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Pick your own this Halloween.

Tuesday Oct 31, 2006.     By Centerstage Chicago Staff

Travel + Tourism Feed

Oh, the horror! More frights abound in Centerstage's Halloween Guide...
Bars & Clubs ~ Halloween Costumes ~ Sober Fun ~ Frightening Fare

Halloween just isn't Halloween without a glowing pumpkin on the front porch and a batch of roasted pumpkin seeds in the oven. While you can certainly buy one from the grocery, or feign "picking" by a stroll through your neighborhood's corner lot, here are some authentic spots to go a-pickin'. Having a car will help.

Didier Farms
Bring a mean eye for pumpkins and a wallet full of moolah to Didier Farms, located 45 minutes from downtown Chicago. Channel that "look Ma, a pony!" excitement with $2.25 tractor-drawn hayrides down to the pumpkin patch any day 'til Halloween. In addition to pumpkin-picking and pony rides (for the kiddies, mind you), this hot-spot offers a five-acre corn maze, a Dino Jump, a petting zoo and the Spooky Cabin Halloween Shop. Things heat up on weekends with the addition of burlap bag slides, obstacle courses and the El Paso "Choo-Choo Train." All attractions run $2.25-$3.75.

Once you've gotten your fill of farm-raised fun, head to the Pumpkin Patch Cafe between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. for made fresh pumpkin and apple cider donuts. Veggie lovers should swing by the farmstand and stock up on fresh vegetables, cider, apples, soups and jellies. If you're feeling high in spirits but low on funds, take in freebie attractions like farm-animal-viewing.

Goebbert's Farm and Pumpkin Patch
For those looking to stay relatively close to the city, a jaunt to Goebbert's Farm in Barrington leads to plenty of pumpkin-filled fun. Wagon rides through the corn stalk trail to an eight-room haunted house, camel rides complement the standard pony parade and kettle corn and homemade fudge up the sweets ante.

If you're up for the ride, head straight to the source in Hampshire: Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch. This place hosts one of the most unusual of Illinois' Halloween attractions, the pumpkin-eating dinosaur, a hand-made electric beast that stands 20-feet tall and snacks on pumpkins. And you thought velocorapters were scary... Admission ranges $4-$6, with a few extra bucks tacked on for specialties.

Lambs Farm
While you can pick up a pumpkin any ol' day of the week, you'll want to head to Lambs Farm on Saturday night, when Haunted Harvest kicks into harrowing high-gear. An all-night pass is just $15 and includes Graveyard Golf, 18 haunted holes of mini-golf among the tombstones. If that's not fun enough, check out the Creature Walk or ride the not-for-the-faint-of-heart train of terror, which travels along Lambs Lake. The kids can take a spin in the Enchanted Carousel, or give it a go in the Bounce House.

Sonny Acres Farm
Any farm that has sold 400 tons of pumpkins is worth a visit, right? Sonny Acres delights and frights with hay rides, a costume shop, a haunted barn and spook shed and, of course, mountains of pumpkins. Crispy Wisconsin and Michigan apples will get you in the fall spirit, while taffy apples, elephant ears, brats, spiced cider and other treats provide a sweeter route.

Bengston Pumpkin Fest
Twenty-nine cents per pound is not too shabby for a carve-worthy veggie. The benefits of non-city living here include tractor-drawn hayrides, a pigpen and goat house and the always-thrilling pig race.

Yummy snacks size up to hot apple cider, Home Run Inn Pizza, caramel apples, roasted sweet corn, kettle corn, cotton candy and, la creme de la creme of outdoor fests, funnel cakes. Admission is $10 and $9 for kids under 11 and seniors. Check out the website for a dollar-off coupon.

Other pumpkin patches

Children's Farm Pumpkin Patch
Palos Park, (708) 361-3650
In addition to hosting a basic pumpkin patch, this Palos Park locale offers a "Haunted Farm" night on Oct. 27 and 28, which starts in the haunted forest and ends with a session of story-telling. Admission for the evening costs $10 per person, and tickets must be purchased in advance.

10 Pumpkin Patch
Oz Park, (312) 742-PLAY
One of six North Side Chicago Parks to participate in Halloween fun, you can get your fill of pre-Halloween fun at Oz Park on Saturday afternoons. Pick your own, plus a pumpkin-decorating station, face-painting, hayrides, games and concessions. You can also waive the $15 all-inclusive fee by opting for individual activity tickets.

Pumpkin Picking at Butterprint Farm
Take a hayride and check out a corn maze while you pick the perfect pumpkin at this "days gone by" farm.

Pumpkin Trolley
Get your pumpkin in style with a ride on a Fox River trolley to the patch at Coleman Yard where hundreds of pumpkins, at just $1 each, await.