About Eckert's Country Store and Farms

Celebrate Easter on the farm at our Egg-Citementevent in both Belleville, IL and Versailles, KY. Kids will enjoy egg hunts, springtime activities, and a visit with the Easter Bunny in a fun-filled day the whole family will love. IL Easter Egg-Citement KY Easter Egg-Citement Celebrate Easter on the farm at our Egg-Citementevent in both Belleville, IL and Versailles, KY. Kids will enjoy egg hunts, springtime activities, and a visit with the Easter Bunny in a fun-filled day the whole family will love. This Spring, stroll through more than 300,000 blooming tulips, snap unforgettable photos, and enjoy unique seasonal treats. Buy Tickets Now This Spring, stroll through more than 300,000 blooming tulips, snap unforgettable photos, and enjoy unique seasonal treats. From spring through winter, there’s always something to enjoy at Eckert’s! Visit us forpick-your-own strawberries,peaches,blackberries,apples, andpumpkins—plushayrides, outdoor concerts, farm-to-table meals,sunflower fields, andholiday fun. In winter, visit Santa and find the perfectfresh-cut Christmas tree. All year long, enjoy ourfresh-baked treats, homestyle meals, and refreshing hard cider. Our Belleville, IL farm is open year-round, while our seasonal farms in Millstadt & Grafton, IL, and Versailles, KY, offer unforgettable u-pick adventures and events. Check Our Your Farm of Choice Here From spring through winter, there’s always something to enjoy at Eckert’s! Visit us forpick-your-own strawberries,peaches,blackberries,apples, andpumpkins—plushayrides, outdoor concerts, farm-to-table meals,sunflower fields, andholiday fun. In winter, visit Santa and find the perfectfresh-cut Christmas tree. All year long, enjoy ourfresh-baked treats, homestyle meals, and refreshing hard cider. Our Belleville, IL farm is open year-round, while our seasonal farms in Millstadt & Grafton, IL, and Versailles, KY, offer unforgettable u-pick adventures and events. All of our farm locations are thoughtfully curated with family fun in mind. While each of our orchards and farms offers different activities depending on the season, you’re sure to find something exciting and memorable for both kids and adults. Check out the event calendars for our Belleville,Millstadt, and Graftonfarms—just outside St. Louis, MO—and our Versaillesfarm near Lexington, KY, to discover upcoming family-friendly events. From pick-your-own crops, hayrides, and visits with Santa to Easter egg hunts, a country store, and live music, there's always something to enjoy at Eckert’s Farms in Illinois and Kentucky. After 8-generations of being family owned, we can confirm that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Simply put, our job is to provide the most nutritious, delicious food and ensure the same for future generations.

Our Story

Eckert’s Orchards took root in 1837 after Johann Peter Eckert immigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Dietzenbach, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and began farming. Johann’s son Michael followed his father’s instinctive love for the land and settled on a farm that we call Drum Hill, near Fayetteville, Illinois, which is 35 miles southeast of St. Louis. Fruit trees were planted on Michael’s farm in 1862, and then Michael’s son Henry followed suit and in 1890 planted fruit trees on his Turkey Hill Farm in Belleville, Illinois. Henry’s farm is now the hub of the Eckert’s family business, where the family’s largest orchard produces apples, peaches, strawberries,blackberries and other fresh fruit and vegetables and where its Country Restaurant and Country Store operate year-round. Eckert’s retail operations started as a humble roadside farmstand, opened by Alvin O. Eckert in 1910 on the Turkey Hill Farm in Belleville, and have transformed into state-of-the-art facilities, including the Country Restaurant—a dining destination for down-home cooking in the St. Louis metropolitan area—and the Country Store and Garden Center, which carry seasonally fresh produce and plants, home-baked bakery treats, fresh meats and deli creations, gourmet cheeses, specialty foods and unique gift items. ‘The Eckert family also operates orchards and general stores in Millstadt and Grafton, Illinois, as well as an orchard in Versailles, Kentucky. The quaint, rustic Grafton farm sits atop a Mississippi River bluff outside of Alton, Illinois, and the Millstadt Fun Farm is perfect for families seeking a day or evening of outdoor country entertainment as well as apple or pumpkin picking during the fall. Today the sixth and seventh generations of the Eckert family oversee the daily business operations. Jim Eckert, son of Juanita and Vernon, is President of Eckert Orchards and is the company’s chief horticulturist. Lary Eckert, son of Curt and Ruth, recently resigned as President of Eckert’s, Inc., after presiding over the company for 30 years. Succeeding Lary Eckert as president is Lary’s son, Chris Eckert. Chris oversees retail operations, as well as the growing and wholesaling of home-grown produce. Lary’s daughter Jill Eckert-Tantillo is Vice-President of Marketing and Food Services. Angie Eckert, Chris’s wife, is Vice-President of Retail Operations for both the Country Store and the Garden Center. Sign up for something special. Including specials.

From Eckert's Country Store and Farms's website

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Store Owner · Since 1924