Skokie-Area Halloween 2020: Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes

Jonah Meadows
·5 min read

SKOKIE, IL — Coronavirus has taken its toll on Illinois, canceling events and postponing sports, graduations and even weddings, but there's one thing it hasn't taken from us: Fall fun.

From pumpkin patches to apple orchards to corn mazes and fall events, there's plenty to keep us busy as the weather turns cool and crisp.

Here's a roundup of the places around Skokie where you can pick a pumpkin, gather up fall apples, wind your way through a corn maze or attend a safe and socially distanced fall event.

Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes Around Skokie

Pumpkin Patch: Jack's Pumpkin Patch Pop-Up
Address: 1465 N. Elson Ave., Chicago
Season ends: Nov. 1
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Phone: 312-850-8188
Attractions: While all carnival games, pig races and pumpkin carving activities have been cancelled, visitors can come to Goose Island to visit the closest cornfield to downtown Chicago and pick a pumpkin or enjoy the autumn weather.
Pricing: Tickets start at $25, visits are limited to 90 minutes and there are no food or beverages available for purchase.
Website: https://jackspumpkinpopup.com/

Pumpkin Patch: Didier Farms
Address: 16678 W. Aptakisic Rd., Lincolnshire
Season ends: Oct. 31
Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Phone: 847-634-3291
Attractions: Pumpkinfest offers hayrides, pony rides, camel rides, kiddie rides, craft area, and have an animal land to explore.
Pricing: No admission fee. Tickets can be purchased for rides and activities.
Website: https://didierfarms.com/

Pumpkin Patch: Patch 22
Address: 15900 Kelly Road, Wadsworth
Season ends: Oct. 31
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
Phone: 847-336-0120
Attractions: Hayrides, pony rides, hayloft, petting zoo
Pricing: $10 per car, more for some activities
Website: https://patch22.biz/pumpkinsfall.html

Pumpkin Patch: Kroll's Fall Harvest Farm
Address: 13236 W. Townline Road, Waukegan
Season ends: Nov. 1
Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (Monday), Noon-8 p.m. (Tuesday, Wednesday), 10 a.m-8 p.m. (Thursday), 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (Friday, Saturday) and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (Sunday)
Phone: 847-662-5733
Attractions: Maze and hayride.
Pricing: $7 adults, $5 children (12 and under), Free (2 and under) for maze; $4 per person for hayride, Free (2 and under); $1-$50 for pumpkins, priced by size. Weekends during timed entry for all guests = $10 per person includes hayride, corn maze and animal area.
Website: https://www.krollsfarm.com/

Pumpkin Patch: Goebbert's Farm and Garden Center - South Barrington
Address: 40. W. Higgins Road, South Barrington
Season ends: Oct. 31
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, last entry at 5 p.m.
Phone: 847-428-6727
Attractions: Pumpkin-eating dinosaur, giraffe barn, pumpkin-eating dino, pig racing, pony rides, camel rides, wagon ride, little farmer's play yard, corn stalk maze, pumpkin tunnel, climbing trucks, corn hole game, ring toss game and more.
Pricing: $16.99 for fall festival on weekends, free on weekdays with fees for some activities
Website: https://www.goebbertsgardencenter.com/

Halloween Events In Skokie

Things That Go Bump in the Night
The all-ages Oct. 16 event at Emily Oaks Nature Center, 4650 Brummel St., will feature three skits with costumed characters. Tickets are $6 per person, call 847-647-1500 for more information.

Spooktacular Family Fun
There will be bounce houses and open gym play at the Weber Leisure Center, 9300 Weber Place, starting at 10 a.m. on Oct. 25. Tickets are $5 for residents and $7 for non-residents.

Halloween Public Skate and Costume Contest
The Skatium Ice Arena, 9340 Weber Place, is hosting two hours of public ice skating on the evening of Oct. 30. The best costume will win an award. Tickets are $9, with skate rental $3 and, due to capacity limitations, advance registration is required.

Tricks 'N Treats
A family-friendly costumed daytime event is planned on the morning of Oct. 31 at Oakton Community Center, 4701 Oakton St.. Every family will receive a craft bag of stay at home activities. Tickets are $10 for residents and $13 for non-resident, and registration is required.

Kooky Spooky Candy Trail
There will be 10 candy stops and a roaming magician along a route through Oakton Park on the afternoon of Halloween. Advance tickets are required for children aged 2 to 12. No candy will be provided to those 13 and up, who do not require their own tickets. The first story begins at 4 p.m., with hot chocolate, cider and coffee available to purchase on site.

Skokie Trick-or-Treating Hours
Skokie village staff have declined to post official trick-or-treating hours due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. While door-to-door trick-or-treating is not prohibited in the village, village officials strongly discouraged it.

Groups should keep apart from one another, avoid homemade items and consider leaving candy on the porch or otherwise avoiding close contact with visitors. Public health experts suggest hanging treats from a clothesline for trick-or-treaters to grab or using chalk to mark an area sufficiently distant from the front door to hand out candy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against wearing a costume mask over a protective cloth face mask due to the potential breathing risk. Wearing a Halloween-themed cloth face covering is preferred, according the guidelines.

More fall fun:

If we missed your favorite pumpkin patch or Halloween event, be sure to share it with readers in the replies below.

This article originally appeared on the Skokie Patch