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✓ 2026 dates confirmed on the farm's own site

Mainstay Farm Park

📍 1004 W. Bethesda Road, Cleburne, TX 76031🗓 September 20 – November 7, 2026🏷 From $19.95/person

The gate price of $39.95 is the highest in this part of North Texas and hard to justify, but the $19.95 advance sale halves it and the $74.95 three-season membership pays for itself on the second visit, so what you pay here is almost entirely a function of when you buy.

Aerial view of Mainstay Farm Park in Cleburne, TX

What you get for the price

Included with admission

Pumpkin patchOver 30 attractionsTexas Big WheelSlidesFarm animalsHayridesBlackberry picking (June season)Honey salesBirthday parties and group events

Single-day admission $19.95 on the advance sale, $39.95 at regular price; a limited pre-season ticket was $23.95. A $74.95 three-season membership (regularly $89.95) covers unlimited visits to the 2026 fall and Christmas seasons plus spring 2027. Children under 2 free. The farm is completely cashless - debit/credit cards and Mainstay Fun Money only.

Rough cost for a family of four: about $79.80 in admission alone at the posted starting rate, before pumpkins, food, parking or any add-on listed above. Most families end up well north of that once they are through the gate.

Our take

The interesting thing about this farm is not its attraction count. It is the spread between what the day can cost you, which runs from about $80 to about $160 for the same family doing the same things.

Single-day admission is $19.95 in the advance sale and $39.95 at regular price. A limited pre-season ticket was listed at $23.95. Two adults and two children over 2 pay $79.80 on the sale price and $159.80 at the gate. Nothing about the visit changes; only the date you bought changes. That is a bigger swing than the difference between most North Texas patches, and it makes advance planning the actual value proposition here.

At $39.95 a head, this is the most expensive fall admission in its part of the region, and it is hard to defend against a $12 to $16 patch half an hour closer to the metro. At $19.95 it is fair for a property with more than thirty attractions. Buy accordingly.

The membership changes the arithmetic entirely

There is a three-season membership at $74.95, reduced from $89.95, covering unlimited visits across fall 2026, the Christmas season and spring 2027. Against a regular-price single day, that breaks even at two visits and everything after is free.

For a Johnson County family who already comes back at Christmas, this is the obvious purchase and it makes the gate price almost irrelevant. For anyone driving from north of Fort Worth for one October Saturday, it is not. One caution before you buy: the material we could see does not state clearly whether the membership is priced per person or per household, and for a family of four that distinction is the difference between $75 and $300. Confirm it on the farm’s own page rather than assuming.

Friday evenings are the underused slot

October adds a Friday 5pm to 9pm window that the rest of the season does not have. It is worth building the trip around for two reasons.

The first is crowds. October Saturdays here run 10am to 9pm, eleven hours built to absorb the busiest days of the year, and they will feel like it. A Friday evening is four hours with a fraction of that traffic.

The second is temperature. Through late September and the first half of October, a North Texas afternoon on an open farm park is hot enough to shorten the visit to whatever the youngest child will tolerate. A 5pm start sidesteps that entirely and gets you the property as it cools. By November the argument reverses and the Friday window is gone anyway - November is weekends only, 10am to 6pm and 11am to 6pm.

One date to note specifically: Halloween itself closes at 6pm rather than 9pm. If you were planning October 31 as a long day, it is not one.

Cashless, and what is actually included

The farm takes cards or its own Mainstay Fun Money and nothing else. No cash, anywhere, for anything. That is the reverse of the policy at some other North Texas patches, and turning up with a wallet of bills and no card is the most likely way to have a bad afternoon here.

Less clearly answered is what your ticket covers. The farm’s FAQ raises the question of whether everything is included and does not resolve it, which is not the same as saying nothing extra is charged - it means we cannot tell you. Treat the admission price as a floor rather than a total, and budget a margin for whatever turns out to sit outside it. If an itemised answer matters to your budget, ask before you buy the advance ticket, since that is the point at which the money is committed.

What is on the list is substantial: over thirty attractions, the Texas Big Wheel, slides, farm animals and hayrides. The property also runs a June blackberry season and sells its own honey, which tells you it is a working operation rather than a seasonal pop-up. Nothing published says whether the pumpkins themselves are grown at Cleburne, and we are not going to assume it either way.

Planning your visit

Best time to go

The fall season runs September 20 through November 7, 2026, on weekends plus Friday evenings in October. Hours shift by month: September is Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm; October adds Friday 5pm to 9pm and extends Saturday to 9pm; November returns to the September pattern. The Friday evening slot in October is the standout - it is the least crowded window of the week and it puts you on the farm in the cool part of the day, which through the first half of October in North Texas is worth more than it sounds. Halloween itself closes early at 6pm, so do not plan a late October 31.

How long to budget

Four hours minimum, and five is better. With more than thirty attractions and a ticket that costs what this one does, a short visit is money thrown away. October Saturdays run 10am to 9pm precisely so that families can spread out; use that.

Crowds

Seven weekends plus five October Friday evenings. October Saturdays, with their 10am to 9pm hours, absorb the bulk of the season's demand and will be the busiest days on the calendar. Sunday afternoons are moderate. The October Friday 5pm to 9pm window is the reliable quiet slot.

Parking

Not published. This is a rural property south of Fort Worth, so assume field or gravel parking and soft ground after rain.

Strollers and accessibility

Not described in the material available to us. A thirty-plus attraction farm park usually mixes accessible paths with slides, climbing structures and hayride boarding that are not. Call 817-295-6772 in advance if anyone in your group needs to know which attractions are usable.

What to bring

  • A debit or credit card - there is nowhere on the property to spend cash
  • Sun protection and water for daytime visits in September and early October
  • A layer for the October Friday evenings, which end at 9pm
  • Closed shoes; slides and farm ground do not suit sandals

How to spend less here

  • Buy in the advance sale at $19.95 rather than paying $39.95 at regular price. That is the single biggest lever on this page: a family of four pays $79.80 instead of $159.80
  • If you are also planning a Christmas visit, price the $74.95 three-season membership (down from $89.95). It covers fall 2026, Christmas and spring 2027, and it breaks even against two regular-price single days
  • Children under 2 are free
  • Assume some attractions carry an extra charge. The farm's own FAQ raises the question of what is included without answering it, so budget a margin rather than treating the ticket as all-in

Who it suits

Good for

  • Families with children roughly 3 to 12 who will actually work through a long attraction list
  • Repeat visitors - the three-season membership covers fall 2026, the Christmas season and spring 2027, which changes the value calculation completely
  • Groups who can plan weeks ahead and buy into the advance sale rather than paying at the gate
  • Anyone who wants a Friday evening outing rather than a weekend one

Skip it if

You are buying on the day. Walking up to a $39.95 gate for a farm park is a poor trade against several North Texas patches charging $12 to $16. Skip it too if you are carrying cash: the farm is completely cashless and takes cards or its own Mainstay Fun Money only.

Worth pairing with

Cleburne sits about 25 miles south of Fort Worth off Bethesda Road, far enough out that the farm is the trip rather than a stop on one. If you want a second thing, make it something in Cleburne rather than doubling back toward the metro.

Common questions

How much does Mainstay Farm Park cost?

Single-day admission is $19.95 on the advance sale and $39.95 at regular price; a limited pre-season ticket was listed at $23.95. A family of four therefore pays between about $80 and $160 depending entirely on when they buy. Children under 2 are free.

Is Mainstay Farm Park cash only or cashless?

Completely cashless. The farm takes debit and credit cards or its own Mainstay Fun Money, and cash is not accepted anywhere on the property.

Is the season pass worth it?

If you will visit twice, yes. The $74.95 three-season membership covers unlimited visits across fall 2026, the Christmas season and spring 2027, which is less than two regular-price single-day tickets. It is worth confirming on the farm's page whether that price is per person before you buy for a group.

What are the hours on Halloween?

October 31 runs 10am to 6pm, which is earlier than the 9pm close on other October Saturdays. Plan the day around the early finish.

When is Mainstay Farm Park open in 2026?

September 20 – November 7, 2026. Weekends, plus Friday evenings in October. Hours: September: Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-6pm. October: Friday 5pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday 11am-6pm (Halloween 10am-6pm). November: Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-6pm..

How much does Mainstay Farm Park cost?

Admission starts at $19.95 per person. Single-day admission $19.95 on the advance sale, $39.95 at regular price; a limited pre-season ticket was $23.95. A $74.95 three-season membership (regularly $89.95) covers unlimited visits to the 2026 fall and Christmas seasons plus spring 2027. Children under 2 free. The farm is completely cashless - debit/credit cards and Mainstay Fun Money only.

Where is Mainstay Farm Park?

1004 W. Bethesda Road, Cleburne, TX 76031, in Johnson County. It is one of 6 patches we track in Dallas-Fort Worth.

How Mainstay Farm Park compares in Dallas-Fort Worth

We track 6 patches in Dallas-Fort Worth. At $19.95 a head this one sits above the regional median of $12.

Its season runs about 49 days against a regional average of 46, so it is broadly in line with the rest of the region.

Other patches near Cleburne

There are 4 other patches we track in Johnson County. All Dallas-Fort Worth patches →

Quick facts

SeasonSeptember 20 – November 7, 2026
Days openWeekends, plus Friday evenings in October
HoursSeptember: Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-6pm. October: Friday 5pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday 11am-6pm (Halloween 10am-6pm). November: Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-6pm.
AdmissionFrom $19.95
CountyJohnson County
RegionDallas-Fort Worth

Directions

Open in Google Maps ↗

Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.

Sources

mainstayfarm.com

Checked August 2026.