Pony rides, a corn maze and fresh-picked pumpkins are drawing families to a 93-acre working farm tucked inside the suburbs this fall, where a weekend festival is turning a quiet agricultural plot into one of Bloomfield Hills' busiest gathering spots. Bounce pads, wagon rides and food trucks round out the scene at what is now called Bowers Farm – Discovery Oaks Park, a name that reflects a bigger change happening behind the scenes.
According to ClickOnDetroit, the fall festival runs Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with visitors able to enjoy pumpkin picking, a corn maze, hayrides, bounce pads, and pony and horse rides alongside food trucks. Tickets are available online at schoolfarm.org. Lou Kavanaugh, a program supervisor at the farm, told the station the event is designed to get people outdoors and build community around the animals, noting that the horse and pony rides are open to nearly everyone who can sit on a saddle.
“Animals are great therapy. They’re great for everybody of all ages, from 2 to all the way to 99,” Kavanaugh said, per the same ClickOnDetroit report, adding that the farm's education team gives visitors hands-on experiences showing what actually goes into running a working farm. Kavanaugh said the response has been strong, with guests eager to learn as they walk the property.
A New Operator Takes Over Day-to-Day Management
What festival-goers might not realize is that the farm just underwent its biggest organizational shift in nearly six decades. In April, Bloomfield Hills Schools approved a 30-year interlocal operating agreement handing day-to-day operations and management of the property to Oakland County Parks, rebranding it as Bowers Farm – Discovery Oaks Park, according to the Oakland County Times. The school district retained ownership of the land and kept priority access for its own educational programming.
The deal also comes with real money attached. Bloomfield Hills Schools and Oakland County Parks each committed $1.5 million for immediate capital repairs, for a total investment of $3 million, the outlet reported.
Roots Going Back to 1967
The farm's story stretches back long before this year's deal. Bloomfield Hills Schools bought the property in 1967 to serve as a land laboratory for hands-on agricultural education. The school board renamed it in 1985 for Dr. Charles L. Bowers. He served as a trustee from 1960 to 1979, according to the Michigan Farm Bureau.
The grounds include the relocated Craig Log Cabin, built in 1834, and the Barton Farmhouse.
More Than a Weekend Attraction
The farm does far more than host weekend crowds. It's home to Bowers Academy, an alternative high school program run by Bloomfield Hills Schools that gives non-traditional secondary students small class sizes inside a working agricultural environment, according to a blog post from Pete Bowers. The Master Gardener Society of Oakland County also runs its largest volunteer initiative there, with volunteer gardeners designing and maintaining more than 21 distinct botanical and educational gardens across the property.
The farm's seasonal offerings don't stop when the leaves fall. A Winter Park program features tubing and evening lights, giving the property a second life once the pumpkin patch closes for the year, according to LittleGuide Detroit.
Part of a Statewide Agritourism Boom
Last October, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development formally recognized October as Michigan Agritourism Month, pointing to how seasonal farm attractions help support the state's broader $125-billion-plus food and agriculture sector.
For Bloomfield Hills families, that statewide momentum shows up in something simple: a Friday night wagon ride, a pumpkin hauled out of the patch, and a pony willing to carry just about anyone who can sit in the saddle.
