Agritourism & Farm Experiences near Des Moines, IA

Des Moines

The Iowa State Fair runs each August at the fairgrounds on East Grand Avenue in Des Moines, drawing more than a million visitors over eleven days. It's one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country, built around livestock competitions, commodity displays, and the state's 4-H and FFA programs alongside midway rides and concerts.

Des Moines

Quilted Gardens and Nursery in Des Moines carries both common bedding plants and less typical varieties, backed by landscape design and installation services. The nursery's inventory changes throughout the season, and they keep a Facebook page updated as new stock arrives. Customers can also order through an online store for local pickup, in addition to shopping the retail lot in person.

Ankeny

Bob's Aronia Field grows aronia berries, also known as chokeberries, in Ankeny in the Des Moines metro area. Aronia is a small, tart, deep-purple fruit increasingly grown in the Midwest for juices, jams, and fresh eating.

Urbandale

Spread across 500 acres in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, Living History Farms walks visitors through three centuries of Iowa agriculture — an 1700 Ioway farm, an 1850 pioneer farm, and a 1900 horse-powered farm — plus a reconstructed 1875 townsite, all staffed by costumed interpreters.

Cumming

Ted's Garden Center is on Cumming Avenue in Cumming, a small Warren County town just south of Des Moines along the Raccoon River Valley Trail. It's a garden center serving the metro's southern suburbs.

Indianola

The Garden Barn sells plants as its main focus out of a post-and-beam barn built in 1886 on Highway G24 outside Indianola, rounding out the inventory with gifts, antiques, garden art, wreaths, and wind chimes. A display garden and gazebo sit alongside the shop. It's open seasonally, April through December, and welcomes groups by arrangement.

Bondurant

Geisler Farms sits on NE 94th Avenue outside Bondurant, a fast-growing Polk County suburb northeast of Des Moines. It's a working farm running agritourism activities on the property.

Ankeny

Van Dyke Sweet Corn sells sweet corn from its stand in Ankeny, one of the fastest-growing suburbs north of Des Moines. No independent listing confirms current hours or season dates — check locally before visiting.

Granger

Iowa Orchard grows more than 20 apple varieties, including Honeycrisp and Jonathan, on its Granger u-pick grounds, with a separate farm market in Urbandale selling homemade pies, preserves, and raw honey. The farm runs apple picking from September into mid-October, summer u-pick berries by appointment, and a pumpkin patch through Halloween.

Altoona

Upstream Gardens & Orchard sits on NE 88th Street in Altoona, on the eastern edge of the Des Moines metro near Adventureland. It's an orchard and garden operation in a fast-growing suburban corridor.

Altoona

Ericksons Orchard grows pick-your-own apples on NE 38th Avenue outside Altoona, backing the orchard with a bakery, fresh cider, and a country store. The farm hosts an annual Applefest with live music and food vendors and is open seven days a week, 9 to 4 Monday through Saturday and 9 to 2 on Sunday.

Cumming

Howell's Greenhouse and Pumpkin Patch sits 25 miles south of Des Moines off I-35, with an 8-acre corn maze as the anchor and a long list of add-ons: wagon rides, a paintball range, pedal go-karts, a corn cannon, and goat cuddling during the season's first few weekends. The farm stand sells kettle corn, caramel apples, and cider donuts. It runs daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of October.

Prole

Eden Ridge Acres sells raw milk and honey from A2/A2 registered Jersey cows, grass-fed on pasture and supplemented with GMO-free sprouted grain. The family farm near Prole has run since 2017, adding chemical-free produce, pastured poultry and eggs, and farm-made teas and jams alongside the dairy program. Milk moves through cow-share arrangements rather than a retail counter, standard practice for raw milk in Iowa.

Mitchellville

Pumpkinville charges no general admission - walk in free and pay only for the corn maze, pumpkins, or produce you actually want. The fourth-generation family farm sits two blocks south of Casey's, about 12 miles from the I-80/I-35 interchange in Des Moines, with a full corn maze plus a smaller maze built for younger kids. Hayrides and seasonal decorations round out the visit, and the family has run the place for more than 30 years.

Madrid

The Cellar Winery makes wine from cold-climate grapes at its Madrid location, pouring in a tasting room open Friday 2 to 9pm, Saturday 2 to 7pm, and Sunday 1 to 7pm — closed Monday through Thursday. The winery hosts live music and weddings alongside regular tastings. Call 515-367-7777 for the current event calendar.

Cambridge

Center Grove Orchard grows more than 34 apple varieties across 20 acres outside Cambridge, open for pick-your-own from May into June and again August through December. Beyond apples, the farm runs a store with a restaurant and online ordering, plus pumpkins, a corn maze, hayrides, and farm animals for kids. It's built for repeat visits across two separate seasons rather than one fall trip.

Maxwell

Stewart Family Farm in Maxwell runs an on-farm market with u-pick, we-pick, and CSA pickup options rather than a typical roadside stand. Dan and Kirsten Stewart started the operation in 2018, growing it from a market garden into a full CSA and pick-your-own setup. Call ahead at 515-967-6963 to check what's ready for picking that week.

Saint Charles

Two Saints Winery & Vineyards is a winery and vineyard operation in Saint Charles, south of Des Moines in Madison County's rolling hill country.

Maxwell

Maxwell

Ames

La Mar Farms sells farm-fresh eggs year-round from its Ames location, then shifts into seasonal Christmas trees, pumpkins, and firewood as the calendar turns. It's a smaller operation built around whatever's in season rather than one big fall event, so egg customers can stop by outside of pumpkin and tree season too.

Adel

Penoach Winery is a small vineyard and winery west of Des Moines in Adel, growing cold-hardy grape varieties bred for Iowa winters.

Ames

DeMoss Pumpkin Farm grows pumpkins in Ames, in central Iowa's Story County, tied to the fall pumpkin-patch season common across the state's corn country.

Winterset

The Pumpkin Ranch sits on Hiatt Apple Trail in Winterset, the Madison County seat famous for its covered bridges and as John Wayne's birthplace. Its address alone suggests an apple orchard alongside the fall pumpkin patch.

Adel

Patch's Pumpkins & Honey Farm combines a fall pumpkin patch with honey production on L Lane outside Adel, in the Raccoon River valley west of Des Moines. The pairing of pumpkins and hives is uncommon among Iowa's agritourism farms.

Adel

Berry Fresh Farms grows raspberries and strawberries for u-pick visitors just outside Adel, west of Des Moines. The farm is described in regional directories as focused on sustainable growing and getting fruit from the row to the customer the same day it's picked. No confirmed hours or contact channel turned up, so check locally before visiting.

Earlham

TimberPine is an employee-owned landscaping company and plant nursery that's served the Des Moines area from its Earlham grounds for more than 20 years. The business covers landscape design, tree and turf care, irrigation installation, and retaining walls rather than u-pick or farm-stand sales — a nursery and contracting operation, not a seasonal attraction, despite showing up on agritourism lists.