Center Grove Orchard is a family-owned and operated farm loc

Center Grove Orchard

Center Grove Orchard is a family-owned farm in Cambridge, Iowa, about 35 minutes from Des Moines and 20 from Ames. The Black family planted its first apple trees in 1986 and opened to the public in 1994. Christmas on the Farm, Nov. 28 to Dec. 23, 2026 From the weekend after Thanksgiving through Dec. 23, the farm fills with holiday scenes, hot chocolate and Santa, with thousands of lights on select evenings. Winter Wonderland: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 4 to 20, walk through thousands of lights and visit Santa from 4 to 7pm. Daytime visits include holiday games and the Highland Cows, with horse-drawn carriage rides on select dates. Brunch with Santa: pancakes, eggs and sausage, plus a visit with Santa. PJ’s with Santa: Dec. 21 to 23, 4 to 6pm. Wear your pajamas for stories, hot chocolate and a visit with Santa. Pets with Santa: Nov. 28 and 29, noon to 2pm. Get a holiday photo with your pet. Admission required. You-Build Bear: choose, stuff and dress a plush friend. Requires Winter Wonderland admission. Tickets are limited for select events, so book early. See dates and tickets on our Holiday Events page. In fall, guests pick apples from 34 varieties, find a pumpkin in the patch and get lost in the corn maze, with animal encounters across 25 acres. Our bakery and Country Store carry scratch-made fudge plus frozen pies and crisps to take home. We also host school tours and group reservations.

Story County

Story

Cambridge

Iowa

Center Grove Orchard is a family-owned farm in Cambridge, Iowa, about 35 minutes from Des Moines and 20 from Ames. The Black family planted its...

City offices will be closed all day in observance of Labor Day.

Polk County

Des Moines Metropolitan Area

Ankeny

All City Offices Closed

Politics & Government

Johnston

Des Moines

Urbandale

West Des Moines

Dallas County

Waukee

Ames

Black Hawk County

Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area

Cedar Falls

Linn County

Marion

Johnson County

Iowa City

Douglas County

Omaha Metropolitan Area

Omaha

Nebraska

🌱 Patch AM: Measles exposure alerts include...

Coming up on the Ankeny Patch calendar: Leaf Collection Days

🌱 Patch AM: Measles exposure alerts include Ankeny as Iowa reaches 53 cases

Measles exposure alerts include Ankeny as Iowa reaches 53 cases

Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Measles exposure alert names three...

Spotted on the Ankeny calendar: Leaf Collection Days

🌱 Patch AM: Measles exposure alert names three Ankeny locations

Measles exposure alert names three Ankeny locations

🌱 Patch AM: Ankeny Fareway joins the holiday...

Be sure to catch Leaf Collection Days on the Ankeny Patch calendar

🌱 Patch AM: Ankeny Fareway joins the holiday push for Toys for Tots

🌱 Patch AM: Deere plans to move Ottumwa...

Also check out Leaf Collection Days on the Ankeny Patch calendar

🌱 Patch AM: Deere plans to move Ottumwa production to Ankeny

🌱 Patch AM: Ankeny's Nolte and Sons starts over...

🌱 Patch AM: Ankeny's Nolte and Sons starts over with help from neighbors

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Politics & Government

All City Offices Closed

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff

More from Ankeny

Center Grove Orchard

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Politics & Government

All City Offices Closed

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff<img alt="Verified Patch Staff Badge" class="styles-module-scss-module__AKw7-a__Badge" src="https://patch.com/img/cdn/assets/layout/badges/verified-patch-staff.svg"/>

Center Grove Orchard

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff