Center Grove Orchard

“Revisited, this place in 2020 when we first moved to the area and we visited again in 2025 , they continue to expand and impress all visitors. On our most recent visit there were a plethora of young people enjoying the sites and creating instagram worthy memories and images. Plenty of places to eat and get treats and sweets as well as their market area which has all homemade baked goods and other fall options. I wish there were more locations on-site that offered a corndog. Currently, that's only in the out field hayride area and the last time we were there, they ran out before noon. 😞 They offer homemade fries fresh from the field, Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, ice cream drinks, coffee, chicken tenders, lots of soft drink options, & applesauce Just to name a few. Train, hay ride, Pumpkin Patch, corn maze, orchard to pick your own apples, apples & pumpkins call be 'valeted' to the entrance so you aren't lugging them around the whole time. Games, shows, fairy tale park, animal feeding (very safe), slides, plenty of places to sit all over the campus and much much more! The lines move very fast and it can be difficult to find parking but nothing a little walk can't fix. Disability parking offered right up front. No pets allowed. I do have one suggestion , and that is that they might wanna think about offering a glow in the dark nighttime zombie paintball , potentially in one of the maze fields or alternatives. Even if it was offered 1 or 3 nights Close to the end of your season or around halloween would be amazing. What it would take to offer this is? Of course, it's likely after 7pm, a hay rack that has paintball stations mounted to it, People being able to purchase paintball filler or just a package deal set up for groups. In the field, you might wanna have a few workers that dress up in certain costumes and have pads or protective gear, as well as a variety of cutouts of celebrities or politicians in a Halloween decorated sort of way. This has been a very big attraction in other parts of Iowa , and i'm not sure why the des moines area haven't offered it yet.”

“Omg this is by far the best orchard/pumpkin patch ever it's perfect for all ages, there are so many things for everyone to do and enjoy. Only down fall was the prices it was definitely worth the admission price but to eat was pretty pricey especially for a family of 4 or more. But I will not even waste my time going to any other places every fall this will be where me and the family return to every year! Oh ya and the apple, Carmel, whip cream, donut cup is oh so yummy and was a fair price! A must go to even when it was very busy it was not too crowded it's a huge place. Best for 3-50yrs 😜😁🥳”

“Center Grove Orchard is wonderful! We’ve visited several times in different seasons and always love it. This past weekend we went to see the baby animals, and it exceeded my expectations—so many animals you can hold, pet, and feed! The baby goats we got to cuddle were the highlight for me—I could have stayed all day. There were also mini donkeys and horses with their babies, sheep and lambs, bunnies, puppies, kittens, alpacas, and more. We also grabbed lunch, which was very good. Prices are what you’d expect for an attraction like this. Highly recommend!”

“Really fun time for the family and especially for the kids. Lots of fun things to do with the children. Pick your own apples. Pick out all sorts of types of pumpkins. Pick out a pumpkin and a pumpkin patch. Really neat restaurant and store to buy unique things made at the pumpkin patch. Parking is not too bad.”

“My gf and I had a great time. Plenty to do for the whole family and the apples are delicious. We'll definitely be back with our kids”

“Great experience. Lots of food options, activities for kids (adults can do them too), and lots of pretty scenery for photo ops!”

“I love the animals, that's always the stand out every time I visit. They seem to be kept very ethically with many employees looking after them, rotating them, and keeping their areas clean. They always look healthy and some staff even specializes in helping animals with birth defects to recover. The animals also have a large pasture they can enjoy when they don't want to interact with people, which I appreciate, as the animals should always have a choice. My only complaint is that the pig enclosure is pretty small and on a concrete slab. Pigs love to terraform and root around in the dirt. They're incredibly smart so I really think she could benefit from a larger space with more enrichment. I am a young adult without children and I still visit with my partner. A lot of the activities are geared towards children but there's still some fun things for adults to enjoy! I like the jumping pillow, mini zip line (though a lot of adults probably wouldn't enjoy this, but I'm not gonna let that stop me!), tractor and hay bail pull, corn maze, shop with lots of great products like peanut butter made in house, and whatever seasonal activities they have like flower or fruit picking. I find it to be a whimsical and worthwhile experience despite my age and visit multiple times a year. It's also just a beautiful farm and visiting for the animals alone is worth it in my opinion, especially knowing my money is going towards their care. I do think some of the pick your own prices are very high, especially given the cost of admission is necessary to participate in those activities. If that's all you're looking for I do not think the price would be worth it and you would be better off visiting a farm specializing in that activity. I also wish they published their pick your own prices on their website (or if they already do they should do it more clearly as I couldn't find it when looking during tulip picking season). I ended up being disappointed during tulip season that I couldn't justify the price. This disappointment would've been mitigated if I'd known prior to visiting that that wasn't something I could afford. I still would've gone and enjoyed looking at the tulips I just would've had more realistic expectations.”

“We went to baby animals event. First tried a blueberry donut and coffee. Coffee was good, donut a little disappointing. It was small and dry. Then went to explore the animals. Bought a feed bucket, I would suggest just getting the little cups of feed as the animals could care less about the straw. The animals were great, the staff was great! Got to cuddle tiny baby goats, and pet and feed many others. We then rode up to the tulip area. There were a few sections still in bloom. Lots of photo stations. A few people dressed up for it, influencer types. I'm old so not my thing Lol! We then took a walk around the property and found more donkeys and highland cows in a pen not on display. They were so cute and well cared for. The walked the path back to the parking lot. It was a fun day and again their staff is almost 100% super friendly. We will be back I'm sure.”