Wilson’s Orchard & Farm Waives Farm Admission at Des Moines Location Sept. 30–Oct. 4

A Season for Gratitude at a Growing Farm

Starting a farm is a long-term project.

Trees are planted years before they produce much fruit. Fields take time to establish. Every season teaches you something about the land, what grows well there, and what you want the farm to become.

Our Des Moines farm is still early in that process. We opened in 2024 after several years of planting and planning, and there is still a lot we want to grow, build and improve.

We’re fortunate to be doing that in a community where so many people already care deeply about local food and agriculture.

Farmers, producers, restaurants and neighbors across Central Iowa have been doing this work for years. We’re grateful for the welcome we’ve received and excited to play a small part in it.

Since opening, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming people out to pick apples and berries, cut flowers, bring their kids to the farm, eat at the Ciderhouse, and celebrate weddings and birthdays here. Those everyday visits and special occasions are helping this young farm put down roots.

So, in that spirit of gratitude, we’re waiving Farm Admission at our Des Moines farm from September 30 through October 4.

Harvest has a way of bringing everything into focus.

This year, we have a strong apple crop with plenty of fruit still ready for picking. The flower field continues to have plenty of color, and our Pumpkin Patch opens Friday, October 2.

It is one of those stretches of the season when several parts of the farm can be experienced at once: pick apples from the orchard, cut flowers from the field, choose a pumpkin from the patch, bring the kids out to see where food grows, or simply walk the farm and spend some time outside.

We’re glad to have the opportunity to share it.

Part of Central Iowa’s Local Food Community

Our mission is to cultivate local, ethical and regenerative food and farm systems for our community.

That is work we share with many others, and we have plenty to learn along the way.

At our farm, we hope to contribute by offering another place where people can interact directly with agriculture: picking an apple from the tree, walking through a flower field, seeing how pumpkins grow, learning about different varieties, and giving kids the opportunity to understand that food begins somewhere long before it reaches a grocery-store shelf.

That connection also extends to the table.

Our Ciderhouse is a full-service farm-to-table restaurant and tasting room, serving food and drinks throughout the year. Along with our Bakery, Café, and Farm Market, it gives us another way to connect what is grown locally with the people who live here, while supporting a local team and other farmers and producers in the region.

The farm itself continues to grow as well. Apples, berries, flowers, pumpkins and other crops give us different harvest seasons across the year and make the farm more resilient than relying on a single crop.

There is still a lot we want to learn and improve. We’re grateful to be putting down roots alongside others who care about the same things: good food, healthy land, and farms that remain part of everyday community life.

Most of Wilson’s Is Always Free to Visit

Farm Admission applies specifically to the working farm, where our crops are grown. The Farmyard, our interactive educational play area, has its own admission.

But you never need Farm Admission simply to visit Wilson’s.

More than 20 acres around our Ciderhouse restaurant & tasting room, Bakery, Café, Farm Market, picnic areas, and other public spaces are open to everyone without needing to pay admission.

Come for lunch or dinner. Grab something from the bakery. Shop the Farm Market. Meet friends for a drink. Have a picnic. Walk the grounds.

Photography is also welcome on the farm at no additional charge, as long as guests follow our photography policy and are considerate of other visitors.

From September 30 through October 4, we’re extending that openness to the working farm as well by waiving Farm Admission.

Apples are ready to pick, flowers are still blooming, and the Pumpkin Patch opens Friday.

We hope you’ll come experience harvest with us.

This week’s waived admission applies to Farm Admission only. The Farmyard will remain at its regular admission price.