When you’ve lived in the StL as long as I have, you find yourself going to all of the same places every season, and of course, I love them. But every once in a while, when you wander outside of your routine bubble, you discover a really amazing secret spot—and of course, I have to share it with all my favorite moms. My cousin invited me to meet her at Austin Farms to go pumpkin picking in Festus. I’m no stranger to Festus since my husband has lots of family there, and I know it’s a wonderful place—but I didn’t know they were hiding a really great pumpkin patch.
I decided it would be worth a little adventure, and I can say I was so pleasantly surprised! About 10 minutes from the Pevely exit is the quaint little Austin Farms. My kids squealed as we drove up to rows of colorful pumpkins—but more importantly to them—bounce houses! We parked, and I expected to pay an entry fee for the fun activities before finding our pumpkins, but my cousin quickly told me all these activities are free. Well, that was a fun surprise, especially these days when everything is more expensive than ever.
The bounce houses were manageable for ages 3–12, and my kids had a ball. There were no crowds, as a cute little field trip crew was on their way out at noon. They had a barrel train that went all the way around a giant pasture, a water table and the cutest 1800s corn-shucking station where kids spun the wheel to fill a bucket of corn to jump in. I was personally most excited about the beautiful pumpkin patch with the most gigantic pumpkins I’ve seen in a long time. We took the tractor out to the field, were handed our own set of cutters and set out on our hunt.
It was probably the most authentic pumpkin-picking experience I’ve had in a while. I got three pretty decent-sized pumpkins and left paying $26. That was before I added fresh-made sourdough from the farmer’s wife, farm-fresh eggs, local maple syrup, homemade jelly, drinks and popcorn. My kids were ecstatic and so were my cousin and I. If you are looking for a low-key place to have a fall adventure this weekend,
I highly recommend a stop at Austin Farms. I asked if they were OK with me sharing their spot with all of you, and they were excited. The owners could not have been sweeter. They did say Saturdays get crowded as word is getting out!
If you’re reading this article too late to go pumpkin picking, just know that Austin Farms is open for local produce in other seasons—and it is totally worth a trip out. There isn’t an official website, but you can find them on Facebook under Austin Farms in Festus, Missouri. Their Google reviews are coming in at all five stars. If you go, tell them I sent you.
—XO Katelyn
Katelyn Young is a local mom of four (her #crumblycrew) who shares real moments of motherhood as it relates to fashion, food and fun! Follow her on Instagram @katelynyoung.