Are you searching for a new fall tradition for your family in Southwest Michigan? If so, plan to spend an hour or two at Dinges Fall Harvest in Three Oaks, Michigan, this September or October!

This welcoming family farm is geared toward families with younger children and offers plenty of kid-friendly activities like hayrides, bounce houses, and train rides. Older kids will love the corn maze and miniature haunted house, parents will be delighted by the festive fall atmosphere, and the whole family will love the delicious fall treats! Keep reading to learn more about this must-visit fall festival for families in Southwest Michigan.

Dinges Fall Harvest Overview

A cheerful three-generation family is gathered at a pumpkin patch, seated around a wooden picnic table. The family members are dressed in autumn attire, including quilted jackets and knit hats, with a young girl smiling as she holds a carved pumpkin.

Location

Dinges Fall Harvest happens at Dinges Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan. Three Oaks, MI, is 7 miles east of New Buffalo, and the farm is about a 15-minute drive from Downtown New Buffalo.

Dates

Dinges Fall Harvest opens in late September and runs through October. The farm is open daily from 10 AM – 6 PM. The farm offers special weekend events and activities, like Belgian Horse-Drawn Hay Rides.

Cost

Dinges Fall Harvest is a cash-only event. You can choose from different pricing packages depending on which activities you and your family want to participate in. You should expect to pay about $20–30 per child, so bring enough cash to not miss out on any fun!

Exciting Things to Do at Dinges Fall Harvest

Two children, dressed in casual summer clothes, are standing in front of a large display of pumpkins and hay bales at a pumpkin patch. Both children are wearing playful Halloween masks and holding colorful toy trumpets to their mouths, pretending to play them.

Corn Maze

Do your kids love corn mazes? If so, the corn maze at Dinges Fall Harvest is sure to impress!

Though the theme of the corn maze changes each year, it always features unexpected twists and turns through the corn stalks, providing a fun challenge for the whole family. You’ll be given a card before going through the maze, and after finding all the hidden spots and platforms inside, you can get your card punched to prove you mastered the challenge. This provides a sense of accomplishment for kids and adults alike!

Kids Activities

As mentioned earlier, this festival offers tons of fun activities for little kids (particularly preschool, kindergarten, and elementary-aged children).

Young kids will love jumping in the giant pumpkin bounce house, climbing on the playground, riding the “Dinges Express” train around the farm, crawling through the corn tunnels, or meeting a new friend in the “Feathers and Friends Barnyard.”

Spooky Semi

Ready to get spooked right before Halloween? The “Spooky Semi” is a miniature haunted house inside a semi-truck. It’s moderately scary (and not too frightening to older kids), so take a quick tour of this decked-out vehicle at this event.

Pumpkin Picking

Though there isn’t a u-pick pumpkin patch at Dinges Farm, there are tons of large, colorful pumpkins grown on the farm that you can purchase. You can bring one (or more!) home to carve into a jack-o-lantern or decorate the porch for the rest of the fall season.

Hayrides

Two light brown draft horses, both with blonde manes, are harnessed together and adorned with ornate headgear featuring silver accents. The horses are hitched to a covered wagon, with a person in the background wearing a cowboy hat and controlling the reins.

On the weekends, embark on a horse-drawn carriage hayride that the whole family will love. During the rest of the week, relax on just a regular hayride through the farm’s beautiful corn fields, pumpkin patch, and vineyards.

Food and Shopping

Dinges Fall Harvest offers delicious treats like seasonal fruits, vegetables, and apple cider donuts. The farm has picnic pavilions, so you’ll have a place to sit and enjoy your snacks. In addition to pumpkins, Dinges Farm also has dried gourds and other fall decor for sale that you can purchase to bring home with you.

More Places for Fall Fun in Southwest Michigan

If you have an amazing time at Dinges Fall Harvest and want to experience more fall fun in Southwest Michigan, check out some of the area’s best pumpkin patches, orchards, and fruit stands listed below:

Sawyer Home & Garden Center

Sawyer Home & Garden Center in Sawyer, MI, carries fresh, top-quality produce and other Michigan-made products, including apparel, gourmet foods, and fine wines. During the autumn season, Sawyer Home & Garden Center is known for its locally-grown apples sourced from Southwest Michigan.

Garwood Orchards

A person wearing a plaid shirt and a blue vest is holding a bunch of ripe apples in both hands. They are standing among apple trees in an orchard, with apples visible on the branches and some fallen on the ground.

Garwood Orchards in LaPorte, Indiana, is a family-owned farm offering u-pick pumpkins and apples in September and October. Their apple varieties include Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Gala, Fuji, and over a dozen more. You can also take a tractor or horse-drawn wagon ride to the picking areas, which adds to the experience!

Piggott’s Farm Market & Bakery

Piggott’s Farm Market & Bakery is a family-owned farm in the agricultural countryside of Benton Harbor, Michigan. During the summer and fall, Piggott’s grows farm-fresh fruit and vegetables and cooks delicious homemade pies, cookies, and donuts in the bakery. During the fall season, stop by to get some pumpkins, apples, mums, squash, and homemade pies!

Sommerfeldt’s Fruit Farm

Sommerfelt’s Fruit Farm is a family-owned fruit stand that has been a staple in Southwest Michigan since 1954. In the fall, stop by for fresh apples, squash, pumpkins, and other fruits and vegetables. On the weekends, you can also pick up local honey, jams, and fresh-baked bread. Sommerfelt’s closes for the season during the last weekend in October.

Stover’s Farm Market

Stover’s Farm Market in Berrien Springs, Michigan, is a must-visit during the fall season. Take a hayride out to the apple orchards and pumpkin patches, shop for jam, honey, cider, and other local goods in the farm market, and, of course, pick up some delicious apple cider donuts to snack on during your time at the farm (and get some extras to bring home with you!).

Make New Fall Traditions in Southwest Michigan with Third Coast Vacations

Two smiling children are sitting in a pumpkin patch, surrounded by large orange pumpkins. The older boy, dressed in a dark cardigan and white pants, sits on a pumpkin, while the younger girl, wearing a colorful sweater and pink rain boots, sits beside him.

Whether you spend just a few hours at Dinges Fall Harvest with the little ones or stop at some of the other orchards and pumpkin patches in Southwest Michigan, you’re bound to have a memorable time. Harbor Country has plenty to offer during the beautiful fall season!

We would love to host you for a weekend or week-long autumn getaway to Harbor Country. Third Coast Vacations offers many vacation rentals in and around New Buffalo, including cozy cottages, downtown apartments, and spacious lake houses with hot tubs and other sought-after amenities. Browse our properties to find the perfect place for your family to stay this fall!

If you are looking for even more fun fall things to do in Southwest Michigan don’t miss our post!