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I know nothing about Pooley's, but Vala's is a joke. We took our 2 (under 5) kids there last year and it ended up costing damn near $100.

I go to Vala's usually once per season.  About $12 / person to get in I believe.  You can stop your spend there or you can spend all you want but that is the case just about anywhere.  Vala's is the place to go IMO if you are looking to spend a 1/2 day or more.  There is plenty to see and do, much of which has no added cost.  Food and snacks are prices like any other place.  The one thing I would never buy there is a Pumpkin,  Buy them at Walmart or your Grocery store and save a lot over any of these places.  If you are looking to go somewhere to spend an hour or maybe two then go to one of the smaller places.  To say Vala's is a joke is crazy.  The number of cars going in and out of there every day would indicate that if it is, then it is a joke that a LOT of people love.

nebugeater wrote:I go to Vala's usually once per season.  About $12 / person to get in I believe.  You can stop your spend there or you can spend all you want but that is the case just about anywhere.  Vala's is the place to go IMO if you are looking to spend a 1/2 day or more.  There is plenty to see and do, much of which has no added cost.  Food and snacks are prices like any other place.  The one thing I would never buy there is a Pumpkin,  Buy them at Walmart or your Grocery store and save a lot over any of these places.  If you are looking to go somewhere to spend an hour or maybe two then go to one of the smaller places.  To say Vala's is a joke is crazy.  The number of cars going in and out of there every day would indicate that if it is, then it is a joke that a LOT of people love.

I agree, Vala's is a great place to go if you plan on spending 1/2 the day or more.  Other than the admission, it is totally up to you how much you spend.  The also have bonfire sites that you can reserve if you have a group and you can bring in your own food or have them cater to you.

I was with a church group that reserved a place there a few years ago, we brought in our own food and drinks (I can't remember if we had beer or not) There was a lot to do. Of course all the boys loved the Pumpkin Catapult and pig races.

Twiztid1 wrote:Yeah, check out the license plates at Vala's as you walk from your car.  People come from pretty far away.  I'd love to know what its economic impact is.  But I tend to think of other pumpkin patches as jokes having grown up with Vala's.  That especially includes ones in other cities.

I totally agree with the statement about pumpkin patches in other cities.  Currently I live in Cedar Rapids, IA and there is nothing that comes even slightly close to Vala's, which is why I had to come back home for a weekend just to visit it.  On the same Halloween theme, there is nothing in other cities for haunted houses like Omaha has either.  Other cities have them, but not as many and as good as the ones in Omaha.

I stand by the joke statement. It costs $36 admission for us to spend the day at Omaha's world class zoo. Vala's sets us back $52 for a bunch of rinky-dink attractions. $13 for a 2 yr old (or anybody else) to see a pig race and a bunch of other lame tourist trap shat is robbery as far as I'm concerned.

We are going to the zoo tomorrow and Pooley's Saturday. It will cost us $2 more than a single trip to Vala's.

Someone told last weekend that because of all the construction on 370  traffic was back up and moving at a crawl with people trying to turn toward Valas.

If you're going to Vala's on a busy day and don't mind driving on a little gravel, you can bypass most of the line by taking taking 168th St. south past 370 and just following that road. It will eventually turn into Schram Rd. and lead you right to the entrance.

Uffda wrote:Someone told last weekend that because of all the construction on 370  traffic was back up and moving at a crawl with people trying to turn toward Valas.

Living in Gretna I can say that this has been the case the last few years WITHOUT construction.  Just learn to not go that way at some parts of the day.

We are heading to some Pumpkin patch tomorrow, East of CB, south of McClellen, IA

Nice little story on WOWT tonight.  When did Vala's get a Train with a steam locomotive?

We went to Pioneer Trail Pumpkin patch over in Council Bluff today.  Nice place and only $5 to get in.  Its like Vala's was 15 years ago.

ThatGuy wrote:I stand by the joke statement. It costs $36 admission for us to spend the day at Omaha's world class zoo. Vala's sets us back $52 for a bunch of rinky-dink attractions. $13 for a 2 yr old (or anybody else) to see a pig race and a bunch of other lame tourist trap shat is robbery as far as I'm concerned.

We are going to the zoo tomorrow and Pooley's Saturday. It will cost us $2 more than a single trip to Vala's.

In all fairness, one get government grants and millions donated to it.  The other is fully funded by a single family.

joeglow wrote:

ThatGuy wrote:I stand by the joke statement. It costs $36 admission for us to spend the day at Omaha's world class zoo. Vala's sets us back $52 for a bunch of rinky-dink attractions. $13 for a 2 yr old (or anybody else) to see a pig race and a bunch of other lame tourist trap shat is robbery as far as I'm concerned.

We are going to the zoo tomorrow and Pooley's Saturday. It will cost us $2 more than a single trip to Vala's.

In all fairness, one get government grants and millions donated to it.  The other is fully funded by a single family.

Yes and it is still expensive.

Also, one plays an invaluable role in the understanding and preservation of species from around the world, and the other one is someone's |expletive| garden.

Well if you don't like Vala's (and you have every right not to) you are most likely in the minority.  

MSN listed a group of 10 of the top Pump Patches across the US and Vala's has made the list.  I know this is not a end all do all list but to get discovered enough to get on the list  they must be doing something right.

Here is where this story can be found

http://local.msn.com/slideshow/slidesho ... d=30996458

Given the ghosts and ghouls associated with Halloween, October is certainly no time to let your gourd down -- particularly with all the pumpkins out there waiting to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns or baked into pies.

Pumpkin picking also happens to be a family-friendly fall tradition, offering a chance for everyone to get out of the city (or suburbs) and enjoy the farm-fresh autumn air. And at some patches you can do more than pick a pumpkin -- you can also launch one from a catapult or fire it from a slingshot.

Here's a sampling of some of the best places in the country to find a great pumpkin.

Locations mentioned include

Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm, Crest Hill, Ill.
Shady Brook Farm, Yardley, Pa.
Cool Patch Pumpkins, Dixon, Calif.
The Great Pumpkin Patch Express, Bryson City, N.C.
Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch, Lawrence, Kan.
Plumper Pumpkin Patch, Portland, Ore.
Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch, Middletown, Md.
Vala's Pumpkin Patch, Gretna, Neb.
Treworgy Orchards, Levant, Maine
Pumpkin Hollow, Piggott, Ark.


Admissions are listed for these and they range from free to $35 / person.  Of course it touches on the fact that the ones that are free have cost associated with activities once you are there.  Vala's costs seem to be about average.

A) i am surprised there isnt a dedicated vala's thread, and b) we went there again thid year and it was awesome. Leaving, we looked at the maps from previous years and it has grown so much. they added more this year and will have more next year. full lots, long line of cars (probably literally 2 miles long), and it made me wonder: do they release annual attendance figures by year and what economic impact do they have on the metro?

You can only go to the zoo so many times.  First, there are deals available all the time if you plan ahead you can lower the entry price a decent amount.  Second, you dont have to spend a single extra dime if you dont want and can entertain kids for hours.  We got train tickets with the entry deal we bought and did decide to eat dinner there but in past years had brought a bunch of food with us.  I don't begrudge the owners a bit, it seems they are trying to put money back into the place and they basically get one month a year to make a go of it.  Im glad the place is around as an option.

thenewguy wrote:A) i am surprised there isnt a dedicated vala's thread, and b) we went there again thid year and it was awesome. Leaving, we looked at the maps from previous years and it has grown so much. they added more this year and will have more next year. full lots, long line of cars (probably literally 2 miles long), and it made me wonder: do they release annual attendance figures by year and what economic impact do they have on the metro?

We went this weekend for the 5th year in a row.  I think it is a good time with family and enjoy the atmosphere that exists.  Yes, there are a ton of people there on the weekends but you are still able to easily move around and enjoy the experience.

As far as the annual attendance, I think I saw an article about the Hwy 370 expansion and it mentioned that Vala's attracts around 200,000 people annually.

skinzfan23 wrote:

thenewguy wrote:A) i am surprised there isnt a dedicated vala's thread, and b) we went there again thid year and it was awesome. Leaving, we looked at the maps from previous years and it has grown so much. they added more this year and will have more next year. full lots, long line of cars (probably literally 2 miles long), and it made me wonder: do they release annual attendance figures by year and what economic impact do they have on the metro?

We went this weekend for the 5th year in a row.  I think it is a good time with family and enjoy the atmosphere that exists.  Yes, there are a ton of people there on the weekends but you are still able to easily move around and enjoy the experience.

As far as the annual attendance, I think I saw an article about the Hwy 370 expansion and it mentioned that Vala's attracts around 200,000 people annually.

last night on the news, they said they get 15,000 people a day on the busy days.  Same story about not having a traffic light on 180th and 370.

Just to be clear, i love vala's; just using to lot/line of cars to illustrate how much business they must get ;)

Is 168th and 370 signaled? If so, put a turn arrow there, and have your Westbound traffic take 168th South which curves West into Schram Rd., and leads right up to Vala's entrance.

For those who only want are pumpkins, there is a farmer on 120th & Military.   You can go in the field and get your own, or pick from what he has brought in from other fields.  I drive by it every day.  Not much left now, just some gourds.   But all you pay for is what you get.   I took my nephew, and a whole wheelbarrow of pumpkins and decorative gourdes was only $15.

Saw this from 2012 attendance:

Attendance at select non-state park Nebraska attractions, 2012
Henry Doorly Zoo (Omaha) - 1,719,925
Omaha Children's Museum - 253,250
Vala's Pumpkin Patch (Gretna) - 200,000
Lincoln Children's Zoo - 191,093
The Durham Museum (Omaha) - 187,844
Joslyn Art Museum (Omaha) - 142,612
Stuhr Museum (Grand Island) - 64,247
Roca Berry Farm (Roca) - 50,000
Sheldon Museum of Art (Lincoln) - 46,714
Beatrice Big Blue Water Park - 26,473
Bellevue Berry Farm (Papillion) - 20,000
Museum of Nebraska Art (Kearney) - 19,965
Poppy's Pumpkin Patch (Norfolk) - 10,000
Country Harvest Pumpkin Patch (Glenvil) - 8,100
Pumpkin Ridge (Nebraska City) - 6,500
(Statistics reported by attractions and/or NE Tourism Commission)

Vala's planted an apple orchard that I believe is going to be ready in 2017, that should help boost attendance.

Kind of crazy that a 2 month attraction draws more than two solid museums in Omaha. Kids really are an economic machine .

iamjacobm wrote:Kind of crazy that a 2 month attraction draws more than two solid museums in Omaha. Kids really are an economic machine .

Yeah that is crazy....and really it is only 1 1/2 months. I think Tim Vala was quoted saying that it can be tough though putting your whole business in such a small time window. If the weather is bad, especially on the weekends. It can really hurt your bottom line. Not that they are suffering too much anyways, but I can imagine that would be stressful.

iamjacobm wrote:Kind of crazy that a 2 month attraction draws more than two solid museums in Omaha. Kids really are an economic machine .

Not just kids love that place. Adult ding bat women love that place too!

Here's a tip for anyone that goes during peak hours:

Most people take 370 to 180th, evident by the fact that 370 is often backed up for several blocks. If you actually turn South on 168th, it will curve into Schramm Rd., and you will hit the entrance from the East and bypass the traffic. I haven't gone to Vala's in several years, but almost nobody took that shortcut when I went the last time.

I keep forgetting to take that shortcut, although I think traffic has eased some since the lights were installed on 370. The only slow part last year was the one lane bridge on 180th.

Prices went up again! (But in all fairness they did add a Candy cannon this year )

2016 Prices
General Admission on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in October: $17.99 per person + tax
September Weekend Discount Tickets: $13.99 per person + tax
Discount Admission, Mondays - Thursdays, all season: $11.25 per person + tax
Online Ticket Discount for Friday, Saturday & Sunday in October: $16.99 per person + tax
Ages 2 and under are FREE

Paying someone a door fee, so you can harvest their crop, and then they charge you for that as well.

jessep28 wrote:Paying someone a door fee, so you can harvest their crop, and then they charge you for that as well.

I would venture to guess that 95% of the pumpkins, if not more, are grown on other farms and trucked in.

Omaha_Gabe wrote:Prices went up again! (But in all fairness they did add a Candy cannon this year )

2016 Prices
General Admission on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in October: $17.99 per person + tax
September Weekend Discount Tickets: $13.99 per person + tax
Discount Admission, Mondays - Thursdays, all season: $11.25 per person + tax
Online Ticket Discount for Friday, Saturday & Sunday in October: $16.99 per person + tax
Ages 2 and under are FREE

How much did they go up? Those look like close to the same prices we paid last year. Anybody know if they've every looked at how many people from outside the metro Vala's draws? We've got friends and relatives that come in every year from Sioux City, Des Moines and Lincoln.

Greg

I think they were $16.99 last year, but I could be wrong.

Per their Facebook:

Our 32-Hour Ticket SALE is going on NOW! This is our best admission ticket sale for 2016, and we're offering one-day admission tickets and season passes! From Aug. 25th at 9am through Aug. 26th at 5pm, you will be able to buy admission tickets online for $13.49 + tax (That's $4.50 off the October weekend price of $17.99 + tax). These tickets can be used anytime during our 2016 season. And Season Passes are $3.00 off. Limited tickets are available, so get yours while they last!

https://valaspumpkinpatch.ticketleap.com/

Thanks for the post Gabe. I have two young children and that will help save us some $.

Yep, thanks for posting. Bought 4 passes today.

Greg

With all that money Vala's in pumpin in, I would think they could update some of their stuff a bit. I think their robots have said the same thing for the last 15 years at least.

According to Valas, they now have nearly 250,000 for annual attendance.