County Line Orchard

200 County Line Road
Hobart, IN 46342
(219) 947-4477

I really LOVE this place. Way back in the stone ages, when John William was a boy growing up in Kentucky, we used to go 'pick' a lot of our vegetables and fruit. It was so much fun. The summers were all about picking berries (straw and blue) & watermelon and the fall had apples and pumpkins. Despite my best efforts, my parents would pick all sorts of vegetables for me to eat (in addition to the yummy, sweet fruit). All this is to say, we used to know where we got our food. It's too bad that we, as a society/country, have gotten away from connecting with our food.

That's why I love County Line. It reminds me of the farms I used to go to when I was a kid. The place is huge. It's about a 40 minute drive from downtown Chicago and it has plenty of land and parking. I haven't gone there in the summer, but Autumn is a great time to visit. The farm offers tons of attractions for kids of all ages. There's a tractor ride ($1) that'll drop you off in the middle of a gigantic orchard. If you get to Hobart after the beginning of October, I suggest buying a bag of apples and just walking the orchard (rather than trying to pick your own apples). Getting to the orchard late in the season guarantees you small, insect-riddled apples that are better suited for throwing at your friends (tip: the small, green ones with bug holes are HILARIOUS to beam off your buddy's head when he's not looking) than eating. There's pumpkin picking, animal petting (you know I don't go anywhere near them) and a corn maze. I must warn you about the corn maze: you may see a strange, pale, red-headed boy in the maze. His name is Malachai. Avoid him at all costs.

If throwing rotten fruit at your buddies, lugging heavy pumpkins and running away from homicidal children have made you hungry, you're in the right place. The farm offers a full on store of country-cookin' delights: jams, cakes, fruit, veggies, fudge, gourmet food items and more. But who needs all that when you can eat APPLE CIDER DONUTS AND PUMPKIN DONUTS! I don't know who first made these heavenly delights, but they're incredible. I buy a dozen (6 of each kind) donuts, bag of apples, apple cider and some fudge. Because I can't leave there without eating, I'll order two warm donuts TOPPED with ice cream (and possibly fudge and whipped cream). It's ridiculously good. And as I eat the sugary goodness, I enjoy tempting the passing-by children who, after seeing what I am eating, demand their parents give them the same thing. Oh, how I enjoy the dirty looks I get from exasperated parents, forced to give into their screaming children's demands. I am the donut Pied Piper. I make no apologies.

County Line offers a BRILLIANT way to enjoy a crisp Fall day, get out of the city, breathe some clean air and get re-connected to a rapidly-disappearing American treasure: the working, sustainable farm. I promise, you'll become a believer. Just don't become a Child of the Corn (again. Malachai. Avoid).