Mitchell Farms is located in Collins, Mississippi, and has been in the Mitchell family for nearly two centuries.
Fall in Mississippi means more than football, shorter days and cooler nights. It is the heart of pumpkin patch season, and Mitchell Farms has become known as one of the premier autumnal destinations in the Magnolia State.
Mitchell Farms is located in Collins, Mississippi, and has been in the Mitchell family for nearly two centuries. For the last two decades, Mitchell Farms has hosted its annual Peanut Festival and Pumpkin Patch, drawing families, school groups, and fall fanatics from far and wide.
A historical crossroads between the sunflowers and the pumpkins
The twisting Mitchell Farms hayride takes you along the farm grounds, but it also takes you on a historical journey along a Civil War-era path between the sunflower fields and the pumpkin patch.
The edge of the farm is outlined by the North-South Jackson Military Road and the East-West Three-Chopped Way. Though not kept as a public road, this antebellum pathway was forged by General Andrew Jackson and his soldiers and ran from Madisonville, Louisiana, to Nashville, Tennessee. It was finished in 1820.
Jackson Military Road intersects with Three-Chopped Way. Three-Chopped Way was made by the U.S. Army and ran from Milledgeville, Georgia, to Natchez, Mississippi. Trees were marked with three axe chops, a sign that roughly served as mile markers. Today, Highway 84 runs across the southern portion of Mississippi, from Waynesboro to Natchez, and closely parallels the Three-Chopped Way.
Food favorites on the farm
Vendors are throughout the farm for burgers, fries, chicken tenders, and cowboy nachos, but the real culinary delights are in the Mitchell Farms classics. Homemade kettle corn is sweet, salty, and addictive. Homemade ice cream is constantly churning to provide a sweet relief from the Mississippi heat that is still very real in the fall. Boiled peanuts, grown and cooked on the farm, are a Southern staple in their own right, but there’s just something about getting them right at the source.
An unexpected favorite on the farm sparked the building of two new snack stops to keep up with supply and demand. The blueberry lemonade, sweet and tart, earned such notoriety that in years passed, lines of folks twisted throughout the grounds, creating a traffic nightmare for both foot traffic and the hayride coming through the farm—all for a big cup of the refreshing drink.
Old-fashioned farm fun for every age
Mitchell Farms has several play areas for children of all ages. Walls of tires hanging from chains provide an obstacle for older kids and adults unable to turn down a physical challenge. Mounds of sand and dirt, covered with toy tractors, guarantee enjoyment that will have little fingers digging, scooping, and sifting through the dirt.
Old culverts and retired tractors see their refurbished purpose as playground equipment. Children climb up wooden steps or up the sides of tractors and slide down plastic culverts. Treehouses throughout the farm allow little minds to use their imaginations as they run about and shout down to Mom and Dad from the windows. There are also two colossal jumping areas and a massive hay mountain to entertain everyone for hours.
There’s more playtime at Tiny Town, a miniature replica of a town on the farm, complete with a jailhouse, schoolhouse, chapel, and more. Just outside of Tiny Town is the corn maze and the Train Depot. The Train Depot was one of the many highlights of the farm, with two trains—their cars made of repurposed barrels– pulling folks throughout an open field.
The Corn House was back at Mitchell Farms this year, but this time, it was bigger and better than ever. The Corn House is a two-story, much larger version of what was just a round pool of corn kernels—now, a winding stairwell into the loft leads to a twisting slide, which shoots screaming little ones into the sea of corn kernels awaiting below. Kids can lay down in the corn, waving their arms back and forth, trying their best to make the closest thing to a snow angel one may see in the Piney Woods of Mississippi.
Of course, after all this fun and excitement, everyone coming into Mitchell Farms gets their pumpkin for carving, painting, decorating, or even making a homemade pumpkin pie.
So whether you’re just looking for a day on the farm, a pumpkin, or a fun-filled family destination, Mitchell Farms has it all.
For more information about Mitchell Farms, visit here.
Courtney Ingle
