Enchanted Acres more than pumpkins in North Iowa

I always thought that the orange pumpkin you buy at a pumpkin patch for Halloween or the fall season was THE only real type of pumpkin out there. Call me a dumb-dumb, as I learned there are dozens of types of pumpkins.

Enchanted Acres pumpkin patch near Sheffield, Iowa, has about 20 types of pumpkins available. They can be picked and/or purchased. They range from the standard orange pumpkin, Cotton Candy, Long Island Cheese to Red Warty. Another pumpkin even looked like it had peanuts on the outside.

Enchanted Acres even has a pink pumpkin, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Enchanted Acres came about because Shannon Latham wanted to live on an acreage. She lived on one growing up, and loved that style of life. Her husband, John, is the president of nearby Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. Shannon is a Vice-President with the company.

Shannon started Enchanted Acres as a small business with growth plans. The first pumpkin patch was small. It was located where a current playground area sits.

The pumpkin patch has grown significantly in a few short years. Shannon actually had the grand opening of the business in 2013. Enchanted Acres is open through Nov. 2nd.

In addition to the several types of pumpkins raised and sold, visitors can feed goats. The goats love to be fed. During our visit, one was quite vocal about what was going on. Yet, he stood at the feed trough rather than come over to the fence for some snacks. He eventually made his way to my stop, along with a few of his buddies. They were a cute group of goats.

Shannon is also raising chickens. Some will be used for laying eggs. The others will move on to a better place in the food chain.

Enchanted Acres offers a fire pit for guests. It is used for some functions, so visitors can gather around it. It can also be rented out for private groups.

Walking trails are located on site, so visitors can take short jaunts through the woods.

If visitors get hungry during the pumpkin patch visit, snacks are sold inside the market barn. In addition, locally made goods, such as yard flowers, sunflowers and jams, are available.

While it’s nice to have a small successful business being built, Shannon likes to think it reaches beyond that. She wants it to be a place where people can visit and have a fun time in the outdoors. It allows them the chance to escape the daily realities, get outdoors and enjoy quality time with friends and family.

For more information on Enchanted Acres, please check out their Facebook page for great information and updates. Also, I recommend visiting their website at www.enchantedacresia.com.