Willoughby Heritage Farm and Conservation Reserve is a peaceful little escape right in…read moreCollinsville, IL that is perfect for slowing down your day and taking in some good nature vibes. They have a few miles of hiking trails, but beware they are kind of hard to follow and it's really easy to get lost, but also pretty easy to get back on track! They have farm animals you can feed, pet, and check out along with vintage farm equipment dotted all over the farm. It's free to visit and is definitely a local hidden gem in this town!

I stopped by this evening about 4:30 to take a look around. It is a gorgeous, small farm with lots…read moreto do! There is a gorgeous garden, which is a photographers playground -- bees, beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds pollinating all around and enjoying the sweet nectar. Flowers everywhere -- it is so beautiful! It was super quiet as I walked around, it was just me and two hikers that went down to the little trail and back. This is such a wonderful play for kids! There are turkeys walking around loose, that just pass by, so used to humans, obviously. There are two pigs in a pen, a few goats chilling on their tables and a horse, two donkeys in the barn. Friendly, and curious if I had treats to give. (Which you can feed some of the animals, others have signs not too.) Groundhogs running around too but they do hide! Not scary at all. Lots of space for a shaded picnic lunch and a good sized play area for kids. It's well worth checking out. It is gorgeously maintained and the animals are beautiful, so very well taken care of. Just go, already -- It's good for the soul! :) Will definitely be back.

My two boys, 9 and 7 years old, had the best time feeding the animals and walking around.read more

This place was....interesting…read more I'll be honest, it popped up as a pumpkin patch. My sister just moved to the area and was looking for one close for her kiddos, and this was around the corner, so we decided to give it a try. To start, it was $10/person to get in, which wasn't really promoted. We've lived many different places and have never had to pay to get into a pumpkin patch, so that was a surprise. Kids were the same price, also a surprise. The property is pretty cool, they have some farm animals. They sold food to buy but half the animals you couldn't feed and the other half were already full from being fed so much. We assumed it was a regular petting zoo and bought some food before seeing it, so we ended up with leftover bags of food and no animals to feed. The hay ride only went once hourly so you basically had to wait around forever if you wanted to ride it. The maze was cool and the concept seemed really fun to find a message BUT the first word on the message was "God" and honestly, nowhere did they promote this farm as a religious-based experience. Lastly - the pumpkins. We came here for one reason. They don't even grow pumpkins on site, they ship them in, and they don't keep them stocked. I think we had like 20-30 pumpkins to choose from, if that, and they were picked over. We had a 4YO and a 6YO and they couldn't pick any of the pumpkins up, all the kid size ones were already sold. I feel like this could be a good spot for what it is, and if it was marketed as that - a Christian family fun farm experience. But, that's not what we had expected based on the marketing they had, so it was a bit of a disappointment for us.

I can't say enough good things about this place but here's a start:…read more- The View: STUNNING! It is just a gorgeous place to be - The Location: Parking always available and very easy to get to downtown - The Mission: A place you can feel good about supporting (and volunteering!) - They Make It Easy: It's easy to drop in on a Saturday morning if you want to get your hands dirty and help harvest - Cool Events: You can go to yoga, chef's dinners, or just host your own event for an EXTREMELY low cost - The People: Good people know good people, and everyone who is associated with a beautiful project like this is bound to be kind, interesting, and forward-thinking

From the owner: At Urban Harvest STL, we don't just grow plants; we aspire to create a healthy city immersed in…read moreliving and thriving gardens. Our designs are intentional and exemplify the principles of placemaking to create community spaces surrounded by farms that engage people in the local food system in unexpected and delightful ways. Urban nature takes many forms - it can grow on rooftops, in vacant lots, on living walls and in orchards. As in nature, diversity is prevalent and essential for resiliency. We are growing a network of urban farms supporting the health and vitality of our community.

Randomly stopped through and no one was there so we respected the rules and didn't get out of the…read morevehicle near the animals. We just drove though - it was crummy out anyways started raining as we got closer. Nice place, very spacious and seemed to have a lot of animals

Fun place to wander around just looking or better yet, call to arrange a tour. Nice gift shop…read morewith many products made from alpaca wool.. check out the furry keychains! My seven-year-old niece is kind of obsessed with the one I bought her. : )

Pumpkin Creek Farms is an absolute gem and a fantastic destination for families and friends looking…read morefor a fun and memorable day out. The farm is beautifully maintained and offers a wide range of activities that cater to all ages. From the moment you arrive, you can feel the welcoming and festive atmosphere. One of the highlights is the pumpkin patch, where you can pick your own pumpkins--perfect for carving or decorating. The corn maze is a blast, providing just the right amount of challenge and fun. There are also hayrides, petting zoos, and plenty of photo opportunities that make for great keepsakes. The staff at Pumpkin Creek Farms are friendly and helpful, ensuring that everyone has a great experience. The farm also offers delicious seasonal treats, like cider donuts and hot apple cider, which add to the overall charm of the place. It is also incredibly affordable! Everything is included with admission. Which is $9 a person and I believe it is 2 and under that are free! Pumpkin Creek Farms is an awesome spot for a day of fun, learning, and making wonderful memories. Highly recommended for a fall outing!

Great family friendly fun place! It was cheap and offered multi things to do for the kids! The…read moredonuts were also amazing!

It was great trip, we have been grants farm through out years with my children…read more. We visited last weekend with my Grandchildren . My son and granddaughter with into the parrot in closer and a bird scraced her face leaving a mark on her cheak .I dont suggest taking toddlesr in their.

A childhood summer vacation favorite was Grant's Farm. Now you can go for their summer evening…read moreevent series. I went on the 4th of July on the 250th anniversary of... well I guess it wasn't the anniversary of the first-ever July 4th, but the first one like I'm talking about. I was impressed with how uncrowded the event was. The crowds were less than on the average days in the summers of my youth. These days there are no elephants at Grant's Farm. I saw a number of animals including some really cute hens and several wallaby. I fed goats and some tread on my American flag dress. I was happy that Grant's Farm's biergarten had several non-beers on free offer. I thought it was beer and only beer! First I had a seltzer made with vodka blueberry flavor... I think it's called Nutrl. Yum! We could smell the blueberry from a couple of feet away. My second drink was High Noon vodka iced tea It was good, but if I get to make that choice again, I'd go back to the blueberry. My friend and I split a vegan bratwurst with sauerkraut and a side of mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was pretty flavorful and the temperature was right (we weren't expecting much). I liked the bratwurst, but my companion wasn't wowed. The 4th of July drone show was a nice alternative to fireworks. We liked watching and figuring out the formations. Our only tip to the venue: reduce the volume of the band. We were sitting as far away as we could, and maybe there were speakers near us, but no matter the reason: this was at least 40% too loud for all of us. Those hens were so darling!

For $20, my 6 and 7 year old kids were engaged and active for 3+ hours and could have gone longer…read more Staff was very nice. I wouldn't upgrade unless you have 10+ year olds, although the Apple launcher looked pretty cool.

Eckerts store is huge. From foods, to wines, to souvenirs, to nursery, to hayrides they cover…read moreeverything. Fruits, veggies, deli, plants and bakery. Household items as well. Staff were friendly. Store is pricey. Plentiful parking and plenty of picturesque areas. Store is well lit, and spacious.

The food offerings have really gone downhill. I ordered the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green…read morebeans & corn. The fried chicken was barely warm and the appearance reflected the oil had not been changed in a while. The green beans were bland, the potatoes and corn were good. The brown gravy was also barely warm. The second helping of chicken was hot but again the taste was marginal. Took in the tulip trail. One would think they would have reduced the admission the later it got in the event. $38 for 2 and clearly a fourth of the tulips were dead already. Lesson learned next year come the first week to see all the tulips in bloom. Skip the restaurant and dine in Belleville.

Such a lovely ranch with miniature horses! We attended the free public tour that first started with…read morea presentation. It was very informative about how they rescued these horses and the work behind it to get them healthy. Very generous hosts and afterwards they let us tour the ranch and pet some of the horses. The measures they take to care for these horses is incredible. It lasted about an hour to hour and a half. Highly recommend as it is for all ages! Definitely would love to book a private tour and bring more people. It would be great for a group bonding experience as well.

Such a privilege to have been able to meet this herd of rescued ponies. The owner has such passion…read moreand love for these lil guys. Handsome the golden retriever is a great attraction himself. We loved our tour and the stories we heard today. If you've never seen a herd of rescue ponies I encourage you to email the ranch and set up a private tour. There are toddler tours, girl scout tours, any tour you can think of. If you love animals this is a great adventure. Several ponies and a bunny have their own book/stuffed animal you can purchase on-line or in the gift shop. They also visit nursing homes.

The friendliest family with delicious fruits and vegetables at very reasonable prices. When…read moreavailable, you can go out and pick the fruits yourself. My grandma loves to come here and insisted that I needed to come here while on my trip, and I am so glad I did! They also sell soaps, honey, and other products in their little shop. The farm animals are all very friendly and sweet. We even got lucky and got to buy one of the last bunches of strawberries! I am so excited to eat my fresh raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and zucchini. Biggest thanks to the Kern family for a memorable visit!

Delicious fruit! It's way better than what you can get at the grocery store and the family that…read moreruns it is very friendly and accommodating.