Agritourism & Farm Experiences near Mount Vernon, IA

Mount Vernon

Bass Farms sits on Highway 30 West outside Mount Vernon, in Linn County's stretch between Cedar Rapids and the Lincoln Highway corridor. It's a working farm running agritourism activities on the property.

Mount Vernon

The Marti family grows 2,200 apple trees across 20-plus varieties on their property west of Mount Vernon, and the on-farm store sells what the orchard doesn't move as fresh fruit — fried donuts, baked goods, and honey. It's a weekend operation, open Saturday and Sunday, closed the rest of the week, which keeps the pace closer to a small family orchard than a full-time retail operation.

Lisbon

Wild Prairie Acres is a small farm in Lisbon, in Linn County in eastern Iowa, near the Cedar River corridor between Cedar Rapids and Mount Vernon.

Solon

This cut-flower farm sits between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, growing blooms it turns into wedding flowers from May through October. Brides can buy wholesale stems for do-it-yourself arranging or order finished bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and full ceremony-and-reception florals directly from the farm.

Solon

Shima Pumpkin Patch is a seasonal pumpkin farm on Highway 382 outside Solon, in Johnson County's cluster of fall patches. Hours and current offerings aren't posted online, so a call ahead is worth it before visiting.

Marion

East Post Pumpkins started in 2009 as a hobby patch and has grown into a self-serve roadside stand in Marion, open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through the season. Alongside specialty pumpkins and mums, the farm grows fresh cut flowers — zinnias, sunflowers, strawflowers, peonies — plus honey and lavender, sold on the honor system rather than through a staffed stand.

Lovely Bunches operates out of a Newport Road property northeast of Iowa City, in Johnson County's mix of farmland and small acreages. The name points to a flower-growing operation rather than a produce farm.

Marion

Marion

Bart's Farm charges no admission or parking fee - pay only for what you pick or ride. The Alburnett Road farm runs pumpkins in every size, a small corn maze, hayrides, and weekend pony rides, open weekdays 3 p.m. to dark and weekends 9 a.m. to dark each fall through Halloween. It's built as an affordable, low-frills alternative to the bigger agritourism farms around Cedar Rapids.

Dean and Katie Colony run Colony Acres as third-generation farmers on ground their family has worked in North Liberty for close to a century. The farm grows pick-your-own pumpkins and a corn maze each fall, sells Christmas trees in winter, and closes down between seasons. Reach the farm at (319) 626-6091 or [email protected].

North Liberty

Colony Pumpkin Patch bills itself as 'a little country in the city,' running a five-acre corn maze alongside pumpkin hunting, hayrides, and a playground just outside North Liberty. It's a compact operation aimed at families who want fall activities without driving out to rural farmland - eastern Iowa's version of a pumpkin patch reachable in fifteen minutes from Iowa City or Cedar Rapids.

Swisher

Honey Creek Acres is a Swisher-area farm categorized under tree-fruit and crop production in business directories, with honey listed among its offerings. Specific products, hours, and contact details aren't published online — confirm directly before planning a visit.

Iowa City

This bicycle tour once routed riders through Iowa City-area farms for tastings of local produce and fermented foods, pairing a 30-mile paved "Cherry Tomato" loop with a 60-mile paved-and-gravel "Beet-it-Up" route. The event has since been rebranded as the RadTour Bike Ride and still raises money for the Farm to School program and youth cycling groups. Search for RadTour to find current dates and routes.

Cedar Rapids

Family-owned since 1991, this rural Cedar Rapids farm taps its own trees for 100% pure maple syrup, sold in sizes from a small glass decanter up to a 16-ounce jug. The Goldings also sell honey, garden vegetables, wild berries, and hay, all harvested by hand and grown without insecticides or herbicides. Visits are by appointment — call or email ahead before driving out.

Iowa City

Walker Homestead farms 80 acres outside Iowa City, growing produce for its own kitchen and grapes for wine made on-site, then serves both through farm-to-table dinners and private events. The farm opens to the public Thursdays only — 5 to 9pm April through October, 4 to 8pm November through March — with other times available by appointment. Reach them at 319-351-4791 or [email protected].

Monticello

Pumpkin Patch Pizzazz built its fall visit around more than picking a pumpkin - a bale-and-tire maze, a human hamster roll, and a corn maze walk, plus gourds and fall decor for sale at the stand. The farm sits at 16359 170th Ave outside Monticello. Some listings note the operation paused after the 2019 season, so call ahead before planning a visit.

Palo

Meadowview Farm, Inc. has worked its Covington Road ground outside Palo since being registered in 1996, growing field crops as a general crop operation. Mary Goodlove runs a WIC-approved store on the property, making it one of the area stops where WIC benefits cover farm-grown food. Phone 319-396-2010 for current availability.

Oxford

Blueyah grows 300 blueberry bushes under organic practices on a small u-pick farm 15 minutes west of Iowa City. Picking works by appointment: an $11 reservation fee applies $10 of it toward your total, with a $10 minimum purchase, or a group of five or fewer can pick for $6 a pound. It's a scenic, small-scale operation, not a commercial-size pick-your-own.

Monticello

Scarecrows and Treats on the Streets is a fall community event in downtown Monticello, in Jones County in east-central Iowa, built around the small-town scarecrow-display tradition common to the region's harvest season.

Atkins

Bloomsbury Farm calls itself Iowa's premier Adventure Farm, and the year-round calendar backs it up - a spring Bunny Bash and tulip festival, a baby-animal festival, and a fall festival with a full pumpkin patch and corn maze. Add a zip line, jumping pillow, super slide, and petting zoo, and it's built for a full day rather than an hour. The farm sits 10 minutes west of Cedar Rapids and 40 minutes north of Iowa City.

Lone Tree

Lone Tree

Sand Road Farm operates under a new name on Sand Road SE in Lone Tree, on ground long known as Bock's Berry Farm & Country Gifts for u-pick apples, blueberries, and strawberries plus a gift shop and fresh eggs. Some directories list the u-pick operation as no longer active, so confirm current status before planning a visit.

Center Point

Simon Farm is located on Urbana Road outside Center Point in Linn County. No confirmed details on crops, hours, or activities are published online — call ahead to check what's currently open.

Center Point

K and K Ranch grows raspberries for u-pick during July and August outside Center Point, a shorter and less crowded picking window than most eastern Iowa berry farms. There's no storefront or elaborate website - visitors call ahead to check ripeness and hours before driving out. It's a small, seasonal operation worth planning around rather than a spontaneous stop.

Vinton

Frazier Nursery has grown windbreak trees and shrubs for Iowa farmers and livestock producers for more than 20 years from its Vinton location between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. The Frazier family — John, Carolyn, Liz, and Alex — also handles tree planting, moving, and spading for shade trees and landscaping jobs, and partners with Iowa 4-H and FFA on youth tree-planting projects.

Lowden

Lincolnway Flower Farm grows cut flowers along the Old Lincoln Highway in Lowden, in Cedar County in eastern Iowa. The farm takes its name from the historic road, one of the first transcontinental highways in the country.