County Line Orchard

A large 40-acre u-pick apple orchard in Lake County, established 1990, roughly an hour from Chicago and drawing heavy Illinois traffic - by far the busiest farm in this directory at 4.4 across 4,255 ratings. More than 30 apple varieties. U-pick apples, sunflowers and pumpkins, plus a 10-acre corn maze, a kids farm, bee yurts, a children's train, a country kitchen and grill, and live music weekends. Also a significant wedding venue, with ceremonies held in the orchard itself. Pricing is tiered: a minimum apple purchase covers the tractor ride out to the trees (2025 rates were $10 for a quarter peck, $15 for a half peck, $20 for a full peck), with a separate wristband for unlimited attractions. Bags are provided. Pumpkins are pre-picked. Expect road closures and police-managed crowd control on peak autumn weekends; reviewers recommend late August to mid-September to avoid the worst of it. The u-pick operation runs roughly end of August through October and the orchard is closed to pickers outside that window, though the venue side operates year-round. Directory listings including Tripadvisor still carry a stale "closed for the 2025 season" banner — that's the normal end-of-season state, not a closure.