About Stade's Farm & Market
Stade's Farm & Market sits on Miller Road in McHenry and pairs a farm market with fields you can pick yourself. The farm lists a 30-acre pumpkin patch and an orchard of more than 12,000 apple trees, and the market stays open daily through Halloween.
U-pick starts in mid-June with strawberries, then moves through raspberries, sugar snap peas, green beans and leafy greens into late-summer tomatoes, potatoes, onions, peppers, squash and zucchini. By fall the fields turn to apples such as Rosalee and Golden Delicious, and then pumpkins. Picking runs 9 to 5 when crops are ready, and wagons carry visitors out to the fields.
The Shades of Autumn Fall Festival runs nine weekends in 2026, from September 5 through Halloween, with more than 50 farm-themed attractions in the Farmtractions area: a petting zoo, corn maze, giant slides and hayrides. Farmtractions opens Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October plus Columbus Day, 10 to 6, and everyone who enters pays admission, even if only watching. Tickets are sold on the farm's website. Other events on the farm's calendar include bonfires with sunset hayrides, arts and crafts days, a classic car and truck show, worship on the farm and school field trips.
Maria's Farm, a lavender farm near Marengo that welcomes visitors by appointment, is about 16 miles west, roughly a 30-minute drive. Pair a June strawberry morning here with a booked lavender visit, or come back in fall for pumpkins.
What to do
- Pick strawberries from mid-June, then summer vegetables, apples and pumpkins as each crop opens
- Spend a fall weekend at the Shades of Autumn festival, September 5 through Halloween (2026)
- Visit the petting zoo, corn maze and giant slides in the Farmtractions area
- Ride the hayrides out to the 30-acre pumpkin patch
- Shop the farm market, open daily 9–6 through Halloween
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- U-pick from mid-June (strawberries) through fall pumpkins; Shades of Autumn festival weekends September 5 through Halloween (2026)
- Hours
- 2026 season: farm market daily 9 am–6 pm through Halloween; U-pick and pumpkin picking 9 am–5 pm when open; Farmtractions Fri–Sun and Columbus Day 10 am–6 pm in September and October
- Admission
- Festival admission required for everyone entering Farmtractions; prices on the farm's ticket page. Parking is free.
Good to know
- Dogs
- Service animals only
- Accessibility
- Market and one portable restroom are wheelchair accessible; field wagons, unpaved festival grounds and narrow picking rows are not
- Payment
- Cash and major credit cards; no personal checks; ATM on site
Tips for your visit
- Strollers can't go down the narrow rows; leave them at the field edge
- The farm stays open in rain but pauses when lightning threatens, and there are no refunds
- Children 15 and under need someone 21 or older with them in Farmtractions
- Accessible parking is near the market and the admission gate
Pair it with a lavender farm
Maria's Farm · about 30 minutes away
Maria's Farm is about 30 minutes west and takes visits by appointment, so book it before pairing it with a picking day here.
Getting there
Questions
When is the Stade's fall festival?
In 2026 the Shades of Autumn Fall Festival runs weekends from September 5 through Halloween.
Are dogs allowed at Stade's?
Only certified service dogs; other pets are not allowed on the grounds or in the picking fields.
Does Stade's take credit cards?
Yes, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, plus cash. Personal checks are not accepted.
Is parking free?
Yes, parking is free.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Marengo & Woodstock, Illinois
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
