A Relleke Pumpkin Patch of Fun

Relleke Pumpkin Patch in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, offers pumpkins, corn mazes, farm animals, rides and fall activities for the whole family.

Relleke Farms Inc is a family-run farm in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, that turns into a large fall celebration each autumn. The farm says the Relleke family has farmed the same soil for nearly 100 years, and the pumpkin festival grew out of their tradition of selling pumpkins directly from the farm.

Our Time Here Began in the Pumpkin Patch

*My son is helping in the pumpkin patch.*

We took our cart to the center of the Relleke Pumpkin Patch and looked around at the wide variety of pumpkins available. All different types, plump, ribbed, bumpy, or warty, and colors ranging from robust orange and pale yellow to dark rouge.

Our three-year-old son bounded out of the cart and began jumping over the pumpkin vines to touch and inspect the ones nearby.

Last year we found a small one for our son, a rounded one for my husband, and a tall one for me.

This year we went with different shapes and colors: an orange smooshed-face one, a spotted red one, and a small bumpy one.

After the search for the imperfect pumpkins, we headed to the carnival area.

Carnival Fun

First up was Spider Town, an obstacle-course-style place for the little ones, but older kids might get bored. Here he climbed through a long black pipe, something regularly seen for drainage, but here used to let a kid crawl through a tunnel. He climbed into a spider’s web, which was ropes and netting tied together. He was not interested in the hammock-looking swings, but found time to swoosh down a slide propped up on hay bales.

Sand Box Time

The last stop was the Krazy-Korn Palace, which is kind of like a sand box but with corn. He spent some time here bulldozing the corn and loading it up into tricks. Again if you have small kids, this is a place to send them for a while if one of you want to check out the nearby vendors.

Time to Ride the Rides

This year he is 39 inches so he is big enough to take on the rides. He and dad rode in the pumpkins, which went around and around. I took him on the roller coaster, he was not a fan, it went to fast, maybe next year.

Other rides can be found along with a Jungle Maze, Corn Maze, a Petting Zoo, which this year he just wanted rides, Pony Rides, Barrel Train, which he thought he was too old for, a Giant Slide, the Haunted Barn, which I thought he was too young for, and Bouncy houses.

Sounds of the Pumpkin Chucker

The sounds of a pumpkin gun going off are only from the Pumpkin Chucker, in which you shoot pumpkins at a target, which might be your thing.

Details

Location: 473 Sand Prairie Road, Pontoon Beach, IL 62040
2026 season: September 21 through October 31
Fall festival weekends: Saturdays and Sundays
Weekend hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
Pumpkins: Pick-your-own pumpkins are available, with pumpkins priced by the pound.
Pumpkin price: The farm currently lists pumpkins at 65 cents per pound, with jack-o’-lanterns generally ranging from about $5 to $20 or more depending on size.
Activities: Activities and rides are individually ticketed, with tickets currently listed at $1 each. Prices can change.
Corn maze: The Jungle Maze covers about 6 acres.
For younger kids: A-MAZING-Corn Palace, Toddler Town, Korny Korral and Spider Town are among the play areas.
Animals: Visitors can feed animals and visit the petting zoo.
Rides: Depending on the day, activities include wagon and train rides, barrel rides, pony rides, camel rides and other attractions.
Pumpkin activities: Kids can paint a pumpkin and try the Pumpkin Chucker.
Other attractions: Bounce houses, slides, carnival games, a human hamster wheel, spinning pumpkin ride and haunted maze are among the activities listed by the farm.
Weekend entertainment: The farm says weekends can include live music, food trucks and shopping.
Payment: Relleke accepts cash and cards, but the farm recommends bringing cash because many weekend ticket booths are cash-only. An ATM is available on-site.
Pets: Dogs are allowed as long as they remain leashed and owners clean up after them.
Accessibility: The farm has handicap parking and some rock areas, but much of the property is dirt, so conditions can make accessibility difficult.