Wilmette-Area Halloween 2020: Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes

WILMETTE, 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 Wilmette and Kenilworth 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 New Trier Township

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 Wilmette, Kenilworth

Haunted Park
A pair of pop-up haunted parks are planned for the weekends leading up to Halloween. From Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, a haunted park will be set up at Thornwood Park, 2400 Thornwood Ave. Then From Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, the haunted park comes to Forest Park, 1848 Forest Ave. Visitors can arrive at any time during the day, no registration is needed.

Willie's Wicked 5K
The Wilmette Park District is hosting a virtual run anytime from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1. Costumes, while optional, are encouraged. Participants will pick their own route, and the first 50 people to registerwill receive a race-themed face mask.

Trick-or-Treating
Wilmette village staff have declared trick-or-treating hours are between 4 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, while Kenilworth officials said hours from the end of school to dusk.

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:

• Halloween 2020: Submit Your Haunt For Patch's Tour o' Scary Yards
• 2020 Fall Foliage Peak Map: When Leaves Are Best In Illinois
• Fall Fun Amid COVID-19: Illinois Apple Orchards, Fall Fests Reopen

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