For those of you who want a true Floria experience then look no further than Southern Hill Farms in Clermont for a full fun day of blueberry picking, vegetable picking, and much more.
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Southern Hill Farms
Cost: Free Admission and Parking
Hours: These days and times may change seasonally with the crops.
Fridays 9am to 9pm
Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 4pm
Wednesdays and Thursdays 9am to 3pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Getting to Southern Hill Farms
Address: 16651 Schofield Rd, Clermont, FL 34714
Located just 20 minutes outside of the Disney – Lake Buena Vista area is Clermont, Florida. Here you get to learn and enjoy Florida agriculture at its source. Southern Hill Farms is a full day of fun for the whole family. There are lots of different things to do and activities to enjoy that will keep you busy the whole day long.
Whether you are coming from North, South, East, or West, there is one thing to know about getting to Southern Hill Farms, and that is that you will be driving on a clay (dirt) road for a few miles. You will also be parking and walking on grassy areas and roads, so ensure your transportation can handle that. Some of the roads near the farm are currently undergoing paving and so there may be detours set up. Please pay attention to any road markers and check the website for any additional direction recommendations. Some of the roads to access the farm may be toll roads, so be prepared with loose change and/or small bills.
Preparing For Your Day at Southern Hill Farms
As with any outing with the kids, you will always see me (or Michael) with my backpack. You can check out my travel accessories blog post to see all the important things I keep inside. There are a few items that are a must and ones that you will see repeated in all of my Florida posts like blueberry picking, u pick blackberries, strawberries u pick, the maze of corn, and the pumpkin patch. Those items are bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottles, and comfortable shoes that can get dirty. Never leave home without these!
Southern Hill Farms is on a huge plot of land, and you will be walking a lot to cover all the different areas of activities. If your kiddos are little, then you may want to bring your stroller. Many of the areas are accessible for this even in the fields of blueberries u pick. Some areas are not accessible like the strawberry and vegetable picking patches. If you don’t want to bring your stroller with you, then you can always rent a wagon for the day. It’s $8 and the wagon is quite big and will fit a few kids and a bunch of purchases as well as the fruit and vegetables picked.
As with any Florida farm, events are subject to our Florida weather. The weather may impact admission days and/or times, available crops for picking, and even driving conditions, so be sure to check the Southern Hill Farms website and/or social media page before driving out. Southern Hill Farms is also a cashless place meaning any purchases made will either need to be paid for by debit or credit card, so come prepared for that as well.
Vegetable Picking at Southern Hill Farms
When I think of Florida agriculture, I’m used to thinking of fruits like Florida oranges, or strawberries, or blueberries. Even with how many farms we’ve visited throughout Florida, it was new and different to see a farm that had vegetable picking as part of its u pick offerings. It was great to be able to add another vegetable to my kid's palate. They were excited to eat zucchini and squash, because they were the ones who got to pick them out and take them home. At Southern Hill Farms, there were rows and rows of zucchini and squash plants to choose from. You are given a cardboard box and scissors at the entrance, then you only pay for what you pick. No additional admission charge for this field. Come and enjoy the beautiful vegetable picking during your outing to Southern Hill Farms!
Picking Blueberry at Southern Hill Farms
Cost: $5 per pound of blueberries u pick. You are given free buckets that can hold up to 6 pounds of blueberries which must be returned at checkout.
We love picking blueberry! You can read about our last blueberry picking adventure which was at Ever After Farms. In that blog post, I detail how to pick the perfect blueberry and how to store them to keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
This blueberry season we wanted to try picking blueberry at a different farm which brought us here to Southern Hill Farms. They had blueberry bushes as far as the eye could see and multiple different varieties to pick from. There is a map at the entrance which tells you which blueberry bushes are on each row, as well as markers at the end of the row to identify them.
Spend as much time here as you want to pick as many blueberries as you want and eat as many blueberries as you want along the way.
Sunflower Fields at Southern Hill Farms
Cost: Flower Field Pass required to enter. $6 + tax for ages 10+; $4 + tax for ages 3-9 which includes one complimentary sunflower, then additionally it is $2 per sunflower stem.
At the sunflower field, you can do more than just pick flowers, this is also a great place for photos. Sunflowers are such a happy flower and just walking among the tall sunflower stalks can be a great photo opportunity. Before you enter the sunflower fields, you are given scissors to cut the flowers then cut as many as you want to make a beautiful bouquet to take home with you.
Other U Pick Fields
Peach Picking – Spring Season (May) $4 per pound
Zinnias – Spring and Fall Season $1 per flower + Flower Field Pass
Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze – Fall Season
Green Beans and Corn (pre-picked) - Fall Season
Strawberry Picking – Winter Season
Southern Hill Farms is open seasonally during the spring, fall, and winter months. This blog post mainly focuses on the things to do and the u-pick fields available during the spring season like picking blueberry or vegetable picking or even sunflower picking. As our visit was in April, we just missed peach picking since, the peach trees weren’t ready yet for harvest. In the month of May, they open the peach fields for peach picking, so that would be a great time to come if you want to have that available to pick as well during your spring visit.
Free Kids Play Area
At the front of the property is the free kids play area. And I would say this spot is more geared towards toddler ages. Here you will find a sand pit, tire climbing, a tunnel, slides, and plenty of swings (for both baby and kids). The best part of this kids play area is that it is all covered and out of the hot Florida sun.
Right next to the free kids play area, you will also find lawn games like corn hole and connect four. You will even find there are multiple fire pits available with plenty of seating around them to enjoy some s'mores (even if it is hot). For all my gluten free and/or dairy free friends, don’t forget to pack your own s'mores kits with sticks, graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.
Paid Kids Play Area
Cost: $20 (Kids 42 inches and above); $16 (Kids 41 inches or below) for unlimited play and includes entrance to flower fields
Towards the back of the property is the paid kids play area. Here you pay a flat rate fee based on your child’s height. They are given a wristband to enter and then can enjoy unlimited play for the day. Inside is basically a kids’ only county fair. You’ll see tons of different bounce houses all lined up ready to play, like a sports bounce activity area, a bounce house obstacle course, and a kid's only bounce house. There’s also a carousel, a rock wall, a bungee jump trampoline, spinning rides, a large slide, a rocking pirate ship, a large jumping mat, and more. So, if you are spending an entire day here, then this is worth the money for the kids to stay busy and enjoy.
Food Trucks at Southern Hill Farms
Normally, when visiting a farm, I typically always recommend packing a lunch. And I would say that for my gluten free and/or dairy free peeps that still would be the best bet. Or if your kids are picky eaters, then you may want to pack a lunch for them too. For everyone else, on the weekends at Southern Hill Farms, there are lots of food options in the way of food trucks. They normally have about 5 or so food trucks that regularly park there with all different kinds of foods. Food trucks that regularly frequent the farm are Twisted Plates, Willy T’s Crab Shack, A Lo Cubano, Sweet & Salty Island Grindz, Absofruitly, and Papa Diesels BBQ. Plus, Southern Hill Farms has their own food trucks and stands including one that serves popcorn, snacks, and sodas, another that serves refreshments both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, a bakery, and an eatery with salads and sandwiches. These serve their specialty blueberry drinks including lemonade, blueberry donuts, blueberry cobblers, blueberry cookies, and other farm-to-table items.
Seating Areas and Live Entertainment
Southern Hill Farms is definitely prepared to host you on your day out here at the farm, because there are ample seating areas available. Scattered all over the property, there are numerous covered picnic tables for seating. There is even a rooftop deck seating area above the Southern Hill Farms General Store, for a bird's eye view of the massive property. You can also call ahead if you want to reserve any of these seating areas for a birthday party or any other type of gathering.
On the weekends, you’ll have live entertainment to enjoy which is located right near all the food trucks and main covered seating area. Here the kids and/or adults can dance and/or sing along and enjoy the music.
There are permanent restrooms located on the property right between the free kid's play area and the start of the food trucks. The restrooms were very clean and there is a changing station inside too if you need it. There are also port-o-potties located throughout the property too near the kids play area. Don't forget to stop at one of the many photo spots scattered all over the property.
Southern Hill Farms General Store
I love an old southern general store especially when it’s located on a farm. Most of the time this means that you will be getting fresh, farm to table, locally sourced, or organic items that you just can't get at your local grocery store. And the Southern Hill Farms General Store is no exception. Check out all the amazing things they have for sale inside. So, don’t forget to stop here on your way out!
Fruit Picking Blog Posts
If you loved this blog post then you will love these other fruit picking posts on the blog like peach picking in Virginia, blueberry picking, strawberries u pick, u pick blackberries, the maze of corn, or the pumpkin patch. I’ll be adding even more to this list, so stay tuned by subscribing below for up-to-date information and travel deals.
Disclaimer: There are some links in this article that are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, we receive a small commission. This is never an extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
