With the fall season approaching, business owner Hudson Chadwick and his wife Alli Chadwick have brought a new fun-filled pumpkin patch to Oxford. Chadwick Farms, located at 113 County Road 215, was launched Oct. 4 of this year. The farm offers a range of festive fall activities for a day with friends and family.
“I have always loved pumpkin patches, and I have a background in summer camps,” Hudson Chadwick said. “I have always been attracted to the idea of farming and being able to share that with the public, so this has been a big project for us. About three years ago it started as an idea and has turned into what it is now.”
Hudson Chadwick began working on this project in Sept. of 2023 and has put in an abundance of hard work towards its creation. With some tasks being drawn out, such as the dirt work for the hayride roads, Chadwick’s dedication and efforts fuel the local business.
“It was a lot of work,” Hudson Chadwick said. “And it still is a lot of work. We still have a long way to go, but we are really excited. It has been super rewarding, so we are really looking forward to the future of Chadwick Farms.”
The farm provides many exciting activities for visitors. Some of these activities include a pumpkin patch, wagon rides, treehouse playground, giant slides, barrel train, hay bale maze, corn pit and a petting barn. Courtney Shepherd, the store manager at Chadwick Farms, carries a familiar sense of excitement shared among all of the new employees at the farm. The joy and cheerfulness of the environment makes the farm enjoyable for visitors of any age.
“My favorite thing is probably the corn pit,” Shepherd said. “Everyone loves that young or old. When adults lay in it, it feels almost kind of spa-like. We have a great time being out here, and I just love being out in nature. It is fantastic, exciting, beautiful, and I just love it. I do not ever want to have a different job.”
Chadwick and his wife were also inspired by a trip to a pumpkin patch with their daughter. They both wanted Chadwick Farms to be a welcoming place for families to create memories much like the ones they share with their daughter. They bought farmland near their home and saw the opportunity and potential the land had. Due to its close proximity to Oxford, it is convenient for local families to visit and have a simple, fun way to partake in the fall festivities.
“My husband has been interested in agritourism, specifically pumpkin patches since we took our seven-year-old daughter to her first visit when she was one,” Alli Chadwick said. “And when we were able to get the farm next door, I guess the time was just right.”
The Chadwicks find enjoyment in sharing their farm with the public and are already planning more for Chadwick Farms in the future. These plans range from Halloween, Christmas, and Easter events, so Chadwick Farms has a very promising and cheerful future ahead.
“The most rewarding thing is the amount of joy that you hear when you walk around the farm,” Alli Chadwick said. “It is just such a fun place to be, and being surrounded by children is very personally rewarding.”
