Everybody needs a reason to escape the university bubble once the colder weather rolls around. With classes ramping up and midterms right around the corner, campus and most of Eugene can feel small and suffocating. Getting out of the microcosm that is Eugene can make the stress and claustrophobia immediately melt away. Get a breath of fresh air, and spend an afternoon picking a perfect pumpkin for carving, grabbing a warm drink, and enjoy all that fall has to offer. It is easier than you think. Thistledown Farms is just a 20-minute drive from campus and will supply you with all the crisp fall air and all colorful, crunchy leaves you could possibly need. Pack a car full of friends, listen to a prime driving playlist, and make the short drive to experience an amazing fall afternoon!
Hours, Address, Pricing:
The farm is located at 91455 River Road in Junction City, right past the Eugene Airport. They are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., 7 days a week, with weekend afternoons being their busiest time. Entrance and parking are both free and their pumpkins are priced at 0.45 cents per pound. They take card payments, but bring cash for a quick and easy checkout!
Overall experience:
Thistledown Farm has more to offer than just a pumpkin patch. Their farm store has all the seasonal fall produce you could ask for: squashes, corn, pears, and apples. Thistledown has some of the most delicious-looking examples of the autumn harvests. Decorative corn and gourds are sold by the pound and their selection flaunts the most gorgeous reds, oranges, deep purples, and bright yellows. At the back of their farm stand they have a store full of their own premade sauces, pickles, and baked goods. Their selection of barbeque sauce, marinades, and salad dressings spans an entire wall and is only dwarfed by their selection of pickled vegetables. Pickled okra, green beans, and asparagus are just a few highlights of their selection. Their classic pickles are to die for crunchy, slightly spicy, and perfectly sour. The freezers at the back of the store hold some of the best homemade pies that are basically incomparable to any other frozen pie on the market. Any flavor of fruit pie you could think of they most likely have, marionberry, apple, and blueberry, to name a few. Thistledown even sports a small plant nursery and greenhouses full of seasonal flowers and plants. Farm-grown mums, sunflowers, and black-eyed Susans are all for sale and make great autumn decorations. The staff at both the farm store and the pumpkin patch are always friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. Making the short drive to the Farm should be justified just by making a stop at the store and picking up one of their homemade pies.
Fall Activities:
The attraction that brings the crowds is their pumpkin patch. And this is for good reason, Thistledown sports a massive patch packed to the brim with every shape, size, and color of pumpkin you could think of. Spending upwards of an hour trying to find the perfect pumpkin is not out of the ordinary here and for all the good reasons. Their entire selection boasts some of the most beautiful picture-perfect jack-o-lantern pumpkins as well as super unique shapes and colors. Greens and whites are speckled within the sea of orange, and each pumpkin is different from the next. On the weekends they bring out carts that sell warm apple cider along with hot cinnamon and sugar-coated apple cider donuts. There is not a more perfect combination than a brisk fall day enjoyed along with a hot apple cider. The Farm also offers hayrides to their pumpkin patch. These hayrides are reserved for student groups during the week, but on the weekends there are no reservations needed. There is also no shortage of fun photo opportunities to show off all your amazing fall finds.
It is so easy to spend the first weeks of fall mourning summer but we all need to remember that this time in between summer and winter are some of the most beautiful weeks Eugene has to offer. It is getting colder and rainier, but we only get that midday break in the clouds for a few more weeks. Then we will be stuck in Eugene which is constantly enveloped by a dark and thick cloud-coverage. Enjoying all that fall has to offer is not the most arduous task when spots like Thistledown Farms are just a short drive up the highway. A day of hot apple cider and pumpkin carving is the best way to savor these last days of chilly sunshine. Forget about classes and midterms for an afternoon to pick your perfect front-door pumpkin. A sunny weekend afternoon spent at Thistledown Farms is one you will not regret.
