Gourd for it at Lincoln’s JK’s Pumpkin Patch

Fall seems to mean a trip to the pumpkin patch. The Midwest has a lot of choices – big and small. We visited a smaller pumpkin patch near Lincoln that packed a lot of fun. JK’s Pumpkins is located just northeast of Nebraska’s capital city.

The pumpkin patch – opened Friday-Sunday until the end of October – offers a great perk upfront – a pumpkin (of any size) is included with every admission ticket. Admission is very reasonable at $8 person (kids, too). Infants are free unless they want a pumpkin, according to the website.

Admission is worth it. The patch is definitely geared toward families with younger children. There are a lot of play areas, including swing sets and a bouncy pad.

We liked the corn play area. Instead of a sand box, the box was filled with corn kernels. Lots of toy tractors, trucks and other farm implements were available.

Adults and kids can have their pictures taken while sitting inside an old combine.

We personally loved the corn maze. It takes up about two acres. It was fun. They have the maze set up right, so it’s a bit of a challenge to navigate your way through it. Several people (perhaps us, too) had fun trying to find their way out. We did notice that some people gave up and just walked out wherever they wanted.

During our walk through the maze, we stopped to enjoy the view and shoot some photographs of the corn stalks and corn. It was a beautiful setting. It likely is a Midwest thing, but who doesn’t love walking through a corn field, providing you’re not detassling?

We came upon a grasshopper working his way through the maze. He was a great photograph subject. I could have spent the day inside the maze, photographing everything.

The farm offers a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch. You take a route past the corn fields, eventually landing in the pumpkin patch. JKS employees are nice and they pull a lot of the pumpkins off the vines so they are readily available for visitors. You don’t have to walk very far into the pumpkin patch to find gourds, unless you want to do it.

We checked out the pumpkin patch. We settled on a medium size and a smaller one for home. We ended up giving the medium one to our daughter Steph.

The pumpkin patch offers visitors a chance to mingle with some animals. The petting zoo has a donkey, llama and a few goats. Buy a cup of feed at the entrance and you’ll have a lot of entertainment with the creatures.

One goat really stretches itself out past the fence. It thought my camera was a treat. It made for a cute experience.

JK’s Pumpkins also has a gift shop on site with cute decorative pieces. They have the obligatory Husker wood carvings, some candles and other items. We suggest checking it out while you’re there.

We saw some families bring picnic meals with them to make a longer day of it. But, we believe 2-3 hours would be more than enough time to have fun and take in the attractions.

JK’s Pumpkins is located a couple miles north of Interstate 80. Take the 27th street exit and go north a short distance, and then follow the roadside signs. It’s about a 50-minute drive from Omaha.

For more information on JKS Pumpkin patch, check out their website at www.jkspumpkinpatch.com.