Fall is my jam. I’ll admit it’s not been the same being down south and having to drive to the mountains to see that beautiful foliage I’m used to but even still … fall.is.my.jam. I don’t actually recall going to the pumpkin patch, apple picking, or doing corn mazes when I was little but somewhere in my older life, it became necessary. Perhaps after I had kids and started living through their smiles.
I love my oldie but goodie, Hall Family Farm, but it was a Sunday afternoon with completely disrespectful heat outside, so we opted for somewhere else. I happen to check on Groupon deals like I’m getting paid for it Tiffany Haddish and saw a potentially promising one for Johnny Wilson Farm. It’s in Granite Falls, which I knew nothing about, but I love dragging my loved ones on an adventure, so to the car we went.
Johnny Wilson Farm
It wasn’t terribly busy when we arrived and there’s nothing I like to see more than a lack of crowds at a family outing. As you enter, there’s a cute little stand to the right where you either pay or show your voucher should you have one. We were told about all the different offerings and areas of the farm available to us and sent off to explore.
Although the farm is huge, everything is pretty close together. Anything you need to get to on the other side of the farm is accessed by a 20-minute tram ride that you’re welcomed to ride again and again.
The tram is actually how you get to the apples and there are a couple different varieties to choose from. I’m no Johnny Appleseed, so we’ll just say you can choose from yummy green or equally yummy red. They’re not on the trees, they’re located in cute little crates, near the trees they were likely picked from, and ready for you to grab and enjoy. They have been washed, so really, enjoy.
Along the tram ride is also where you can get a better glimpse of the 3-acre corn maze. There are only a few places you can make a wrong turn. You either come to a dead end or circle right back to where you came from, so there are no worries of getting lost Children of the Corn style.
We went to the pumpkin patch after, which is actually more of a pumpkin area if you will. The pumpkins aren’t needing to be cut from stems nor are they actually in the location they were grown, it’s just a section of pumpkins you can choose from. Every person gets one as part of admission. They’re mostly pie size pumpkins but all the perfect size to put you in the mood of the season.
There’s rubber duck racing … Nathan probably cheated dominated and C couldn’t seem to get his duck to move. There’s an animal section with real animals to view but we were fine with the cows, donkey, and lamb we were able to see on the tram ride. There’s also a huge pit of popcorn kernels for the kids, and kids at heart, to play around in and make kernel angels. I’ve never seen anything like it and thought it was pretty cool. I’m sure I’m missing some things but because my kids are teens, they’ve aged out of it.
The Eats
Perhaps one of my favorite parts was the food, which we tried right before we left. They make the food fresh and it smelled so good, we actually left the farm to go get cash because we didn’t have any and that’s all they accepted. I found the prices to be very reasonable and the service to be superb.
They brought everything out individually as it was prepared, so whoever was eating it was getting it hot and fresh. They’ve got burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, chili cheese fries, an array of drinks and fixings for your entrees. There were vanilla and pumpkin cream rolls for dessert, which we didn’t order because we weren’t sure what they were or if we’d like them. One of the cooks surprised us with some vanilla ones at our table because they were homemade and they wanted us to try them. Of course, we went back up and bought some pumpkin rolls for the road … they were amazing.
Sadly, I got no pictures of our eats because we devoured them too fast.
The Verdict
We had an unexpected blast! Unexpected because although everything sounded great on their website, we did pass our fair share of Confederate flags as we neared the location, which made me wonder what I was going to encounter once we were at the farm. We received nothing but warmth. Everyone was beyond pleasant and just seemed genuinely happy to have us there.
The farm itself is gorgeous and although you don’t actually go through a pumpkin patch or pick your own apples from the trees, you could tell they only displayed the best. If I’m being honest, I appreciated not having to put in all that extra work into looking through pumpkins and apples … call me lazy efficient.
The Deets on Johnny Wilson Farm
With Groupon … and the extra 20% off special … I paid $20 for my little family of 4 and we each went home with pumpkins and had apples on the hayride. I would definitely go back without having a Groupon and at $8 per person (infants under 23 months are free), it’s really a steal. Should you snag a Groupon deal, make sure you take cash for food because there is no ATM and you WILL want the food … it’s great.
Distance from Charlotte: 68 miles or about an hour and 17 minutes
