Pumpkins, Animals, Donuts And More – Why Families Love Frog Pond Farm

Choosing the perfect pumpkins.

Winning lawn games.

Making friends with exotic animals. 

Getting lost and then finding your way out of the corn maze. 

Eating donuts that taste so much like fresh apple cider in a baked good you swear you are transported back to your family’s farm in the 1920s when your parents used to get up before the sun rose to make and serve fresh apple goods on the table Saturday mornings to you and your siblings. Never mind you weren’t born that early in the 1900s and didn’t live on a farm (maybe you’ve never even been to a farm), because the donuts are so good they can convince you you were around back then. 

Smiling so much it hurts, but who cares, because your face is warm despite the chill in the air. 

That’s what every fall family outing should feel like. No matter how many times you find yourself at Frog Pond Farm, that’s exactly how each one feels by the time you put your muddy boots in the truck and hop into the warmed-up car for the journey home to enjoy the evening at home, reminiscing about all the fun memories you just made with your favorite people. 

Located in the scenic countryside resting between West Linn, Stafford, Tualatin, and Wilsonville, Frog Pond Farm first started getting a lot of well-deserved attention during the Covid-19 pandemic as they offered locals a chance to come to their farm and drive around the property (slowly!) to see all the fun animals and even feed them. When local restrictions relaxed in the fall, they put together haunted versions of their attractions for fun around Halloween. What started as a way to give local families and their kids some peace during a mentally exhausting period has paved the way for a nearly year-round festival of farm fun. When our little family was desperate for something fun to do, and everything around us was shuttered or extremely hard to get into, this was a place we loved to visit, and our kids loved being there. 

Before the pandemic, we bounced between a few local farms and seemed to choose the one that piqued our interest that weekend randomly. But these days, when fall weather begins to creep into the forecast in late September, Frog Pond Farm is the first place we think of visiting. 

It’s not just the good memories we made during a really tough time in our lives; it’s also because every trip we have taken there makes us happy, and even more importantly, our kids love it there. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! 

We have younger kids (5 and 7), so they have a blast going to the bounce barn when it’s available, and they regularly ask for it on random weekdays when we know we can’t go, but that makes planning at least one weekend outing easy. We have seen bounce pads or bounce houses at other farms, but never anything like this. This place has a huge barn they filled with large bounce houses and inflated obstacle courses, even divided by age and skill level. It’s a sight for the grown-ups; I can only imagine what it looks like for our shorter roommates. When an inflated structure dwarfs the tallest people in the room and still doesn’t reach the barn ceiling, you know you have something special. And it’s included in the all-in weekend pass, which is $25 per person. That’s a steal when you consider all the activities on the property, but if you’re only coming for the bounce barn on a rainy afternoon, you can do general admission for $16 and add the bounce barn for $5. The $16 gets you full access on weekdays, but the farm closes at 5 p.m., so you may not get as much bang for your buck if you can’t get out there very early. 

If you plan to be at the farm regularly, they offer season passes that run through the end of October and could be an easy way to save money compared with paying per person each visit. For example, if you are a family of four, one trip this weekend will set you back $82. If you buy a season pass for $202, your third visit would pay for itself (somewhat). If you don’t think you will be back at least twice in the next few weeks, it’s probably best to stick to the à la carte method. 

On weekends, they are open from 9-6 rain or shine; you check in at the farm store and off you go on your self-guided tour. In addition to the bounce barn, they have an outdoor play structure, several lawn games for all ages, and a food truck serving coffee, tea, and donuts. 

You can wander the property and see their impressive collection of local and exotic animals; you can even buy cups of feed at the store and make friends with the animals (through the fence, of course). If you ask for permission, you can even take a llama for a walk.  

They even host parties and their rates are very reasonable. If you have a kiddo who loves the farm and wants their birthday party there, you can reserve a covered space online for $50, and then it’s up to you to decide whether to cover the cost of admission for your guests or pass it along. You can bring your own food and decorations; the only catch is you have to pay a minimum of $250 for the space, but that can all come from admission charges. A few four-person families show up, and that party space essentially pays for itself. Most of the party spaces we looked at for our kids wanted a minimum of $300 and required food and beverages to be ordered there, which quickly turns a kids’ party into a huge financial burden. By going this route, you can support a small local business while keeping costs down and smiles in abundance. 

Whether this Saturday or Sunday is a special occasion or just another weekend in the fall, it’s never a bad time to visit Frog Pond Farm.

Fall is officially here, and if your family is going to be shoving their feet into rain boots and their arms into rain jackets, why not spend the day at the farm? Most newer smartphone cameras rarely pick up rain in a picture, and it’s a rare excuse to let your kids jump in all the muddy puddles they want (knowing there’s no chance those boots are getting anywhere near the inside of the car or the house!). 

There are a lot of local farms in the area, but we haven’t found one that truly offers something for everyone and fun for all ages, along with plenty of caffeine and photo opportunities. 

This farm has something special, and you should experience it for yourself.