A brand-new 36-foot slide is towering over DeBuck's Family Farm in Van Buren Township near Belleville, and it's quickly becoming the attraction everyone wants to try first. The Mega Slide, which sends riders zooming down on tubes, has become popular with visitors since its debut, joining a lineup that already includes rat rollers, pedal cars and wagon rides.
Farm co-owner Eric DeBuck said the slide project had been in the works since November, and the payoff has been worth the wait. “Riders jump on tubes and slide down while everyone has a good time,” DeBuck said, according to MLive, which first reported on the new attraction. The slide is now one of more than 20 attractions available to guests at the farm.
A Sod Farm Turned Family Destination
DeBuck's Family Farm opened in 1980, according to the same report, and for nearly three decades it operated strictly as a commercial sod farm before pivoting toward agritourism. The farm's shift began with its first corn maze in 2009, a move that eventually led to floral festivals and amusement attractions, as detailed by Ever After in the Woods. The farm's roots run even deeper than that: the DeBuck family's sod farming legacy traces back to Leo and Eleanor DeBuck in the 1950s, whose five sons went on to launch independent sod operations across Michigan, New York and Wisconsin, per 94.7 WCSX. The Belleville-area property eventually passed to brothers Eric and Scott DeBuck.
That agricultural diversification hasn't happened in a vacuum. Van Buren Township's Planning Commission recommended an agritourism ordinance amendment in April 2024 to support local farm developments, after DeBuck's reported using 113.5 acres for active seasonal attractions, according to the Belleville Independent. Municipal planners adjusted sign and land-use rules specifically to accommodate farms like DeBuck's as they expanded beyond traditional agriculture.
More Than Just a Slide
The Mega Slide isn't a standalone novelty — it's part of a broader seasonal calendar that keeps visitors coming back throughout the year. DeBuck's is currently hosting its Sunflower Fest through August 16, following a tulip festival that ran from late July through mid-August. Those floral offerings trace back to 2017, when the farm expanded into agritourism with a 15-acre sunflower field that has since grown to 20 acres alongside lavender and tulip crops, per WorldAtlas.
Fall brings its own signature draws, including the farm's well-known corn maze and pumpkin patch, along with an apple cannon and a fall festival scheduled from September 12 through October 31. A paintball shooting gallery costs a little extra beyond general admission, which is priced at $16.95 and includes access to all of the farm's more than 20 attractions. Children aged 23 months and younger get in free, and season passes are also available.
Safety Oversight for Michigan's Slides and Rides
Fixed seasonal amusement rides and large slides in Michigan fall under the Carnival-Amusement Safety Act of 1966, which is enforced by the state's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Bureau of Construction Codes. The agency mandates annual safety inspections and oversees roughly 900 carnival rides statewide, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. National injury statistics cited by the agency show that children under 13 account for the majority of amusement ride injuries, prompting regulators to emphasize strict compliance with height restrictions, perimeter fencing and operator instructions.
Large slide attractions in the region have drawn public scrutiny before. Detroit's Belle Isle Giant Slide, a 40-foot structure, made headlines in August 2022 when riders bounced erratically down its metal surface, prompting state officials to temporarily shut it down and re-wax the slide, as reported by MLive. The incident became a viral moment nationally, and it lends added weight to inspection standards for any new large slide entering the Metro Detroit market.
An Economic Bet on Farm Tourism
DeBuck's expansion fits a pattern researchers have identified across the country. The USDA Economic Research Service has found that agritourism operations located near major urban areas generate significantly higher revenues than remote rural farms, largely by offering recreational experiences to nearby city residents. Sitting along Martz Road in western Wayne County, DeBuck's occupies an agricultural corridor between suburban Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, one of the pockets of active farmland that persist despite regional suburban sprawl.
That positioning aligns with broader investment trends in the state's tourism sector. USDA Rural Development poured $889 million into Michigan projects in a single fiscal year, with federal commercial guarantees concentrated heavily in accommodation, recreation and tourism-adjacent assets. For a farm that started out growing sod, the Mega Slide represents the latest chapter in a decades-long transformation — one that, for now, DeBuck's guests seem more than happy to slide right into.
DeBuck's Family Farm is open Thursday and Friday from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Food and beverages are available for purchase on site, though the farm does not have animals and does not allow pets.
