Heaven Hill Farm

Heaven Hill Farm: Vernon’s Fall Headquarters

In 1982, Martin Theobald set up a roadside tent along Route 94 and started selling produce off his family’s Vernon farmland. The Theobalds had owned the 365-acre spread since 1961, when they bought it from a local cattle farmer named John Fox, and they raised beef cows on it into the late 1970s before the cattle business stopped making sense. Martin went back to the ground instead. That roadside tent became a barn, then a greenhouse, then four greenhouses, and today Heaven Hill Farm is a year-round farm market, bakery, and garden center sitting in the foothills of the Appalachians, with a fall festival the family fairly calls the largest in Northern New Jersey.

If you grew up in Sussex County, there’s a decent chance your family’s pumpkin came from this hillside. If you’re newer to the area, here’s everything worth knowing before you go.

The Great Pumpkin Festival, 2026 Edition

The 2026 festival runs September 12 through November 8, and it also opens for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Columbus Day (October 12). Hours shift by day: weekends generally run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesday through Friday visits, which start October 1, run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm posts a full day-by-day calendar with a crowd meter, a habit more fall events in Sussex County should copy, and it’s worth a look before you pick a date, because the difference between a quiet Thursday and a peak October Saturday is real.

What’s Included With Admission

One ticket covers more than 35 activities, and the list reads like the greatest hits of every farm festival rolled into one property. The anchor is the tractor hayride out to the pumpkin patch, but the corn maze is the headliner this year: for 2026 it’s cut in a “Celebrating America 250 Years” design to mark the country’s semiquincentennial. Beyond those two, admission covers the pig races, the Dynamo Dog Show (three shows daily on weekends, at noon, 2, and 4), the Boo Barn, a hay maze, pedal carts and touring cars, a giant straw-bale pyramid, a giant slingshot, an obstacle course, skee-ball, a fastball speed pitch, farm animals, swings, a spider web crawl, and a long tail of smaller games that keep younger kids busy between the big stuff. Photo spots are scattered across the whole property, and by mid-October the ridgeline foliage behind them is doing half the work.

Pricing and Tickets

Weekend and holiday admission is $24.99 when you buy online, or $29.99 at the gate. Weekday visits, Wednesday through Friday starting October 1, drop to $15.99 online ($19.99 day-of). Children two and under are always free, every ticket includes free parking, and a $59.99 season pass covers the entire run with no date restrictions. Two pieces of local knowledge here. First, weekends can sell out, and only pre-purchased online tickets are guaranteed entry, so book ahead for any Saturday in October. Second, if you buy a day ticket and fall in love with the place, you can bring your receipt to guest services before you leave and upgrade to a season pass for the difference.

Carnival Rides and the Extras

A handful of attractions cost extra, and most of them run weekends and holidays only: carnival rides ($1.50 per ticket, rides starting at 4 tickets), pony rides ($10, cash), the apple cannon ($10 for 12 shots), the paintball range ($10 for 150 rounds), gem mining ($10 a bag), sand art, and a wine tasting for the over-21 crowd (4 tastes for $8 with ID). The carnival ramps up gradually: opening weekend has no rides, limited rides arrive September 19, and the full midway is running by October 3. If you’re planning to hit several extras, the bundles are the move. The Barnyard Bargain Pass gets you any 3 of the add-ons for $25, and the Ultimate Festival Pass covers 5 for $40. Note that weekday tickets skip the carnival, pig races, and dog show entirely, which is exactly why they’re cheaper.

Fall Food

Ten food stands run Fridays, weekends, and holidays, alongside the year-round staples: apple cider donuts, candy apples, homemade kettle corn, gourmet chocolates, fresh-baked pies, ice cream and Italian ice, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. There’s a picnic area to eat in, and reserved picnic tables are available for $20 per three hours if you’re bringing a bigger group and want a home base. Pumpkins themselves are priced by weight, at 79 and 99 cents a pound depending on variety.

The Farm Market and Bakery

Strip away the festival and Heaven Hill Farm is still one of the best market stops in Sussex County. The farm market runs daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year, and note that market hours and festival hours are separate things, a distinction that trips up first-time visitors every fall. Inside you’ll find locally grown fruits and vegetables, honey, jams, homemade ice cream and Italian ices, and a bakery turning out ready-to-eat pies and those apple cider donuts. The Appalachian Trail crosses Route 94 nearby, and the market has long been a beloved ice cream detour for thru-hikers coming down off the ridge, which might be the best endorsement a farm stand can get.

Garden Center, Christmas, and the Rest of the Year

Spring belongs to the garden center, where four greenhouses fill with organically raised vegetables and herbs, annuals, houseplants, and seasonal decor, plus the practical stuff: mulch, hay, play sand, and propane refills. Come winter the Vernon Township property flips over to its Christmas season, and the farm also runs an EGGstravaganza event in spring and a Trick or Treat Trail with a costume contest in fall. The result is a farm that earns its place among things to do in Vernon in all four seasons, which is rarer than it sounds.

---

You’ll find Heaven Hill Farm at 451 State Route 94 in Vernon, with the farm market open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the Great Pumpkin Festival running September 12 through November 8, 2026. Festival hours vary by day, so check the calendar at heavenhillfarm.com or call (973) 764-5144 before you load up the car.