Four-year-old Sophia gets a boost from grandpa to pick the best apples.
It had been fall officially for a little more than an hour, but Sophia's family was already in full fall mode.
Of course it helps that the weather is just about perfect - sunny and warm, but not too warm.
Garden Patch Farm is packed with people picking apples, peppers, cabbage and just about anything else that grows in this soil.
"I love fall," said Kelli Goodwin. "It's my favorite time of the year. And Grandma and Grandpa decided we should all come out and do it."
"Watched Green Bay get beat a little earlier and come out here and pick apples," said Ralph Goodwin.
It's not quite the Garden of Eden. There are no repercussions from biting into an apple before you buy. But it is pretty serene on this day.
Chicago, of course, has one of most beautiful skylines in the world.. And it's especially beautiful in the fall when the leaves start changing.
But if you want to experience the fall with apple picking and pumpkin patches, you have to get outside the city a little bit.
Garden Patch Farm is in Homer Glen about 45 minutes from downtown. It's a family business and it draws families in droves on days like today.
"Everyone likes to pick apples apparently," said Tony Ndoka, Garden Patch Farm. "We thought people sort of liked it but they love it. Everyone comes out and had a great time."
It might be a little more trouble to pull a wagon full of apples through a bumpy field and a little more expensive, too. But customers say that's the point and it's all part of enjoying the season.
