Sweet Berry Farm opens Sept. 28 for fall pickin’ with plethora of pumpkins, more
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
MARBLE FALLS — The great pumpkin patch comes to life Sept. 28 as thousands of the orange (and other colored) squash arrived at Sweet Berry Farm.
“We’re very excited to be opening,” owner Dan Copeland said. “This will be our 12th year with the pumpkins. We haven’t added a lot this year, but there are still a few new things.”
Copeland and his wife, Gretchen, started Sweet Berry Farm 14 years ago when they planted their first crop of strawberries. Since those initial plants, the farm has grown over several acres and, 12 years ago, added the Fall Fun Harvest.
This year, a new, but familiar, face joined the farm. The Copeland’s daughter, Raelynn, after a stint teaching English in China, returned to help “on the farm.” One of her duties is working with the thousands of school children who visit Sweet Berry Farm, 1801 FM 1980 off RR 1431 between Marble Falls and Granite Shoals.
“During the month of October, we generally average 4,200 school kids,” Dan Copeland said. “It takes an incredible amount of work and time to coordinate all that.”
Raelynn Copeland was 8 when her parents opened Sweet Berry Farm. Though she grew up around the operation, she admitted working on the farm is a bit different.
“You learn a whole different side to it,” said Raelynn, a Texas A&M University graduate. But one thing she knew when she joined the operation during the summer was what the farm means to people — locally and from afar.
“I’ve always been surprised at the amount of people and how far they come from to come here,” Raelynn said. “But I think I know why this has become such a part of people’s and families’ lives. Even though we’ve added things and grown, we’ve always tried never to change the ultimate goal, which is to be a family-friendly farm to come and visit. We don’t want to become some commercial business. But, no matter how big we may get, I think whenever you come out here, it still feels like you’re coming to the family farm.”
Sweet Berry Farm is open 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday from Sept. 28 through Nov. 8. It’s closed Wednesday.
Along with the pumpkins, Sweet Berry Farm has become known for its Texas maze. Laid out in the shape of the Lone Star State, it challenges people to find their way through. Younger children can try their luck at the Candy Corn Maze.
“One of the new things this year was our sunflower field,” Dan Copeland said. “People can come out and cut their own along with the zinnias.”
On weekends, people can eat at the Pumpkin Grille, choosing from a good menu of items. But one particular food continues to draw raves from visitors.
“We’re kind of known for our grilled corn,” Dan Copeland said.
Along with selecting the perfect pumpkin, everyone can enjoy lots of other activities such as stuffing a scarecrow, hayrides, the barrel train, the giant jumping pillow and goat feeding. There are even plenty of picnic tables for people to enjoy a lunch (you can bring your own).
Entrance into Sweet Berry Farm is free. There are charges for individual activities.
“That way, you can come in and just do the things you want,” Raelynn Copeland said.
Go to www.sweetberryfarm.com or its Facebook page for more information.
One of the best ways to wrap up a trip to Sweet Berry Farm is with a heaping of homemade ice cream, even pumpkin-flavored.
daniel@thepicayune.com
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WHAT: Fall season at Sweet Berry Farm
WHERE: 1801 FM 1980 between Marble Falls and Granite Shoals
WHEN: Sept. 28-Nov. 8; open 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday
FOR MORE: Go to www.sweetberryfarm.com or search for it on Facebook.
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A pumpkin isn’t just orange and round as people who visit Sweet Berry Farm learn. The farm opens Sept. 28 for its annual fall harvest fun days.
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Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere. Sweet Berry Farm, 1801 FM 1980 between Marble Falls and Granite Shoals, carries a plethora of pumpkins, gourds and squashes for the fall picking season, which begins Sept. 28. The farm also offers hayrides, barrel train rides, scarecrow stuffing, goat feeding, face painting (weekends only) and lots of other fun activities. The farm is open every day (except Wednesdays) through Nov. 8.
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Oh, how glorious the pumpkin. People can find hundreds, if not thousands, of pumpkins at Sweet Berry Farm when it opens for the fall picking season Sept. 28. From the perfect jack-o-lantern size to massive pumpkins, Sweet Berry Farm has a huge selection.
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