A hayride is the lowest-effort fall tradition there is. Everyone sits on a hay bale, a tractor does the work, and you come home with a pumpkin and straw in everyone’s socks. Hayrides around Cincinnati and Dayton range from easy daytime rides out to the pumpkin patch to after-dark wagon rides built to make you scream. Most of these farms pair the ride with a corn maze, so check our list of corn mazes near Cincinnati and Dayton if you’re planning a full day.
Hayrides at a Glance
| Farm | When | Hayride cost | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blooms & Berries (Loveland) | Daily through Nov. 1 | Included with admission | Online tickets only; cashless |
| Burwinkel Farms (Ross) | Weekends in October | Check site | Rides through sunflower fields |
| Windmill Farm Market (Springboro) | Fri-Sun | Check site | Kid-friendly Halloween ride |
| Burger Farm (Newtown) | Sat-Sun; weekdays Tue-Fri | $15 festival admission; $5 weekday ride | Weekday rides skip the crowds |
| Shaw Farms (Milford) | Daily through Oct. 31 | Free farm admission; rides ticketed | Horse-drawn rides on weekends |
| Niederman Family Farm (Liberty Township) | Thu-Sun through Nov. 1 | Included with admission | Weeknight rides; Thursdays 25% off |
| Brown’s Family Farm Market (Hamilton) | Sat-Sun | $6 cash | No admission fee |
| Jackson Family Farm (Middletown) | Weekends | Included with admission | Kids feed the cows |
| Butterfields Farm Market (Oxford) | Check Facebook | Check Facebook | Cattle-feeding ride |
| Irons Fruit Farm (Lebanon) | Weekends | Check site | No reservation needed |
| Big Tree Plantation (Morrow) | Weekends | Check Facebook | Axe throwing for adults |
| Bergefurd’s Farm Market (Wilmington) | Weekends | Check site | Market open daily |
| Warrick Farm (Miamisburg) | Weekends | Check site | Stops to meet the cattle |
| Fulton Farms (Troy) | Sat-Sun through Oct. 31 | Check site | Private evening rides available |
| Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun Farm (Arcanum) | Check site | $12 admission, all activities included | Full-day destination |
| Young’s Jersey Dairy (Yellow Springs) | Fri-Sat nights through Oct. 31 | $19; $9 ages 5 and under | Haunted; kids under 11 need an adult |
| Brimstone Haunt (Wilmington) | Weekend nights | Check site | Haunted; teens and adults |
Blooms & Berries Farm Market | Loveland, Ohio
Fall on the Farm at Blooms & Berries runs daily through Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and unlimited hayrides are included with admission. The wagon drops riders near the pumpkin patch and the corn mazes: a 5-acre main maze and a kids maze for short legs. Admission also covers a 40-animal petting farm, a pumpkin bounce pad, a trike track and a low ropes course. Tickets are sold online only, kids under 2 are free, and weekend gate tickets cost $5 more when they’re available at all. The event is cashless, dogs aren’t allowed on the hayride, and wheelchair-accessible wagons are available if you ask staff. The last hayride leaves 30 minutes before close. bloomsandberries.com
Burwinkel Farms | Ross, Ohio
Burwinkel Farms has been family-run since 1918 and turns its Ross farm into a fall stop every October. Hayrides run on weekends and roll through the sunflower fields, which bloom from late September until the first cold snap, then out to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Back at the farm there are two corn mazes, a Halloween scavenger hunt, a corn pool and more than 20 varieties of homegrown apples to take home. burwinkelfarms.com
Windmill Farm Market | Springboro, Ohio
Windmill Farm Market’s Spooktacular Adventure Hayride is a 25-minute ride past the farm animals, through the woods and down into Spook Hollow, with hills and mud along the way. It’s decorated for kids, so expect Halloween fun rather than real scares. Public hayrides run Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are sold online. windmillfarmmarket.com
Burger Farm & Garden Center | Newtown, Ohio
Burger Farm has run its Fall Festival for more than 50 years, and the hayride to the pumpkin patch is included with admission. Admission is $15, $12 for seniors 65 and older and free for kids 2 and under. The festival runs Saturdays and Sundays from the last weekend of September through October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the last hayride leaves at 5 p.m. Admission also covers Pumpkin Land, a puppet show, a giant straw castle, a jumping pillow, mini zip lines and live bands from 1 to 4 p.m. If you want the hayride without the weekend crowd, weekday hayrides run Tuesday through Friday every 30 minutes from 1:30 to 5 p.m. for $5 a person. No pets. burgerfarms.com
Shaw Farms | Milford, Ohio
Shaw Farms runs both tractor-drawn and horse-drawn hayrides during its Pumpkin Times season. The rides loop around the 160-acre farm, past working fields, through wooded stretches and under 10-foot spider webs strung between the trees. Hayrides start the third weekend of September and run through Oct. 31, weather permitting. In October, tractor rides run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Horse-drawn rides are weekends only, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Farm admission is free, and individual attractions are ticketed. Weekends here get busy, so go early. shawfarmmarket.com
Niederman Family Farm | Liberty Township, Ohio
Niederman Family Farm’s Fall Festival opens Sept. 25 and runs Thursday through Sunday through Nov. 1. A tractor-pulled wagon ride is included with admission. So are a 4-acre corn maze, the pumpkin patch, a jumping pillow, farm animals and enough play areas to wear out a small army. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. That makes it one of the few farms where a weeknight hayride after work is realistic. Thursday nights are 25% off the regular weekend online price, and the farm asks weekend visitors to buy tickets online to keep the gate moving. Bonfire pits can be rented, and very few people leave without a dozen cinnamon-sugar donuts. No pets except service dogs. niedermanfamilyfarm.com
Brown’s Family Farm Market | Hamilton, Ohio
Brown’s Family Farm Market skips the admission fee and charges only for rides. The hayride out to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch is $6 cash for ages 3 and up, and kids 2 and under ride free. The barrel train is $3 cash per rider. Fall Family Fun Weekends run Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a corn maze, sunflowers, farm animals and visiting food trucks. Bring cash for the rides. Dogs can sometimes ride along if the wagon isn’t crowded, so ask when you get there. Hours depend on the weather, so call ahead on iffy days. brownsfarmmarket.com
Jackson Family Farm | Middletown, Ohio
Jackson Family Farm is a working farm, and its hayride has a job to do. Kids mix their own animal feed, then ride out to the pasture to hand it to the cows. General admission also covers a 4-acre corn maze, a barrel train, pedal tractors, a corn barn, hay tower slides, a pumpkin cannon and a pumpkin jump pad. The fall festival runs on weekends. jacksonfamilyfarm.net
Butterfields Farm Market | Oxford, Ohio
Butterfields Farm Market, just east of Oxford, runs hayrides out to feed its cattle, plus a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and a sunflower field. Save room for an apple cider slushie from the market on your way out. Butterfields Farm Market on Facebook
Irons Fruit Farm | Lebanon, Ohio
Irons Fruit Farm has been in the same family since 1910. On fall weekends, wagons run from the farm out to the 12-acre corn maze and the pick-your-own pumpkin patch, and you don’t need a reservation. The store and bakery are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Get the apple cider donuts. Storms occasionally close the fields, so check the farm’s Facebook page before you drive out. ironsfruitfarm.org
Big Tree Plantation | Morrow, Ohio
Big Tree Plantation is best known as a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm, but it also runs a weekend fall fest. Expect hayrides, a 5-acre maze, a straw mountain and an axe-throwing station for the grownups. Big Tree Plantation on Facebook
Bergefurd’s Farm Market | Wilmington, Ohio
Bergefurd’s Farm Market runs fall weekends with hayrides, a corn maze and a pumpkin patch, and the market is open daily for pumpkins, mums and fall produce.
Warrick Farm | Miamisburg, Ohio
Warrick Farm is a small working farm on the edge of Miamisburg. Its weekend hayrides stop so riders can meet the cattle. Afterward, kids can burn off energy on the tire playground and the wagon slide.
Fulton Farms | Troy, Ohio
Fulton Farms, north of Dayton, runs open hayrides to its pick-your-own pumpkin patch Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Oct. 31. Back at the 100-year-old market barn there’s a corn maze, farm animals and a market full of fall produce. Groups of 10 or more can book weekday rides. The farm also books evening hayrides with a campsite for private parties, leaving at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. fultonfarms.com
Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun Farm | Arcanum, Ohio
Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun Farm is worth the drive northwest of Dayton if you want a full day out of it. Admission is $12, $5 for ages 64 and older and free for ages 3 and under, and every activity is included. That covers the hayride to the pumpkin patch, a corn maze, the Storybook Forest and Monster Mountain. brumbaughfruitfarm.com
Haunted Hayrides
For a ride with some scares built in:
- Young’s Jersey Dairy (Yellow Springs) runs Haunted Wagon Rides Friday and Saturday nights, 7:30 to 10 p.m., Sept. 25 through Oct. 31. The night starts with ghost stories from a professional storyteller, then a wagon ride into a dark cornfield full of monsters and chainless chainsaws. Actors don’t touch, grab or chase anyone, but the farm says plainly that it’s scary. Tickets are $19 for ages 6 and up and $9 for ages 5 and under. Kids under 11 need an adult with them.
- Brimstone Haunt (Wilmington) is a full haunted scream park open weekend nights this fall. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and attractions start after sunset. The haunted hayride is one part of a lineup that also includes walk-through haunts, so save this one for teens and adults who want to be scared.
Tips for a Better Hayride
- Dress in layers. October evenings get cold fast on an open wagon.
- Bring a flashlight if you’re riding after dark.
- Carry a card and some cash. Blooms & Berries is fully cashless, and some smaller vendors still take only cash.
- Buy tickets online when you can. Several farms charge more at the gate on weekends, and popular time slots sell out.
- Check the farm’s website or Facebook page before you leave. Hayrides are weather-dependent and often pause for rain.
