PSA: Alstede Farms in Chester :-(

peaches85

My family has been going there for at least 20 years now for pumpkin picking and other pick-your-own activities in the Fall.  Recently, the farm has changed and become more commercialized in a sense... it used to be a lot quieter and low-key. 

And now I guess the economy is starting to hit them like every other business because I just read that as of two weeks ago they began charging $5 per person (over the age of 2) for any pick-your-own activities on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays - this includes pumpkin picking.  I know it's not a huge deal, but definitely a bummer... especially with all of the other changes that have occurred there.

Just wanted to let you all know in case anyone plans on heading out there once the Fall season starts back up.

JessicaLB2

Wow, what a racket.  $5 per person to walk around in a field for the privilege of picking up a pumpkin and then paying for that as well?  (I'm assuming the pumpkin itself is not included in the $5 fee.)  Maybe too many people come and play around on the haystack thing and the corn maze and don't buy anything and their liability insurance is getting out of hand?  I could give them the benefit of the doubt, I suppose. 

Or maybe they're just so over run with customers since their appearance on RHONJ that they need to discourage people from coming.

I always liked the place though.  It's cute.  I usually go to Riamede Farms for apples.   They have pumpkin picking too.

uppereastgirl

I grew up 5 minutes away from Alstede's (and my parents still live there), and I'm not at all surprised.  I think he's been charging the $5 for pick your own at least all season (not just after RHONJ), if not in prior seasons.  But for a long time it has been a total tourist trap during the fall, so I avoid it like the plague (and have felt this way about it since I was in high school -- even 10+ years ago it was too overrun with tourists and commercial).  Kurt's super-religious newsletters are a turn-off for me too. 

I much prefer the other farms in the area anyway... Ort's, Riamede's, Hacklebarney, Stony Hill... lots of other choices that still charming!  I particularly like Ort's -- the Orts are a really nice, community-oriented family.

JessicaLB2

Super religious newsletters?!  Ha ha, never noticed those!

I do like Ort's too.  I got some really yummy pumpkin butter from there one year.  Mmmmm.

peaches85

I'm so glad you guys mentioned Ort's!  I just passed it the other day on my way up to Lake Tomahawk and I was curious about it.  Maybe I'll get my family to start going there instead.

JessicaLB2

Agh!  I worked at Tomahawk Lake for 5 summers!  How was it?  So glad it's not me working there in this heat wave.

peaches85

I like it, but it's changed a lot since the last time I went 3 or 4 years ago and they nickel and dime you for everything... I prefer going to the smaller lakes/reservoirs nearby like Round Valley and Spruce Run because they're cheap.  I always go to Tomahawk Lake with FI's family (all Ecuadorians and Colombians) and I'm literally one of maybe ten white people there total aside from the workers, haha.  Whenever we go it's pretty much all Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans.