Louisburg Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch and Why we LOVE It!

It's pumpkin season! We kicked off our annual tour of patches with a visit to the Louisburg Cider Mill! This year, we were excited to have friends join us on our visit. They'd never been before and they enjoyed the site as much as we always do. We love Louisburg Cider Mill - watching at cider is made from scratch, enjoying fresh apple cider donuts, playing at the pumpkin patch and finding our way through the corn maze - and this year, we loved sharing it all with friends.

The Louisburg Cider Mill produces thousands of gallons of fresh squeezed cider annually and you can watch the process first hand on a visit. Read our blog: Watch Cider Making at the Louisburg Cider Mill for information on the cider making tour. After visiting the Cider Mill, we enjoy playing in the pumpkin patch and exploring the real 10-acre corn maze (my favorite attraction at the patch!).

Key things to know:

• The Cider Mill and Country Store are open year-round, but they're most exciting and interesting in the fall. There is no charge to visit the mill or the store, except that the alluring scent of cider donuts and the experience of watching fresh cider as it is pressed is sure to entice you to purchase some delicious goodies to enjoy. They also sell autumn decor, pumpkin and apple butter, jellies, soup mixes, and their Lost Trail sodas in the shop. 
• The last weekend of September and the first weekend of October are the annual Cider Fest, a fun-filled festival celebrating everything autumn. This popular event is a tradition for many families and thousands attend every year. If you want a fall festival and a beautiful setting, this is the event for you. If you'd like to explore the mill without the crowd, visit on a non-festival day during September or October.
• They  JUST planted apple trees this year, and hope to be able to offer apple picking in the future. However, currently, they do not offer apple picking. For the cider they produce, they make such a large quantity of cider, they would be unable to grow all the apples they need, so they are purchased from local Missouri and Kansas farmers. However, with growing demand for agritourism, they have plans to offer apple picking for families in coming years.... stay tuned!
• There is an additional fee for the pumpkin patch and corn maze. This year's corn maze celebrates the 40th birthday of Louisburg Cider Mill. This is always one of our absolute favorite corn mazes in the area. The maze includes a word scramble puzzle as letters are hidden through the maze - find all the letters and unscramble them to enter a prize drawing. 
• Picnics ARE welcome (I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!)! And, you'll also be able to purchase food from Food Trucks on weekends!

Plan to Attend during a special event:

• 9/15 – 9/17: Scout Weekend! Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies & Daisies get $2 off admission when you wear your uniform or show your badge.
• 9/15 – 9/17: Scarecrow Display: Add your homemade scarecrow to our field display to receive $5 off admission!!
• 9/23 – 9/24: Ciderfest Saturday & Sunday, Ciderfest at the Cider Mill
• 9/30 – 10/1: Ciderfest Saturday & Sunday, Ciderfest at the Cider Mill
• 10/6 – 10/8: Community Service Gratitude - As our way of saying “Thank You!” to all community service workers, all teachers, firefighters, enlisted military, first responders, EMTs, nurses and doctors will receive $2 off admission to the Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch with a valid ID badge.
• 10/13 – 10/15: College weekend!! College students receive $2 off admission when you show your student ID!
• Saturday 10/14: Zombie Forest Night - 6:30 pm to 10 pm. Dress up for this fun night of spooks and thrills! Live music, bonfire, hayrides and more! Bring your flashlight to go through the maze in the dark! Zombie Forest is a fundraiser for our local Paola High School Robotics group.
• Saturday 10/21: Burning Scarecrow - 9th Annual Burning Scarecrow Event at 7:00 pm. Live music, bonfire, hayrides and more! Bring your flashlight to go through the maze in the dark! Zombie Forest continues!!
• Tuesday, October 31st: HALLOWEEN!! Wear your costume for $2 off your ticket and some Halloween fun!!

We LOVE the Louisburg Cider Mill Because...

Read our blog: Watch Cider Making at the Louisburg Cider Mill for information on the cider making tour.  

Louisburg Cider Mill is celebrating their 40th birthday this year as a locally owned family run business. Clea Barry, granddaughter of the original owners (it has been in the family since 1977), takes us on a tour each year. Her enthusiasm for the farm and her community are contagious! Every year, 7 million lbs of Kansas and Missouri apples are converted into 500,000 gallons of delicious cider (some of it used to make warm and tasty cider donuts). 

Things You'll Enjoy at Louisburg Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch 2017:

Begin your pumpkin patch adventure at the entrance barn. You may purchase your pumpkins (picked from the real pumpkin patch off the vine), some pumpkin carving tools and decor, apple cider, snacks, and bottled water. (The original Country Store near the Cider Mill sells many more items than the barn if you crave fall shopping.) Outside picnics are welcome (which is unusual at local patches). I recommend bringing bottled water or purchasing it in the barn before you embark on the corn maze adventure. 

The REAL 10-acre Pumpkin Patch! My girls enjoyed exploring the patch on a hunt for the perfect pumpkin. We were there early in the season (before the first fall freeze). We found a variety of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes - and the prices were very reasonable and comparable to our local grocery store, but they were fresh off the vine and we were supporting a local business (a win-win in my book). 
 

The 10-Acre 40th Anniversary Corn Maze... with a GAME to play inside! Every year the Louisburg Cider Mill team plans a new corn maze and this year's celebrates their 40th anniversary. The Corn Maze is included in the price of admission to the pumpkin patch and it is one of the largest and prettiest mazes in the area. As you go through the maze, you can play a game to help find your way. Hidden in the maze, visitors will find letters that you can unscramble to create a word. Tips: Make sure everyone uses the restroom before you start the maze (it takes 30-60 minutes). Bring bottled water in the maze (it was a warm / hot day for us and we were grateful for water). Wear tennis shoes or rain boots (depending on recent rainfall, it may be a bit muddy). Stick with your group. And, use #LouisburgPumpkinPatch when uploading photos to social media! 

The Sunflower Hill Slide! This large slide is big enough for the entire family to enjoy! My girls LOVE LOVE LOVE this slide!
 

The Jumping Pillow. Jumping Pillow (only open on weekends, when they have large groups during the week, and when school is out for holidays like Columbus Day) . 

The NEW Giant Corn Crib. Kids LOVE to play in this huge corn crib!

The Smaller Jack-O-Lantern Corn Crib. Playing in dried corn is definitely a favorite feature at local pumpkin patches and the Jack-O-Lantern is a great touch!
 
 

The Learning Barn. This little barn is a fun place for little ones to play.

Animals. The girls enjoyed watching the goats play.

The Play Space. Lots of creative Country Themed play spaces are fun for young children, including the Trike Track, Sand Pit and Bridge, and Spider Web! The girls really loved the spider web.
 

The Wagon Ride. What an authentically fun autumn tradition! The tractor pulled hayride is really fun.
   

Fun Photo Ops. Painted signs and fall scenes make fun photo ops!
 

Tips before You Visit Louisburg Cider Mill & Pumpkin Patch:

• Read the Louisburg Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch Listing for complete details, hours, pricing, and map!
• Bring bottled water and some healthy snacks, or plan to purchase snacks at the Country Store or the Pumpkin Patch barn. You may bring your own lunch - we love this option! Or bring money and buy concessions there on weekends.
• We spent 4.5 hours at the patch, getting lost in the corn maze, and visiting the Cider Mill. 
• Read our Pumpkin Patch tips for what to bring, what to wear, and more!
• Bring money for the goodies at the Country Store. Apple Cider Donuts and fresh cider are some of autumn's tastiest traditions!
• They offer group tours and discounts if you lead a school group, play group, or church group!
• Louisburg Cider Mill is close to wherever you are: Twenty miles south of metro Kansas City via US Hwy. 69 to the Louisburg exit (Hwy. 68), then three miles west. Approximate Driving Distances: Overland Park, Kansas — 25 miles. Country Club Plaza Kansas City, Missouri — 29 miles. Downtown Kansas City, Missouri — 39 miles. Leawood, Kansas — 23 miles. Olathe, Kansas — 20 miles. Lenexa, Kansas — 24 miles.

Louisburg Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch is a favorite fall tradition for our family! I love supporting local family owned businesses and I love autumn traditions, so this is a favorite fall tradition for our family.