For years, people I knew made annual visits to Vala's Pumpkin Patch in Gretna, NE. Friends would take their kids...my nieces would go on class trips...that sort of thing.
Until 2013, I just assumed it was a place to purchase pumpkins, take a hay rack ride, drink some cider and munch on candy corn.
But it is a lot more than that. A lot more.
It's an interesting mix of an amusement park, carnival and holiday faire.
There are rides, games, jumping pillows, manual powered cars on dirt tracks, a train, an obstacle course, a giant slide, pig races, a petting zoo, a playground, paintball, corn maze, and picnic areas. There are also a couple of tame haunted houses and a mining shaft (which has this trippy tunnel that makes you feel like you are on a spinning bridge).
A variety of concession options are strewn throughout -- including a pie barn, a fudgery, turkey legs, burger meals, ice cream, chicken strip baskets, soups, chili, hotdogs, a slushy stand, and honeycorn...
...and of course you can buy pumpkins.
Parts of it remind me of Silver Dollar City in Missouri, minus the big amusement park type rides. It has that rustic, rural, country feel.
They are constantly reimagining the place.
This year, Vala's added a new attraction called the "Egg Scramble" barn. It is a multi-level activity housed in a tall barn and features cannons and guns that shoot foam balls.
And really, who doesn't like cannons that shoot foam balls??
One of the staff members told me last night that the next attraction will be an apple orchard.
The entire complex is designed for families. We have season passes for ourselves and three of our nieces. We will go out several times during the season (which runs from Sept. 16 thru Oct. 31 this year).
Along with the start of UNO Hockey season, Vala's Pumpkin Patch is one of the local attractions that makes fall fun.
Check it out.
And speaking of checking things out, be sure to read yesterday's blog post:
Tivo Drops Service Fees for "Cord Cutter" DVRs
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