Back when Aurora’s Blackberry Farm was Pioneer Park, Jeff Long savored his field trips there. The curious children got to see how butter was made in a churn and learn how pioneers used beet juice to color clothing.
Now the Fox Valley Park District’s public relations manager, Long said he enjoyed taking his own kids back to the farm when they were young, watching them enjoy the same experience he once had.
Many parents similarly return to the farm with fond memories from their own youth, making it a truly generational experience, he said.
“It holds the same fascination for today’s kids as for my generation,” Long said. “A cool look back on history.”
To be clear, the farm is not a place for berry picking.
Formed as Pioneer Park in 1969, about two decades after the Park District was founded in 1947, the living history museum at 100 S. Barnes Road was renamed Blackberry Farm in the 1980s, Long said.
Situated on Aurora’s West Side, it’s just across the street from Splash Country Water Park. Before its acquisition by the Park District, the land can be traced to two farms dating back to the mid-1800s, Long said.
New this year is a fresh paint job on the farm’s popular, ADA-accessible train, which looks like an 1800s steam engine. Long saw it in the shop and thought it looked beautiful, he said.
Though it’s not a zoo, the farm is home to several animals, including poultry, horses, goats and sheep. A donkey named Paco and potbellied pig named Olivia have become celebrities, Long said.
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Pony rides are available for children who weigh less than 70 pounds.
The biggest attraction for adults, Long said, is seeing the kids have fun, learning about history and culture without realizing it because they’re not in a classroom — unless they’re visiting the farm’s authentic one-room schoolhouse — but are experiencing things hands-on, he said.
The farm’s adventure playground has learning stations where visitors can read and touch things, such as one where they put their hands into a corn bin, that provide a sensory experience, Long said.
Kids also love watching the blacksmith make horseshoes, he said.
A full list of attractions includes the adventure playground, billed as a “network of climbing decks, slides, ropes and catwalk-style bridges connecting an array of playhouses on multiple levels with zip line”; discovery barn featuring sheep, chickens, piglets and baby goats; 1840s-era pioneer cabin with Dutch-oven cooking, candle dipping, soap and butter making and gardens; 1840s Wagner House from early downtown Aurora; 1840s-era pottery shop; 1900s-era blacksmith shop; 1860s-era Weaver’s Cabin; Huntoon House with Victorian settings, sewing and quilting exhibits; an Early Streets museum with 12 shops; an 1880s-era single-room schoolhouse and a carriage house.
Many of the attractions feature live demonstrations.
The grounds feature full concessions, and picnics have always been popular there, Long said.
And he couldn’t leave out the canoe races.
“It’s hard to do it all in a day,” Long said.
At $20, he’d recommend a season pass.
Either way, daily admission includes unlimited rides on the train, hay wagon, pedal tractors, paddleboats, carousel and ponies.
The farm is open daily from May 1 to Aug. 27, although hours vary slightly during the week from month to month.
Free “family fun” days for Illinois residents, part of a statewide promotion, are May 24, June 7 and 21, July 6 and Aug. 9.
The farm also hosts programs, such as summer camps and animal care classes, for children of various age groups, along with specialty programs and arts classes for adults.
Twitter @hannahmleone
Blackberry Farm
100 S. Barnes Road, Aurora
Hours: May: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays, to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
June 1-Aug. 27: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. weekdays, to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $8 adults, $7 children, seniors; discount for residents
Information: www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/facilities/blackberry-farm/
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