| |
| Location |  |
| Coordinates | 28°27′10″N 81°40′43″W / 28.45273°N 81.67855°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 12, 2014 |
| Owner | Hill Family |
| Operator | H&A Farms |
| General manager | David Hill |
| Operating season | Fall, Winter, and Spring |
| Previous names | Long Farms (Former location) |
| Area | 185 Acres |
| Slogan | Love Your Local Farmer |
| Website | https://southernhillfarms.com/ |
Southern Hill Farms is a family owned farm and amusement park located in Clermont, Florida, USA.
All of the farm's amusement rides are located in an area called the Kid Zone located on the east side of the property.[1]
Admission to the farm is free, but to ride the rides you must purchase a wristband, individual ride tickets are not sold.
History
The original farm run by the Hill Family, Long Farms in Apopka, Florida, was forced to close in 1999 after an Act was signed by the state government, providing them funding to purchase farms that were causing water containing phosphorus to end up in the lake,[2][3] so they purchased farmland about 20 miles south in Clermont, Florida, and started Southern Hill Farm, a farm for decorative trees.[2]
The farm started planting blueberries in 2010, and these were quite popular with the local community, so they decided to open the farm to the public on April 12, 2014, allowing people to pick their own blueberries from the fields for $4 a pound, and purchase blueberry food items from the snack stand.[2][4]
The farm opened the Kid Zone with rented rides for the first time on October 21, 2016, during their fall festival.
Eventually, the farm purchased its own rides, the first of which opened on October 4, 2019.
Attractions
Operating
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berry Trooper | Frank Hrubetz & Co. | Paratrooper | 2023 |
| Cyclone Swing | Amusement Devices & Manufacturing | Chair-O-Plane | 2019 |
| Pirate's Revenge | Amusement Devices & Manufacturing | Pirate Ship | 2021 |
| Papas Roadsters | Roundabout | 2023 | |
| Berry Go Round | Larson International | Teacups | 2022 |
| Carousel | Carousel | 2019 |
Defunct
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballistic | Amusement Devices & Manufacturing | Chair-O-Plane | October 21, 2016 | 2018 or after | unknown |
References
- ↑ "Southern Hill Farms Website". Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Our Story". Southern Hill Farms Website. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Lake Apopka Timeline" (PDF). Lake County Water Atlas. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Southern Hill Farms". Facebook. April 12, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2023.