1. Vala’S Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival
City: Gretna, NE
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 12102 S. 180th St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is one of Omaha’s most popular seasonal attractions, and its annual Fall Festival is packed with activity. Just some of the stuff that goes on every day, seven days a week: pig races, live music, pumpkin chuckin’ cannon show (yes, this is what you think it is), hayrack and train rides, peddle car rides, pony rides, haunted houses, storytelling, and a 3-acre corn maze that gets redesigned each year. Many attractions come free with admission, and the variety of haunted houses are appropriate for all ages—some are tame, while others are actually spooky; the best one is housed in the original 100-year-old barn that stands on the property.
2. Vala’S Pumpkin Patch
City: Gretna, NE
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (402) 332-4200
Address: 12102 S. 180th St.
Description: Vala’s Pumpkin Patch started out as an eastern Nebraska pumpkin farm and has slowly become one of the most popular seasonal attractions in the area, hands down. The business is operated by the Vala family, and, in its early years, the Valas worked together to craft items to sell in the gift shop, construct buildings to house attractions, bake pies, dip caramel apples and grill hot dogs. A grandmother cut and painted signs that are still on display, and many of the food items are named after family members. Business meetings take place around the family’s kitchen table. Today, the 152-acre operation plants nearly 55 acres of pumpkins a year, and thousands of people visit during the annual Fall Festival.Pumpkin picking is one of the main attractions at Vala’s, though it’s certainly not the only one. Hayrack rides take people into the fields to pick pumpkins. A barnyard adventure ride lets kids see early farm life while riding in a John Deere wagon. Train rides travel around the grounds and pony rides are available, too. During the Fall Festival, families can look forward to pig races, a variety of live music and stage shows, and the ever-popular Pumpkin Chuckin’ Cannon Show, which is just what you think it is.Halloween activities are in no shortage when October rolls around. A pumpkin mine, storybook barn, and spook shed are tailored toward younger kids. The haunted Old Farmhouse—in the 100-year-old original farmhouse on the property—and 3-acre corn maze are created for more mature visitors.