Elgin Christmas Tree Farm

Great fun great family fun. it was our first time cutting down our Christmas tree and we had a fun time. The workers there are friendly and helpful with anything you need from borrowing a saw to cutting your Christmas tree, to preparing it, to take it home. I would highly suggest that a trip to the tree farm would be the beginning of a new tradition. I know I will be returning this year

Took my wife and 4 year old son. It was the first time I have been there sense I moved to Texas eight years ago. It was a week day about 11:00 am. We walked through the gate and the man asked what size tree we wanted. We told him we wanted to look around first before we decided anything. My wife and son had never been there before. It seemed so run down from when I was there before. There was nothing going on and the only ones there besides us was a church group. My wife wanted to look in the little chapel to maybe buy a few things. The door was locked. The owners were across the way there and I over heard the wife ask the husband if we had purchased a tree. He said no, she said well I guess they won’t be getting in the chapel then. My first thought was what a «B.ch», glad I’m not married to that. Then I thought well it doesn’t look like there doing that well and the place just looks bad so maybe they haven’t done that well this year and she is frustrated. I told my wife lets just go, this place sucks. I’m glad my wife didn’t hear what she said because it would have been bad. You just don’t treat people, especially potential customers that way. I will never take my family there again or have anything good to say about it.

Ahhhhhmazing service! So friendly and helpful. They greeted us as soon as we walked in. They had great selection of trees. We got to chop our own but they trim and tie them for you. There’s a Christmas cottage with ornaments and other goodies. A must see before you leave! We will absolutely be back next year!!!

First time at the farm today. We arrived at 5 & they close at 5:30 & we drove from 1.5 away. We were a little nervous they wouldn’t let us in and they welcomed us with open arms. They even held the hay ride for us to run to. We took our 3 toddlers under 5 & our pup (on a leash).
The kids had so much fun petting the (very well fed) donkey and lambs and mostly cared about running around the trees. There was tons of outdoor swings & play areas for them & honestly, they’re kids, they will get muddy & dirty & that’s okay cause we were there to have a fun & cut down a tree! Baths later!
They provided a good saw and came to pick us up right when we cut our tree. The guys working unloaded our tree when the hayride arrived back to the front & shook out all the pines and wrapped it up nicely for us. We completely forgot rope to tie down the tree & they showed us where they had a ton of free twine. The guys carried the tree & put it on our car, basically did everything for us & it was now 35 mins. past their closing. No pushing us out, no turning off the lights, they were so respectful and helpful. We had a 8.5 foot tree today from Elgin and we paid $ 70. (Last year we lived in another city & we bought a 7 foot tree from outside Lowe’s & it was $ 95.womp.) Great deal for us & love supporting these farmers so we were totally okay with the price! The experience for the kids is priceless.
On the way home my 5 yr old son yelled, «we are SO doing this again next year» & that’s exactly what this is all about.
After reading some of these negative reviews it really seems like some of these people sit on their computers & get satisfaction of Unilocaling all day something that is completely irrelevant to them or just want something to complain about, my goodness. (Ahem.Tony B + Dee C.) You gotta watch out for these people and make sure they don’t turn you away from actually experiencing great places, like this one.
Thanks Elgin for helping us make new memories & traditions to come!

First Time at Elgin’s Tree Farm. Awesome experience! No tools needed, (string included) Hayride to trees. They provide you with a Tag (that has 2 pieces detach) so when you cut your tree they will give you a the other half of the tag and carry it for you to the hayride, As you arrive, Elgin’s awesome staff will get you tree clean, and wrapped ready to go home. Our tree is «7. Price was much less than what we have paid previous year «supporting local charities», which We rather support local farms.
One Tip: Bring Blanket to put it under your tree if you are using the top of your car.

We had a great time at the pumpkin festival-​highly recommend! I used a coupon for 1 free child which i received for signing up on their email list. Loved the crazy maze, hay maze, corn maze. The timing was perfect when riding the hayride — we stopped, got face painting, then took the 2^nd stop, went through the maze, & were ready as soon as the next tractor came. There were LOTS of photo ops & it was perfect for our group which included a 10, 6, & 4 yr old. Also the kids loved the duck races which we did last while enjoying lemonade. There were reasonably priced snacks available.
**I admire the marketing strategy, that buy offering this fall activity, u are touring the christmas tree farm & can make plans for a return trip in about a month**

Two weeks ago we went to Sweet Berry Farms and did the same exact things. The difference between the two was at Elgin we were expected to separate from our group and do our own things, go around other groups that were larger even when we arrived first at a location, it was not organized, the kids had more «washable» marker on themselves than the pumpkin because it did not stick to the pumpkin, small ones were expected to sit through THREE stories… the last story they are encouraged to «scream» through the story. The train was small and there were 100s there. We had paid to enjoy this trip and simply left because of the experience. NOTE: We went there with several moms and a MOPs group and a worker said they preferred the public school group because there were less mothers in the group. None of the mothers said anything to Elgin but I can guarantee I won’t be returning. We went as a group, expected to stay a group, and expected someone to walk us through so that the kids could participate in all the activities. If I wanted 20 photo ops I can do that on my own.

I am really surprised by all the great reviews for Elgin Christmas Tree Farm. I have been twice now, both on field trips with my childrena and I was very dissapointed. The other parents that were with me also agreed we would never go back. The first time I went, was for a field trip during October. The animals are in very small quarters, the horse had a runny nose and was laying down on its side the entire time we were there. It was obviously sick and very skinny. There were no signs indicating that it might be a rescue horse or being treated. It was very disturbing to see. The hay ride was fine, except that they didn’t tell us that they would be dropping us off and we would have to walk about ¼ mile to get back to the main area. It is October in Texas and very hot. We had all left our water bottles at the picnic tables, with the idea that the wagon ride would take us back to where it picked us up.
I just recently went again for another field trip in December. I was surprised to find the horse still alive but still looking way to thin and unhealthy. This time, the wagon ride did take us back to where we started but the ride itself was terrible. The «haunted trail» at Halloween was still part of the ride, except most of the Halloween decorations were falling apart and very sad looking. How hard would it be to spend $ 20 at the Dollar store and hang up some bulbs and other Christmas decorations? The picnic area was horrible with hornets everywhere.
Both times we were there, the rubber duck races were broken. The crazy maze had panels that were broken and laying flat. The area near the hay maze has a bunch of little tricycles, all of which are broken. There was also a large tractor right near the hay maze. The kids of course all started playing on it until a teacher noticed the key was in the ignition!
Never, ever going back to this sad excuse for a tree farm.

I think I would probably appreciate this place more if two variables were different…
1. I had kids
2. I liked Christmas
I think it’s cool that you can go pick your own live tree and cut it down. I also like the fact that their methods are organic and sustainable. Hell… high praise for the varieties of trees.
The simple fact is, however, that I don’t see the point of spending THAT much money on a temporary display of holiday cheer. Sure… we could make the various arguments about…
…once a year.
…holiday spirit.
…local blah blah blah…
I guess I’m just a big ol’ Scrooge.

We’ve been going to this farm for several years to chop our own tree. It was slim pickings last year, due to the drought. But, we just returned from a trip out there this morning and they have a ton of beautiful trees! It was very busy as it was the day after Thanksgiving but lines moves quickly and it was a fun, festive atmosphere! Close to Austin, the freshest trees you’ll find and a fun adventure.

Been here a few times and always enjoy it. Really neat place and friendly people. I will continue to recommend The Elgin Christmas Tree Farm to my family and friends.

Maybe my expectations were a little too high??? It was a Kindergarten field trip. Which is why I think I expected a little more… possibly?
To start. It felt like we were frowned upon for apparently arriving 30 minutes early. which is interesting enough since the time has been the same since we learned about the trip to begin with. Whose fault? Not sure. Don’t care either. Doesn’t really matter much. If 30 minutes was that crucial when the trip was planned 3 weeks ago. Then that doesn’t say a lot about the planning g and organization. Which leads to the next problem.
Seemed like it took forever to get the schedules right for who was eating where and what time. Again.3 weeks notice here. When it was finally figured out… it started rolling…
moving on.
The got to do the hay maze first. It was a lot of fun! Probably the best thing of the trip.
10 minutes… Dangit. Lol
Moving on…
They planted seeds.. that was cute and fun. but I think too much time was spent there… talking took longer than the work from 36(ish) kids (which leads to another problem I will later discuss)… Some of that talking was getting all the little ones psyched up for the crazy maze. Oh boy I can’t wait!
Moving on.
Next was a lesson about plants which was shared by 3^rd graders (apparently they were 30 minutes late) so we have very small minds with those who pretty much know. Makes it kind of cater to anyone since the levels in which they sit are so far apart (maybe that’s just my opinion… I dunno)…point being… the lecture pretty much lost the interest of the kinder classes… I mean it was far too fast and the verbiage was good for the older kids. Not exactly conveyed for ⁵⁄₆ year old minds. The book that was read was EXTREMELY rushed through. As an adult I didn’t catch half of it. Whatever. So at this point parts if this event seemed rushed, yet we spent a good amount if tune there… I mean there 4 classes. Now… During this time we are told our schedule… that apparently was supposed to happen in the course of 1 hour. Hay ride. Lunch. Crazy maze. Bean bag toss. Pumpkin throw. Duck races. Playscape (up front).
Moving on.
It was time to go take a hay ride and eat lunch. Well… The ride consisted of virtually no hay. :-) just wooden wagon/​trailers hitched to a tractor. Now… at first. It was great. But after a while.. well. A tree is a tree. And not to terribly exciting for a bunch if kids. They found more interest in trying find ant beds in the sand. Point is… He ride was FAR TOO long. But would have been great if it were shorter.
Now. … Drop is off is way in the back right corner where there are picnic tables and an old beat up wooden playscape… that is quite obviously never maintained. It is now noon. The kids eat and are allowed to play for a bit… until the wood starts coming off the playscape… with big fat screws and all hanging out. Really? The slide was ready to fall off too.goodness.
Time to move on. We have to walk back to the farm. Joy. Hurt kids from the playscape… tons of sand. Wind blowing like crazy. Not fun. At all. Made our way back. Time to do the bean bag toss/​pumpkin throw… Split the kids up… let them go for it. Each one gets one turn. Its 1250. Time roll out. So the play on the scape for the last 10 minutes. as they didn’t have enough time for any other activity.1pm hits. Time to leave.
No crazy maze
No duck races
No turns on pumpkin/​bean games
Some disappointed kids. And parents alike.
Over all?
Well… I personally would not recommend a field trip there. For sure. However… I do look forward to going with my kids as a family. not an organized group…
We will visit the pumpkin fest again this year. And we will get our tree there again this year. No more field trips. …of course. I have no say in that. Lol. I’m only a parent.

I organized a trip with two other moms for a bunch of twin and triplet families. The owner was great to work with, and we had over 100 people there in our group.
Overwhelmingly, our group had a ton of fun and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! There was a hayride, train rides, pumpkin painting, tons of different areas to take photos with hay bales, pumpkins, scarecrows, ec, so there was never a line.
In addition there were tons of other places to take photos, animals to see and pet, two different mazes, and a PLAYSCAPE.
I loved that it was pretty compact, so i did not feel like my little ones could get lost.
It was a really great day, and we will plan to make it an annual event!
It’s the happiest place ever!

A great place to spend a beautiful day outdoors with young children. We went for the pumpkin festival, and there were more activities than we had time to enjoy. But the change of pace alone was nice. Everyone out there is very friendly and helpful, and there is a ton of space to wander, take a hayride out to the area where they have sand painting or storytime, run through any of several mazes, throw beanbags at targets, eat homemade goodies, paint pumpkins. My kids started by jumping on the haystacks before we even got in to the place. Nice, easy family time. Don’t go expecting to be entertained like you’re at a carnival. Go expecting to enjoy the outdoors and let your kids have some freedom and explore.

The workers were nice. But our family unfortunately did not enjoy are time. We have never paid an entry fee at other places we have been and this seemed like a big rip off. There was a hay ride, games, and viewing of animals included. All of these were disappointing. Reading the reviews we decided to take the hour trip out. Its a shame that it was nothing like we pictured. The farm seemed more geared towards Christmas not fall. I dont like to give bad reviews but I would not want anyone else «wasting» money here. Two hours roundtrip, 1 uneventful hour, $ 18 admission, $ 16 for small pumpkins later.

Loved this Pumpkin Fest outing with my toddler. Admission is $ 8 for adults but there are coupons for free child admission if you join mailing list. Lots of great photo opps in the pumpkin barn and tons and tons if activities that are included in the admission. We loved the hay ride, trains, feeding Zachary the pig, playscapes, hay mazes, duck races, and so so so many other things to do. You can easily spend an entire day out there and they allow food to be brought for picnics also. Definitely a great value the money!

Such a great experience! We went WAY after Thanksgiving so all of the good trees were gone and picked. It’s such a unique place, no wonder people head out there early!
Leave your dogs at home. I brought our 38lb Border Collie and had to carry her most of the time because the pricker stickers were awful. They are really, really sharp and I spent most of my time pulling them off her paws and stabbing myself to the point of bleeding!
They had plenty of trees shipped in from the Carolina’s which was great. We headed home with a lovely 8 and a half foot tree, packaged and trimmed to our liking.
Buy your tree stand ahead of time, theirs are not very ascetically pleasing and are a bit more expensive then buying somewhere else.

We drove down this past Sunday after finding this tree farm on Unilocal.
It is our first Christmas in Austin, our first christmas together and we wanted a really special experience.
We were a bit taken a back at how busy the farm was, but the wait was only a minute or two. A tractor with an attached trailer w/​haybales to sit on arrived and we climbed aboard. They dropped us off in the middle of a field where we were free to look around til we found the perfect tree. That was hard b/​c of the drought. Also we were looking for a more traditional Christmas tree look but only found pines. They also have Leland Cypresses for sale, which we’d seen in their little display that had their selections, but for whatever reason no one told us these were only in the very front field (no tractor needed to get to). This is really the only reason that I didn’t give them 5 stars.
After awhile, I got very frustrated I couldn’t find the «perfect» tree (NEVER TAKE A PERFECTIONIST TO PICK OUT A CHRISTMAS TREE). Bless my dear sweet fiancé, he never raised his voice or got frustrated with me. Finally I found one I could just settle for. We’d only intended to get a small 5 – 6 ft tree but ended up with one thats 8ft tall. It was still very reasonably priced at $ 42.
After picking it out, we cut it down, hauled it down to the end of the row, and the the tractor picked it up, took it up to the front. The staff put it in a machine that shook all the dead needles off, they bagged it up, we paid for it and brought it home.
We don’t have any kids but they seemed to have lots of great activities for kids– a maze, swingsets, ride on trikes, a picnic area, and a petting zoo. We are looking forward to bring our future kids here in the years to come.
**ONE NOTE– IF you bring your dog here (we brought ours), be sure to get them some booties. We didn’t think about it, and as a result our dog ended up with needles all in her little paws. She enjoyed the experience anyway.

We’ve gone here for years. Freshest. tree. ever. The farm is family owned and organic. Quick highway drive from Austin just past Elgin.
This year, we went on a Wednesday. Uh oh, we thought, when we saw the three yellow school buses. A PS field trip. But it was cool. We walked up and saw the petable animals and had our own tractor-​pulled hayride to take us out to the field.
The field hand told us we could cut a tree in the «discount» field. Trees start at 24 dollars there. Good price. We remembered to bring some work gloves; they provide the hack saw. We rode to the field with another family; they took pictures of us.
We wandered the fields under huge perfect TX skies and found it: THE tree. My guy hack sawed it down and the tractor came ’round to get us plus our tree.
They have a concessions area but we didn’t visit it: expect Elgin dogs, hot choc, and etc. Our boys played on the swing set and the straw bale tractor. They also have an old house cum Xmas accessories shop to woo your spending. Our beautiful tree cost 30 dollars plus. Amazing. They shook the dust and extra needles from it and loaded it for the drive back. Easy drive from central Austin, especially if you live east as we do.
Makes for a memorable holiday tradition. No smoking or alcohol. Pets on leash only.