Bob Evans Farm Festival – A Fun Day Down on the Farm

Enjoy a great day down on the farm at the Bob Evans Farm Festival.
Sponsored by Bob Evans Farm.

 

If you are looking for a family friendly outdoor activity in the fall, you should definitely check out the Bob Evan’s Farm Festival in Rio Grande, Ohio.

We just returned from the festival and I was so impressed with the entire event. It was one of the nicest outdoor festivals we have ever attended. The farm is huge and there is so much to see and do, especially with kids.

Even without any kids we had a great time pigging out on farm fresh food, watching entertaining shows and contests, petting a wide array of adorable farm animals, and more.

We got to the festival as it opened on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and started our day by stopping at the Bob Evan’s food tent to grab some breakfast. We couldn’t resist having a plate of Bob Evan’s famous biscuits and gravy.

Even though it was early, we also indulged in some Apple Oatmeal Cookies. I’d drive to the festival just to get more of them next year, they were that good. I bought a few extra cookies to bring home and am munching on one right now.

I also couldn’t resist bringing home a jar of homemade apple butter which I helped make. O.K. I actually got to help stir the apple butter for about two minutes. The guy doing all the work was planning to stir the batch for 5 hours. I had other things to do and see, so I left him to his work, but not before I got some fun ideas for using the apple butter.

He suggested I heat some up and serve it over some vanilla ice cream. As soon as I got home last night I just had to try it out. I tossed on some granola to give my apple butter sundae some crunch and dug in. He was right, it’s amazing. It has all the wonderful flavors of apple pie a ‘la mode.

One of the guys also suggested we try the apple butter on a hamburger. I think I’ll let you give that one a try yourself. I can’t imagine that would be great, but I do plan to try it out on a Bob Evan’s Pork Sausage Biscuit Sandwich. That just might have to be breakfast tomorrow.

It’s hard to believe I’m even hungry after all the yummy treats we enjoyed yesterday.

One of the most amazing yet unusual dishes was from Laurel Valley Creamery. They fry up pumpkin flavored sweet cheese into the most amazing little fritters that they call critters. They are a must try. I’d never tasted anything quite like it and my husband and I both loved them.

We could’t help but support the local band who were selling apple dumplings. Each one had huge slices of farm fresh apples inside wrapped in flaky crust and a lovely hot glaze.

We wanted to try more food, but our bellies were just about to bust. We’ll just have to go back next year to try the Pulled Pork Nachos and bean soup.

While at the festival, not only do you get to eat farm fresh food, but you get to see some of it being produced just as the did when the farm was first established.

I was fascinated to see how they made sorghum and corn meal.

The farm itself is so rich in history and all throughout the year visitors are able to walk through the Homestead Museum and Adamsville Log Cabin Village.

You will really feel like you’ve been transported back in time when you walk into these log cabins. Originally settled in the early 1800s, each of the four authentic log cabins and a log schoolhouse have been reconstructed on the site at the Bob Evans Farm.

We didn’t have a chance to get inside the museum during this visit, but we’ve been inside before. It showcases the story of the Bob Evan’s family and how the business grew to what it is today.

I was so impressed with how many activities they have for kids at the festival. From make and take crafts, to prize winning games, fabulous petting zoo, exciting pig racing and more.

Kids can even play in a hay bale maze, on a hay castle, and in a corn pit. The corn pit is like a ball pit only it’s filled with corn instead of plastic balls. I wanted to jump in and have some fun too.

Kids of all ages can enjoy some really fun shows and demonstrations. We cheered for our pig in the pig race, watched in wonder as the border collies herded geese, and stomped our feet along with the clog dancers.

If you like shopping for crafts, there are 10 huge tents filled with artisans showcasing their wares. I’ve been to a lot of craft shows in my life and this one was one of the best. The products are really high quality.

There is so much to do a the Bob Evans Farm Festival that you can certainly spend an entire day.

I highly recommend you get there early. We arrived when it opened at 9:00 a.m. and were so happy that we did. The place filled up quickly and when we left in the afternoon we saw hundreds of people standing in line at the entrance. If you park across the street from the farm, you have to go in a tunnel under the street to get to the festival. It’s one way traffic, so the wait can be long if you get there in the afternoon.

So, go early and stay late. There’s so much to do that you’ll be happy you did.

The Bob Evans Farm Festival is in the fall each year. Today, Sunday, October 16th is the final day for this year. Put it on your calendar for next year. We just might see you there.

I was compensated and given free passes to attend the festival in exchange for writing this. All the opinions expressed here are my own.