Vollmer Farm

This place is fun for all ages.

This place is awesome! They’ve got strawberry and blueberry picking (when in season), fresh ice cream, the back forty, pumpkin patch, gift shop, and everything is organic! We came for the fall festivities this past Sunday and were very impressed and plan on making it a family tradition.
You park then wait for the tractor to take you to the ever so awesome Back Forty. You pay the $ 14 entry fee when you get dropped off. Sounds a little hefty on the price but everything is included. There’s a cow barrel train, kayaking, jumping pillow, multiple playgrounds, corn play area?, archery, animals to feed, and a corn maze! So much to do! While my two year old isn’t quite big/​old enough for a lot of activities we did enjoy ourselves. Two and under are free by the way. We did get to try out the kayaking and the cow train. She was a fan.
You pick out your pumpkins after your adventures on the back forty. They provide wagons for your convenience and you get them weighed right at the pumpkin patch and he writes it down then you pay for it in the gift shop. The pumpkins are .74 cents per pound. I found that a little steep but hey it’s all about the experience!

My family recently moved to town and we’ve been waiting for the farm to open for the fall. It was amazing. We didn’t have much time, so we were unable to check out the back 40. However, we picked our own pumpkins and my son played for a while on the plane and pirate-​ship. The main building houses some amazing crafts, candy, homemade honey & jellies. It smells absolutely fabulous.

This review is for ‘The Back Forty’ portion of the farm.
We took the kids out on a hot Saturday October afternoon, and boy did they have fun.
The 5 year old declared, ‘Best day ever!’ Now granted, that’s like the 4^th time she’s said that, but this is high praise.
Her 3 year brother loved it too.
To start with, huge fields to run run, and, run, and run. And then running from one fun thing to the next.
They liked:
+ the huge jumping ‘thing’ — think of a half submerged balloon, that you can go crazy on
+ the corn maze — more running
+ the zip-​line — it’s a little car they have attached to a cable that parents can launch to a point, and then watch them come back
+ the giant slide — you sit on a sack and ride down a covered tube
+ the slingshots — launch tennis balls at various targets
+ the corn pit — a huge covered pit filled with corn kernels
+ the ice cream
+ the chicken nuggets (baby chickens), goats, pig, donkey, rabbits, sheep, farm dog
+ the huge tractor ride down from the parking area and back
It’s not cheap. Adults and kids are like $ 13 each. But it’s totally worth the price. Our bonus fun was a huge rain soaker of a storm and a run to the covered area for ice cream.

I have always loved this place. In fact for the past several years a group of us meet at least once during the fall season. I had always told many people around the Raleigh area about how wonderful it was but as of this year that opinion has changed.
The family friendly atmosphere has gone by the wayside and been replaced by rudeness and lack of respect for the family unit. My son was asked to move from the children’s cow train to make room for an adult without a kid! Not only was this embarrassing it separated him from his friends. The whole point of being at the farm that day. The tractor driver then poked fun as him for crying saying” Don’t be that way, boy.” I was directed to the manager, Billy, who was a anything but understanding. He simply told me he the driver must have been having a bad day and that he has 1,000 of kids come through and has had no complaints. I would like Mr. Billy to be clear of 2 things, 1) some people merely do not complain, they simply leave never to return, very common in the business world and 2) my only concern is my child at that time NOT the 1000 of others who come to the farm.
Our disappointment continued as we went to the jumping pillow where although the sign states adults can not jump with kids was filled with rowdy men. The attendant had no problem allowing them to act like fools and continually knock children off. My group and I witnessed several parents even remark about the problem.
My dismay is the attitude toward the kids. The young staff is still great with the children but I feel the older generation may have forgotten what having young kids is like. I advise to them is when someone is upset, even if you disagree, do not defend, apologize and move on. This was my second visit this year. The first time I brought 15 other families with me. Yesterday I had 4 other families. There will be no other visits. I will direct folks to other farms such as Ganyard in Durham, Hill Ridge in Youngsville, Green Acres and Phillips in Cary… bad thing about folks being from around here they already know the replacements when bad customer service takes place. I

I’m surprised noone has already reviewed Vollmer Farm since it’s a source of some of the best, organic strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries in the area. It’s also a place where lots of families go for the pumpkin patch, ‘back 40′ playground, and birthday parties.
About 40 min from Cary, this former tobacco farm has been converted to a local resource for organic fruits and produce. I believe they offer a CSA too– which would be great if you lived that far out. However, it’s worth the trek several times a year if you are looking for great berries w/​out tons of pesticides. Their success has been based in providing a fun experience for families, but I always go to get about 20 lbs of berries (depending on what is in season).
For strawberries, the timing is usually mid-​April through mid/​end of May. Blueberries and blackberries are later in the year– June/​July time frame. They have a ton of space and the way they rotate the ‘you pick’ rows ensures you have a constant source of great berries. I always go early to avoid the many small children who show up around mid-​day, because I’m serious about picking some berries. The rows are really neat and clean because they use black plastic/​cloth to cut down on weeds and it elevates the berries out of the soil so they are clean, clean, clean. For the you pick options, they place checkered flags on the rows they want you to pick and supply the buckets.
Each year I go and pick 4 – 6 buckets of strawberries, 2 – 3 of blueberries, and as much as I can in blackberries. These go into my freezer for a great selection to use in pies, desserts, and smoothies all year (well– not quite– my husband goes through them pretty rapidly, so I usually don’t make a full year). Nothing is better than fruit picked in season!
Oh, they also have a farm store where you can pick up local products like eggs, etc, or some of their own produce. And, for a treat, there is an ice cream parlor w/​their own ice cream. Last time I visited with my small nieces, we brought a picnic lunch to eat at the large tables they have out front and had ice cream for our dessert.