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Ontario Orchards

📍 7735 State Route 104, Oswego, NY 13126🗓 Season dates not yet published for 2026🏷 Free admission

A free two-day harvest festival on the third weekend of September with free parking — excellent value and almost no risk, but it is one weekend a year, not a season-long patch.

Ontario Orchards in Oswego, NY

What you get for the price

Included with admission

Corn mazePick-your-own apples and pumpkinsWagon ridesPony ridesScarecrow makingPumpkin decoratingBouncy housesLive musicExotic animal experiencesLocal craft vendorsApple pie and frittersWine slushies

Admission to the Fall Jamboree is free, and parking is free. Individual attractions, food and u-pick produce are priced separately.

Free to walk in. Your spend here is whatever you choose — pumpkins, food, and any paid activities. That makes it a low-risk stop if you are not sure how long the kids will last.

Our take

The Fall Jamboree is a two-day free festival, and that framing matters more than anything else on this page. It is not a season-long pumpkin operation that happens to have a busy weekend — it is one weekend, the third in September, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm, rain or shine.

Free admission and free parking together are genuinely rare for an event with this much programmed into it: a corn maze, u-pick apples and pumpkins, wagon rides, pony rides, scarecrow making, pumpkin decorating, bouncy houses, live music, exotic animal experiences, local craft vendors, apple pie and fritters, and wine slushies. At a ticketed farm, half that list would be behind a $20 gate.

What free actually buys you

The obvious benefit is the money. The less obvious one is risk. Free entry makes this the ideal outing with a toddler whose mood is not under anyone’s control: if the visit lasts twenty minutes, you have lost twenty minutes and a tank of petrol, not $80. Families who have paid a gate fee stay longer than they want to in order to justify it, and everybody has a worse afternoon for it.

The corresponding cost is that everything inside is priced individually. Pony rides, food, craft stalls and u-pick all add up, and with no ticket to anchor the budget it is easy to spend more here than at a farm with an all-in price. Set a number before you go in.

Rain or shine, and they mean it

The orchard sits in Oswego County near the Lake Ontario shore, and a September weekend there can be considerably wetter and windier than an inland forecast suggests. The event runs regardless, which is good news for anyone who has driven an hour and bad news for anyone who packed for a sunny afternoon. Coats and boots, even if the morning looks fine.

The dates gap

The orchard describes the Jamboree as taking place on the third weekend in September but does not publish explicit 2026 calendar dates, and we could not find everyday fall hours for the rest of the season. Both are worth a call. If you are thinking of this as your October pumpkin trip, that is the assumption to check first — the festival will be over.

Planning your visit

Best time to go

The Fall Jamboree runs on the third weekend in September, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm, rain or shine. The orchard had not published explicit 2026 calendar dates when we checked, so confirm before you plan around it. Within the day itself, an 11am arrival gives you the full six hours and the best of the September light.

How long to budget

Two to three hours covers the festival comfortably. It is a one-day event rather than a full-day park, and the 11am-to-5pm window sets the ceiling.

Crowds

A free festival compressed into two days will draw. The 11am opening and the 5pm close leave a narrow window, so the middle of Saturday afternoon is the predictable peak.

Parking

Free, according to the orchard's own page — which removes the hidden cost that catches people out at larger ticketed farms.

What to bring

  • Rain gear. The event runs rain or shine, and a September weekend on the Lake Ontario shore can be wet and windy regardless of the inland forecast
  • Cash and a card for food, craft vendors and u-pick, none of which are free
  • Closed shoes for the corn maze and orchard rows

How to spend less here

  • Admission and parking are both free, which is unusual for an event with this much on it — corn maze, wagon rides, pony rides, bouncy houses and live music
  • Everything else is priced individually, so you control the spend entirely. Decide on pony rides and food before you are standing in front of them
  • U-pick apples and pumpkins are charged by what you pick, not by the head

Who it suits

Good for

  • Families with toddlers and young children — free entry and free parking mean a short visit costs nothing but the drive
  • Anyone who wants a harvest festival rather than a ticketed attraction park: live music, craft vendors, scarecrow making and pumpkin decorating
  • Oswego County locals, for whom a free Saturday with u-pick apples and pumpkins on the same site is straightforward value
  • Groups of mixed ages, since nobody has to justify a ticket price they will not use

Skip it if

You are looking for an October pumpkin outing. The Jamboree is a September event, and we could not establish what the orchard offers on ordinary fall days outside that weekend — so do not drive out in mid-October expecting the same thing.

Common questions

Is the Ontario Orchards Fall Jamboree free?

Yes. The orchard's own page states that both admission and parking are free. Individual attractions, food and u-pick produce are priced separately.

When is the Fall Jamboree in 2026?

The orchard describes it as the third weekend in September but does not publish explicit 2026 calendar dates. Check with the orchard before making plans around a specific date.

Can I visit Ontario Orchards for pumpkins outside the Jamboree?

Probably, but we could not confirm it. The orchard's pages did not give everyday fall hours outside the Jamboree weekend, so contact them before driving out in October.

When is Ontario Orchards open in 2026?

2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Fall Jamboree runs on the third weekend in September (Saturday and Sunday). Check with the farm before driving out.

How much does Ontario Orchards cost?

Admission is free. Admission to the Fall Jamboree is free, and parking is free. Individual attractions, food and u-pick produce are priced separately.

Where is Ontario Orchards?

7735 State Route 104, Oswego, NY 13126, in Oswego County. It is one of 4 patches we track in Central New York.

How Ontario Orchards compares in Central New York

We track 4 patches in Central New York, 1 of which are free to walk into. Entry here costs nothing, which puts it in the minority even in a region with several free options.

One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 2 of the 4 patches we track in Central New York had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.

Other patches near Oswego

Quick facts

SeasonSeason dates not yet published for 2026
Days openFall Jamboree runs on the third weekend in September (Saturday and Sunday)
Hours11:00am-5:00pm, rain or shine
AdmissionFree
CountyOswego County
RegionCentral New York

Sources

ontarioorchards.com

Checked August 2026.