Gorman Heritage Farm
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Gorman Heritage Farm offers a spacious Fall Festival experience centered around extensive sunflower fields for photo opportunities and flower cutting, a variety of farm animals for viewing, and a dedicated children's play area. It stands out for its effective social distancing measures via timed tickets and large grounds, as well as stroller-friendly paved trails. While many find the scenic beauty and activities worth the admission, visitors should be prepared for potentially high costs for food and additional activities, and a mixed experience regarding staff friendliness and the quality of paid rides.
Key Highlights
- ✓Large farm with ample space for social distancing and spreading out, facilitated by timed ticket entry.
- ✓Beautiful, extensive sunflower fields provide excellent photo opportunities and a 'cut your own' flower experience.
- ✓Variety of farm animals to observe, including chickens, donkey, horses, turkeys, goats, and cows.
- ✓Dedicated children's play area is a hit with younger visitors.
- ✓Staff are noted for teaching kids about farm animals, adding an educational element.
- ✓Features a corn maze and classic fall festival elements like pumpkins and scarecrows.
- ✓Scenic walks through fields and pastures that include animal viewing.
- ✓Good selection of food trucks and vendors available, with abundant seating that is constantly sanitized.
- ✓Paved trails are suitable for strollers, allowing easy navigation for parents with infants and providing opportunities for exercise.
- ✓Some individual staff members (front desk, specific tractor operators 'Bob' and 'man from India', Hooks food truck staff, roasted nuts vendor) are highlighted for exceptional kindness and helpfulness.
- ✓Offers a blend of natural beauty and historical aspects.
Standout Features
- ⭐Effective social distancing protocols using timed tickets and the farm's large footprint.
- ⭐Abundant seating areas for relaxation and dining, with continuous sanitization.
- ⭐Dedicated and engaging children's play area.
- ⭐Unique 'cut your own' sunflower experience.
- ⭐Extensive paved trails that are perfect for strollers and light exercise.
- ⭐Educational interactions with staff teaching children about farm animals.
- ⭐Exceptional opportunities for family photos within picturesque sunflower fields.
- ⭐Historical elements integrated into the farm experience.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →**Attempt online ticket purchase:** Try to buy tickets online in advance to potentially secure a better price, but be prepared for website issues and a higher cost if forced to pay on-site.
- →**Budget for extras:** Allocate significant funds for food truck purchases (meals can be $14-$16+) and for cutting sunflowers ($1 per stem, no free options).
- →**Manage expectations for rides:** Understand that the mule ride is short and off-farm, and the hayride is a functional shuttle rather than a scenic tour. Do not expect extensive farm views or long experiences from these.
- →**Be prepared for walking:** A 'bit of a walk' is required to reach the sunflower field, though the path is scenic.
- →**Prioritize photo opportunities:** If capturing beautiful sunflower photos is a main goal, the farm delivers excellent scenery.
- →**Anticipate varied staff interactions:** While some staff are exceptionally friendly, be prepared for a range of attitudes from others.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Website frequently experiences errors, hindering online ticket purchases and potentially forcing visitors to pay higher on-site prices.
- ⚠Many visitors perceive the overall experience as 'overpriced for what is included,' specifically citing the $15 admission and additional costs.
- ⚠The mule ride is very short (2 minutes), travels through a residential neighborhood (not the farm), and is operated by staff with reported 'horrible attitudes.'
- ⚠The hayride functions primarily as a 'drop off and pick up' shuttle between two points, not a scenic tour of the farm, and some operating staff are noted for unfriendliness.
- ⚠One reviewer found the quantity of animals available for viewing to be 'very small.'
- ⚠Many sunflowers in the field were reportedly 'dying,' which can detract from the aesthetic appeal.
- ⚠Food truck prices are described as 'insane' (e.g., $14 for two small pieces of fish and small fries, $16 for a pulled pork sandwich).
- ⚠Popular food trucks, like the mini donuts, can have 'crazy long' lines due to understaffing and unfriendly workers.
- ⚠A significant number of staff (reportedly 90%, including police officers) are described as unfriendly, unhelpful, or seemed to 'not want to be there,' negatively impacting the visitor experience.
Price & Value
Admission is $15 per person, which is considered 'so worth it' by some, but 'way over priced for what is included' by others. There's an additional cost of $1 per sunflower stem if you wish to cut your own, which one reviewer felt should include at least one free flower. Food truck prices are consistently described as 'insane,' with specific examples like $14 for two small pieces of fish and small fries, and $16 for a pulled pork sandwich. Website issues can lead to higher on-site payment for admission. The value for money is highly subjective and depends heavily on individual expectations for activities and willingness to pay for expensive extras.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Features paved trails throughout the farm, making it accessible for strollers and providing easy walking surfaces.
- •No specific accommodations mentioned for wheelchairs or sensory-friendly experiences beyond the general spaciousness.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Food trucks and various vendors are available on-site, offering a range of meal and snack options.
- •Prices for food from these vendors are consistently reported as 'insane' and 'overpriced.'
- •No information is provided regarding the policy on bringing outside food or drinks.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking information is not explicitly detailed in the reviews, but the farm is described as 'closer to the heart of Cincinnati,' suggesting it is accessible.
- •No specific costs or capacity for parking are mentioned.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Crowd levels are effectively managed through the implementation of 'blocks of ticket times' for entry.
- •The farm's large size ensures 'plenty of room to spread out' and facilitates social distancing.
- •Despite high popularity (indicated by website 'overload' issues), the internal management of visitors seems to prevent extreme crowding.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Social distancing is encouraged and facilitated by timed ticket entry and the expansive nature of the farm.
- •Seating areas provided by vendors are 'constantly being sanitized.'
- •No other specific safety features like staff supervision ratios or first aid stations are detailed.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Families on a tight budget, particularly for food and additional activities beyond the initial admission.
- • Visitors expecting extensive, interactive, or highly unique animal experiences beyond observation.
- • Those anticipating long, scenic, and informative mule or hay rides around the farm property.
- • If consistently friendly, engaging, and enthusiastic staff are a critical component of your family's outing enjoyment.
- • If you have high expectations for the freshness of all sunflowers, as some may be dying.
Pricing/Package/Events
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
October 4th & 5th Event
Oct. 4th & 5th
Admission required, see website for specific pricing. Event hours: 10am to 6pm.
Details about this event are not provided beyond dates and times. 'Tickets & Info' button is available on the website.
Quilt Raffle 2025!
2025
Tickets required (implied by 'Get Your Tickets').
Handcrafted by talented volunteer quilters.
🍎Food Policy
- • Guests are not allowed to feed any animals onsite. Farm animals are fed by staff according to specific schedules and dietary needs.
- • Never eat, drink, or put things into your mouth in animal areas. Wash your hands after visiting animal areas.
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Agritourism Warning: Under Ohio law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity conducted at this agritourism location if that injury or death results from the inherent risks of that agritourism activity. Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, but are not limited to, the risk of injury inherent to land, equipment, and animals as well as the potential for you as a participant to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.
- • Please stay on designated walking paths. Guests are not allowed in animal enclosures, agricultural fields, or off-trail without the guidance of farm staff.
- • Be safe around farm animals. Our animals are well-socialized but all animals can be unpredictable. Guests may pet animals at their own risk. It is never a good idea to put your hand near an animal’s mouth.
- • Animals can carry germs that can make you sick. Wash your hands after visiting animal areas.
- • All trash, recycling, and personal belongings must be either placed in the appropriate waste receptacle or taken with you.
- • Pet Policy: Pets are not allowed in the Farmyard or any building. Leashed, well-behaved pets are allowed only on the hiking trails and must be picked up after.
- • Pet Policy: Dogs are not to enter spaces where farm animals are present or food is growing, including: Central Gardens, Market Garden, and Farmyard.
- • Pet Policy: Dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet and attached to an adult at all times.
- • Pet Policy: Dogs must stay on-trail to protect flora and fauna.
- • Pet Policy: Dog owners must pick-up after their dog and dispose of waste in a trash can.
- • Pet Policy: Dogs are not permitted at any Gorman Heritage Farm events or programs including Sunflower Festival, Row by Row, or any Adult and Family Programs.
- • Image Release: By visiting, visitors grant permission for Gorman Heritage Farm Foundation (GHF) to use images, likenesses, or voice recordings of themselves and registered attendees on GHF website, social media, publications, or local media without compensation. GHF will not sell images to third parties. Personal information (full/partial name, school, parent/guardian names, addresses, phone number) will never be published alongside media.
📅Booking Policy
- • Admission check-in required at the Front Desk in the Interpretive Center upon arrival.
🚗Parking Information
- • Turn off Reading Road onto Gorman Heritage Farm Lane at the traffic light.
- • Continue on Gorman Heritage Farm Lane through open gates to park in the designated parking lot.
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 11 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Dana Hill
4 years agoWe came out for the Fall festival and it was wonderful! It was our first time here and it was a great experience. Blocks of ticket times allowed for plenty of social distancing, and the farm is big enough that it gives you plenty of room to spread out. They had some food trucks and vendors and tons of seating, which was constantly being sanitized. The kids loved the children's area and checking out the chickens while exploring flowers. It's a bit of a walk to the sunflower field where you can cut your own flowers, but it's a beautiful walk there through the fields and pastures with animals. Staff were so kind and helpful. A beautiful place to see closer to the heart of Cincinnati.
Vikki Chapman
a year agoPumpkins, Scarecrows, Donkey, Horses, Turkeys, Goats and a few more. Great for the family to experience the corn maze along with the sunflower 🌻 graden plenty of things to do and see! Oh and the price of admission is so worth it! So go make memories..
Manli Davis
2 years agoThe Sun flower field was beautiful. It’s a great place for family photos. Our kid enjoyed seeing all the animals too. The staff was very nice and did a great job teaching kids about the farm animals.
Sarah Olson
3 years agoHad such a wonderful day exploring the farm with my 8 year old and 3 month old. Gorgeous flower garden to explore, sunflower field, lots of animals, trails and tons of history. Bonus points for being able to push the stroller on paved trails and get some exercise in. Absolutely gorgeous farm, we will be back!
Robin S
a year agoI found this place because of Facebook and I have been wanting to go to a Sunflower Field since I was little girl so when this popped up and I was only going to be 8 mins away from Gormans I asked my sister to come with my two nieces. Well the website keeps giving me an error and telling me I have to see someone at Gormans. The young man at the front desk was so nice and he couldn’t figure out what was going on and said they was having issues with it because of the over load so because of this issue I had to pay more to go in than what I would have if their website wasn’t having issues. I thought okay this isn’t a bad price but wants getting inside I can now say it actually is way over priced for what is included. A few animals, a mule ride (THE LADIES IN CHARGE OF DRIVING AND STANDING BY THE MULES HAD HORRIBLE ATTITUDES) it also was a 2 min ride through a neighborhood not nothing to do with the farm itself which we had to stand in line for a couple minutes which was fine but if I would have waited in line more than 10 minutes to take this mule ride I would have been more upset than I already was if you go please understand you see absolutely nothing but a bunch of houses, then after the mule we went for hayride or so I call it a drop off and pick up tractor. We had to wait about 20 minutes so here we think o man it’s going to be better than the Mule ride well the two men up at the top of the hill to get on the tractor ride was Phenomenal I know Bob was one of their names and the other man was from India. We had a little one who was upset she didn’t get on first and we had to wait so Bob decided to do the Chicken Dance with her and he just all around was so friendly. Well anyways on to this hayride we got on and here I’m thinking we are about to see some more animals, other things at the farm and nope the hay ride is actually just to pick you up from the bottom of the hill to the top or top to the bottom. You again don’t see anything but the sunflowers and the man driving the tractor I would have thought he would have said welcome to Gormans but nope not one word and the lady helping get others off at the bottom of the hill also had a horrible attitude. So here we are done the 2 second Mule ride, the pickup and drop off ride and seeing the Very small amount of animals. We go to the sunflower field to see which ones we want to pick it was a $1 for 1 which I feel everyone who pays $15 to get into this place should be able to cut one flower for free and then after that one then charge a $1 a stem. The field had so many pretty sunflowers but so many that looked like they was dying so am I happy I got to see my first sunflower field absolutely but really upset I went with this place. The food trucks the prices were insane $14 for two small pieces of fish and a small fries from hooks (man and female working Hooks food truck thank you for being so nice) , $16 for a pull pork sandwich, overly priced roasted nuts but man working was very nice and knowledgeable, and the line for the mini donuts was crazy long because there was only one man working it and he wasn’t friendly and hate that I even gave him money because how nasty he was. He shouldn’t have been running that food truck only and if you can’t pick donuts that you want put up a sign saying that. So overall 90% of the workers (including the police officers) which mostly was an older staff aren’t friendly and seemed to not want to be there. The advertising that this is a family fun farm with lots to do is not at all true. This farm is a Money grabber and I don’t recommend it for anyone looking for a family fun day. Gormans your farm has a lot of potential but first you need to get workers that actually want to work with the public because again the staff besides a few didn’t want to be there. The young man at the front taking money to get in, the lady in the restroom building, Bob and the man from India, the employees at Hooks and The roasted nuts thank you all for your kindness. If you need a farm where it truly is a family farm go to Blooms and Berries or Shaw farm.