photo ops, games, and campfire sites you can reserve ahead.
Trick-or-treat across the farm in costume. Saturday overlaps with the last Pumpkin Nights and the final fireworks.
Every pumpkin that didn't get picked gets launched, dropped, or smashed. It closes the season.
There are half a dozen farms and patches within fifteen minutes of Ames, in Story City, Nevada, and on the edges of town, and they're fine for grabbing a pumpkin. Center Grove Orchard is a 25-acre working farm with more reviews than any of them by a wide margin. The pumpkins are in a real field you take a hayride out to, not a display by the road. The corn maze is four acres with a new design every year. The orchard has more than 34 apple varieties. And the same admission covers the jumping pillows, the corn pool, the slides, the train, the farm animals, the bubble station, and everything else on the full pumpkin patch page.
The honest version: if you want a pumpkin, go to the closest patch. If you want a Saturday, come here.
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| From | Drive |
|---|---|
| Ames | 20 minutes |
| Huxley | 10 minutes |
| Slater | 15 minutes |
| Nevada | 20 minutes |
| Gilbert | 30 minutes |
| Story City | 30 minutes |
| Boone | 35 minutes |
| Ogden | 45 minutes |
Huxley is the closest town of the bunch; Cambridge is the next stop east on Highway 210. If you're coming from Boone or Story City, plan on it as a day trip and eat here. The food venues and the bakery are open the whole season.
Full directions from 26 Central Iowa towns
If you're searching for things to do in Ames this fall and everything on the list is on campus, this is the one that isn't. You don't need a car full of kids. Pumpkin Nights is a date night that starts with apple picking at five and ends with fireworks, and weekday tickets are cheaper than weekends, so a Friday is the deal.
Group rates exist for 25 or more if you're bringing a floor, a club, or a team; details are on the group reservations page. This year's corn maze design was covered by the Iowa State Daily, so you may already know what you're walking into.
Bring your roommates, bring a date, bring your parents when they're in town for the game. Everyone picks something.
Admission is per person for ages three and up, with weekdays priced lower than weekends. It covers the corn maze, the hayride, and all 40+ attractions. You-pick pumpkins and apples are charged separately by what you pick.
The Farm'All Pass covers the whole season and pays for itself on the third visit. If you're coming down from Ames more than twice this fall, it's the cheaper ticket.
Worth knowing before you drive down: fall season runs August 29 through November 8, open 9 AM to 7 PM and until 9 PM on Pumpkin Nights. Closed Tuesdays. See Tickets and Hours
About 20 minutes. I-35 south to Exit 102 and five miles east on Highway 210, or US-69 south through Huxley and east on 210. Turn-by-turn from every Central Iowa town is on our directions page.
Yes, there are a few small patches within ten minutes of town. We're a 25-acre working farm with a pick-your-own field, a four-acre corn maze, an orchard, a bakery, and 40-plus attractions on one admission, which is why families make the 20-minute drive.
Pumpkin Fest opens October 1 and runs through November 8, or until the field is picked clean. The farm itself is open from August 29 for apples and everything else. Current hours are on the calendar.
Admission is per person for ages three and up, with weekdays priced lower than weekends. You-pick pumpkins are charged separately. If you're coming more than twice, look at the Farm'All Pass first.
Yes, regular hours. Home-game Saturdays tend to be quieter here in the afternoon.
Yes. We're also the closest full apple orchard to Ames with more than 34 varieties. The orchard and the pumpkin patch are on the same farm and the same admission, and the hayride runs between them. Apples run August 30 through November 2.
We open and stay open in rainy weather. A few attractions close for safety when it's wet, but the patch stays open. Refunds and date transfers aren't available for weather, so check the forecast before you buy. Full policies are on our FAQ page.
Yes, and there's plenty of it. Accessible parking is at the front of the main lot.
Our pumpkin patch is open six days a week through the fall season in Cambridge, Iowa, 20 minutes south of Ames.
Center Grove Orchard
32835 610th Avenue
Cambridge, IA 50046
515-383-4354
Fall season runs August 29 through November 8. Check our calendar for current hours and field conditions before you drive down.
