Goebbert's Farm & Garden Center

Goebbert's Farm & Garden Center in South Barrington combines a spring garden center with a summer farm market and a fall pumpkin patch. The garden center carries annuals, perennials, roses, shrubs, fruit and ornamental trees, vegetable and herb plants, and indoor plants, and it will custom plant containers or make grab-and-go planters. In fall, families pick their own pumpkins, walk the corn maze, and meet the animals, with apple cider, candy apples, and pies and donuts from the bakery.

The seasons run on their own schedule. The garden center opens in April, the farm market runs from late June through October, and the Fall Festival runs from early September into early November, with fall tickets sold online. Thanksgiving pie pre-orders are picked up in late November, and the farm closes for the winter after that. Goebbert's sits just west of Schaumburg and is an easy drive from Chicago, and weekend crowds can be heavy.