This Nebraska Farm Turns Fall Into Live Pig Races Families Line Up To Watch

Somewhere in eastern Nebraska, past a stretch of gravel and a long line of brake lights, there’s a farm where a crowd gathers on wooden bleachers to cheer for pigs sprinting toward a cookie. It sounds like a joke until you’re standing there yelling along with everyone else.

What looks from the road like an ordinary pumpkin field turns out to be a sprawling autumn operation with fire shows, apple trees, and six miles of walking if you try to see it all. The pigs are only the start, and they are very, very fast.

A Sarpy County Farm That Swells Every Autumn

Rolling ground south of Gretna holds something that stops behaving like a farm the moment September arrives. Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard sits in Sarpy County, close enough to Omaha for an after-school run and far enough out that the drive still feels like a trip.

Calling it a pumpkin patch undersells the scale. Families routinely spend six hours here and leave saying they saw maybe half of it.

One school chaperone tracked six miles of walking across a single day.

The property runs across a hill, so you are almost always heading up or down, and comfortable shoes matter more than a jacket. Wagons and strollers do heavy work here.

What holds the whole thing together is the mix of old and new. Apple trees and pumpkin fields anchor one side, while rides, mazes, food stands, and live performances fill in everywhere else.

And then there are the pigs, which have been racing on this ground for more than a quarter century and still draw the thickest crowds on the property.

The Pigtucky Derby and Its 10,000 Races

An Oreo cookie is the whole prize. That is the entire incentive structure behind the Pigtucky Derby Pig Races, and it works so well that training a fresh batch of racers takes only a few days.

Mark Celesky has run the races here for more than twenty-five years and recently passed his 10,000th heat. He treats the show as part comedy and part lesson, using the track to point out how sharp pigs actually are.

Crowds fill the grandstand before each race, and kids get pulled in as cheer captains for the different runners. The announcing moves fast, the heats are short, and the whole thing resets quickly enough that you can catch one while waiting on a hayrack ride.

Little legs move surprisingly fast on packed dirt. A heat ends before most people finish filming it.

Arrive a few minutes early if you want bleacher seating rather than a spot three rows back on tiptoes. Race times are posted around the grounds and in the park map.

Apple Rows, Pink Ladies, and the Pick-Your-Own Habit

Pink Lady and Granny Smith trees sit toward the back of the property, and filling a bag there is one of the quieter hours you can spend on the grounds. Apple picking comes up constantly among the things people rank highest here, which says something at a place with fire shows.

Picking costs extra on top of admission, as do a few other hands-on activities, but the bag you carry out is generous for what you pay.

One piece of practical wisdom worth borrowing: do the orchard last. Hauling a sack of apples up and down a hill for four hours is nobody’s idea of fun.

Cider runs through everything on the property. Frozen cider slushies, cider donuts still warm, caramel-dipped apples handed over on a stick.

Despite the name on the sign, the orchard side arguably defines the place more than the pumpkins do. The apple tree ride tucked in the back catches people off guard, and it costs nothing extra.

Corn Mazes, Jump Pads, and the Things That Cost Nothing Extra

Once you’re through the gate, a surprising share of the property asks nothing more of your wallet. Corn maze, hayrack ride, jump pads, a corn seed pit, mini golf set up inside a shed, and non-jumpscare haunted houses all come with admission.

The corn maze pulls steady traffic and turns up in conversation more than almost anything else on the grounds. It is not an hour-long puzzle, which suits families with short attention spans just fine.

Live entertainment rotates through the day. Comedy skits, circus acts, live music, face painting, a train ride for the small ones.

Then the fire shows. Actual fire performances at a pumpkin patch, running more than one version in an evening, which is the kind of detail people repeat to friends afterward.

Height rules govern the rides: generally 42 inches to ride alone, with some accepting 36 inches when an adult comes along.

Pay-to-play add-ons exist too, including rock sifting and apple launchers, but skipping all of them still fills a day.

Turkey Legs, Kettle Corn, and the Pie Barn

Smoke from the barbecue pits reaches you before the signage does. Brisket and rib combos come off the smokers, and the mac and cheese has a following of its own.

Turkey legs are a fixture. So is kettle corn, sold by the bag and impossible to finish before you reach the next attraction.

The pie barn deserves its own detour. Whole pies and slices come out of it all season, and it functions as a decent meeting point when your group scatters.

Apple cider donuts sell fast, particularly midmorning when a fresh batch lands. Caramel apples, cider slushies, and hot drinks round out the sweet side.

Fair warning on cost: concessions are priced like a theme park, not a roadside stand, and bottled water lands higher than you’d expect. Packing a refillable bottle saves real money across a long day.

Everything on the property runs cashless. Reloadable gift cards are available at booths if plastic isn’t an option for your group.

Fire Pits, Photo Spots, and the Look of the Place

Landscaping here gets real attention, and it shows in how many people stop mid-path to take a picture. Cornstalk arrangements, stacked gourds, painted signage, and themed corners appear around nearly every bend.

Renting a fire pit for the day is an option, and it changes the whole rhythm of a visit. You get a base camp, a place to thaw out, and somewhere to park grandparents while the kids run laps.

Shade matters more than you’d think on a warm October afternoon. Benches and tree cover are scattered throughout, which keeps a long day from wearing everyone down.

As the light drops, the property shifts character. String lights come on, the fire shows draw crowds, and the hill looks entirely different than it did at noon.

Shops on the grounds sell a mix of merchandise, some of it themed and some of it standard gift-shop fare. Browsing them makes a decent rest stop between attractions.

Crowds, Parking, and Timing Your Nebraska Visit

Parking is the single biggest friction point. The farm operates with one entrance and exit, attendants direct every row, and arriving late on a Saturday means sitting in a line before you’ve bought a thing.

Weekends fill up. Weekdays run noticeably calmer, and weekday tickets tend to come in lower as well.

Going early solves most problems at once. Shorter lines at the pig race grandstand, easier parking, and first crack at the cider donuts.

Long lines show up in conversation about this place often enough that planning around them is smart. Buying tickets online ahead of the drive trims one wait entirely.

Season passes are popular with families in the Omaha and Lincoln orbit, though pricing tiers now include blackout dates on the busiest weekends, which has frustrated longtime pass holders.

Gates open in the morning and the property stays lit into the evening, later on Fridays and Saturdays. Check current hours and the season window before loading up the car, since the operation runs only through fall.

Who Gets the Most Out of a Day Here

Grade-schoolers hit the sweet spot. Enough height for most rides, enough energy for the hill, enough patience for a pig race and a fire show back to back.

Toddlers do fine too, provided you bring wheels and accept that you’ll cover maybe a third of the property. The train ride and corn pit hold their attention longest.

Adults without kids find plenty as well, and going with friends rather than a stroller crew makes for a looser afternoon. Cider, barbecue, live music, and photo corners carry the day.

Someone expecting a small roadside pumpkin stand will be startled. Someone expecting a full theme park will be closer to right.

Worth knowing before you commit: this is a spend-money kind of outing. Admission runs on the higher side, food adds up, and the extras tempt everyone.

Budget-minded groups can eat beforehand, stick to the free attractions, and still walk away with a full day and a trunk full of pumpkins.

Worth the Drive to 180th Street

Head to 12102 S 180th St in Gretna and you’ll find the whole operation spread across the hillside, roughly twenty-odd minutes from west Omaha depending on traffic and how patient you are at the parking entrance.

Season runs September and October only, which is the deadline that makes the calendar decision for you.

Plan for a full day rather than a quick stop. Two visits suit anyone who wants to eat their way through the food stands without sprinting between attractions.

Bring walking shoes, a water bottle, a card for payment, and a wagon if small children are involved. Skip the cash.

What keeps drawing people back is the layering: an orchard that still functions as an orchard, a hayrack ride through real fields, and a pig race that has been running since long before most of the current crowd was born.

For a Nebraska fall afternoon with actual payoff at the end of the drive, this one earns the gravel dust on your bumper.