One of the largest, most picturesque fall farms near Wilmington is Mike’s Farm. Located in Beulaville, NC, Mike’s Farm is just over an hour’s drive from Wilmington, NC.
Even though the Cape Fear region celebrates the fact that the temperature rarely dips below 70 degrees before November, we still rush to celebrate fall. There is something about the change of seasons that offers renewal and excitement. So even though it can still be “swimmin’-hot” during the fall, Cape Fear families (like mine) want opportunities to rollick in pumpkins and flannel. We want hay to tickle our noses. We want to revel in autumn.
One of the largest, most picturesque fall farms near Wilmington is Mike’s Farm. Located in Beulaville, NC, Mike’s Farm is just over an hour’s drive from Wilmington, NC.
While my family flocked there to take photo-card worthy fall photos (backdrops provided by Mike’s Farm), grab a pumpkin right out of the dirt, and take a hayride, it turns out that Mike’s Farm has so much more to offer.
History of Mike’s Farm
Mike’s Farm is currently 80 acres of farm land specializing in agrotourism. Theresa & Mike Lowe started the farm in 1986. Originally, the land was Mike‘s father and was eventually split between Mike and his siblings. The Lowes decided they wanted to do something unique with their part.
So Mike and Theresa left their traditional 9-to-5 jobs (he from DuPont, she from the airport) and started growing Christmas trees. Their knowledge of farming and the agrotourism industry grew as they did, and things began to click.
In 2001, they started a restaurant, which to this day is wildly popular. During our visit to the farm, the wait for a table was nearly 4 hours.
“October and December are our busiest months,” Caitlin Lafferty, daughter of the Lowes and who currently works with them on Mike’s Farm, admitted. “But it is worth the wait.” (Tip: if you want to eat at Mike’s Farm Restaurant, get your name on the list early.)
Lafferty’s aunt helped start the restaurant without any previous experience and used a family biscuit recipe as the backbone. She still works in the restaurant today, which Lafferty said is probably why it is so successful.
“She’s 80-something now, still working here. In the back of the restaurant working are some of just the sweetest ladies.”
Plenty of Tasty Treats
If you can’t wait, though, there is a Mike’s Farm food truck as well as a hot dog stand on premises. There is also a place to buy homemade fudge, so perhaps you will decide just to skip straight to dessert?
The lines for the fall festivities can also be quite long, to the point of overwhelm, but they move fast. There isn’t a fee for entry and hayrides were only $2.00 per person at the time of our visit.
“We try really hard to cater to all ages, not just kids, and we really pay attention to the details, ” Lafferty said. And that is evident.
There is a barn perfect for country weddings, a gift shop that smells like heaven, a small area where goats and sheep and chickens wait to be feed, and a large, grassy area to run around. And if a gentle family hayride isn’t your style, come back the weekend before Halloween. The hayride becomes a Haunted Trail, put on by the volunteer fire department as a fundraiser. As our young, healthy tractor driver told us, “it is scary enough to send grown men running.”
While Mike’s Farm doesn’t really sell Christmas trees anymore (they do have a small patch that is primarily sentimental but, as Lafferty explains, the business of retail Christmas trees has changed through the years), it is a popular destination at Christmas. The 30-minute hayride takes visitors past a plethora of light displays and there is a live nativity. There is also a dinner show, but those tickets sell out about two months after they go on sale in August.
“I just love seeing families come back every year,” Lafferty shared. “It becomes their family tradition.”
In the spring, Mike’s Farm grows strawberries for pick-your-own patches, then takes leftover berries to local Duplin County wineries for strawberry wines.
A Bright Future for the Farm
Mike’s Farm has become so popular year-round that the Lowes are growing again. Currently, they are building a large barn on the site that will be a retail center for things N.C. made. They intend to sell food, coffee, art, clothing, wines (with wine tastings for visitors) and other items that are high-quality North Carolina products.
But despite their success, growth, and the people that come through, in the end, Mike’s Farm really comes down to family. it is not only a place to spend a fall day with your family, but it is a farm that works because the entire family pours their passion into it.
“I’ve grown up here, been here ever since I can remember,” Lafferty shared. “I’ve seen it grow and I am proud to be a part of it now. The work is difficult, we are here all the time, but it is also really rewarding. I hope to carry on the Farm and the tradition.”
Visit Mike’s Farm
www.mikesfarm.com
Hours of operation change seasonally so check online or call before going.
1600 Haw Branch Rd
Beulaville, NC 28518
Phone: (910) 324-3422
For more fun events and activities, view our event calendar, or check out our featured things to do or family guides to the Wilmington, NC area!