What’s New 2010: Advance Adventure Pass
In the remaining days leading up to our opening weekend at Tweite’s we will be revealing some of what is new to the farm in 2010. Before you know it the leaves will be changing color, the air will be getting cooler, and the pumpkins will be ripe for pickin’.
Every year, we at Tweite’s try to roll out something new for your family to enjoy. While there are a few new things this year for you to investigate, one thing we are trying to accomplish is making your trip into the farm quicker and easier. Not only are we improving the ticket purchasing area, but we are now set up so you will be able to pre-order your Adventure Passes.
On those beautiful fall days, when the kids are bouncing up and down, climbing all over you and ready to partake in some farm fun, you no longer need to wait in line to purchase your tickets. Just call ahead with your credit card information and we will have your tickets and receipt waiting at the will-call ticket window. When you plan on spending a day at the pumpkin patch, it is no longer necessary to spend precious sunshine and play time waiting in line. As quickly as you enter the farm you can grab your tickets and move toward the excitement. By the time your kids start bouncing toward Pumpkinville you will be right behind them with your Pumpkin Patch Adventure Passes.
For ticket pricing and farm hours, see the Hours and Admission page.
Advance orders are only taken Monday – Friday during normal farm hours.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
What’s New 2010: Family Photo Center
In the remaining days leading up to our opening weekend at Tweite’s we will be revealing some of what is new to the farm in 2010. Before you know it the leaves will be changing color, the air will be getting cooler, and the pumpkins will be ripe for pickin’.
This year, as you enter the farm you will have an opportunity to have a photo taken of your group. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of fall, we will have a camera and nice fall setting prepared to photograph your group’s visit to the Pumpkin Patch. These photos will be prepared while you enjoy the farm and can later be accessed from the Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch Facebook page.
The photos are taken free of charge as a welcome to the farm and can be downloaded from the Facebook page by simply becoming a Facebook fan of Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch. Make it a family tradition to catalog your annual visit to our farm.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
What’s New 2010: Open Weekdays!
In the remaining days leading up to our opening weekend at Tweite’s we will be revealing some of what is new to the farm in 2010. Before you know it the leaves will be changing color, the air will be getting cooler, and the pumpkins will be ripe for pickin’.
In previous years, Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch was only open to the public on weekends. Weekdays were reserved specially for private tours; especially for educational school field trips. With the 2010 season comes a new schedule for the farm. This year, after opening weekend, we will be open seven days a week to the public! See our hours and admissions web page for schedule details. School groups will still be invited to participate in our educational programs during the week, but we will also be open to anyone desiring to enjoy a beautiful day on the farm.
In addition to an extra five days of fun per week, we’ve also included one extra weekend of fall fun for everyone. A normal fall season at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch includes five weekends, but this year we are planning on six weekends to expand the opportunities for your family to enjoy the farm. With all the additional hours available, you now have much more flexibility to schedule your visit.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
Farm History: A Bird’s-Eye View
The farm has undergone some incredible changes over the last 100 years. Those who began the farm would barely recognize it today. Even people who haven’t visited us in the last five years would likely see some major changes. The following images are aerial images of the farm (with year taken indicated) that show just how much the farm has evolved.
1954
1968
1970
1973
1976
1988
1992
2004
2008
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
Farm History: What’s Next
As the next generation approaches the farm is bound to continue to see more changes as its story builds. Tom and Colleen’s four girls are all out of college and starting lives of their own. They currently have five grandchildren and more on the way. The farm has weathered many storms and tragedies; it has produced many fruitful seasons. The following generations will surely continue to add to the legacy started long ago by Lava and Carl.
Some great ideas are brewing for the near future of the farm, but it will be up to the following generations to set the direction for the decades to come. It has been a pleasure sharing the last 22 years with the public and we’re excited to see how we can continue to bring smiles to your faces in the years to come.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
1 Month To Go!
Only one month until opening day (September 25)!
Stay tuned for more information regarding changes for the upcoming season.
Farm History: A New Direction
If the last time you saw the farm was in 1990, you definitely wouldn’t recognize it today. From the time Tom bought the farm from his parents it 
hasn’t had a year where things weren’t changing.
In 1977, Robert and Jeannette Tweite’s oldest son Tom began to start a family with his new wife Colleen Clemens. They would be blessed with four daughters – Nichole, Danielle, Molly, and Maggie – and an exciting business opportunity that keeps on surprising.
Tom & Colleen started direct marketing produce from the farm in 1988 calling their new business Tweite’s Country Fresh. This was the seed that would eventually grow into Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch. Tom and Colleen purchased the farm from Robert and Jeannette in 1991 and worked diligently to make their new adventure succeed. The farm slowly and steadily transformed from a grain and dairy operation to a produce and agritourism destination.
Over time, the barn became the location for the produce business…then turned into a gift shop…and then later was again remodeled as it is today – a food service and meeting area.
The farm landscape began to see great changes as well. The two silos would eventually be brought down and the blocks used in various places around the farm; such as the famous castle.
As business grew, an assortment of amusement began popping up around the farm. Small hay and corn mazes eventually became the detailed labyrinths you get lost in today.
In the imagination of Tom, a simple cattle stable became the perfect place for a small town play place.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch would also feature various amusements like a giant pumpkin competition, pumpkin painting, magicians, and puppet shows.
It’s been just over 20 years since Tom and Colleen were open for business at the Tweite farm and things have dramatically changed since 1988. To see more of what Tweite’s has to offer your family, take a few more minutes to tour our main web page and check out the series we posted touring the various areas of the farm.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
Farm History: Committed to the Farm
Robert Tweite continued to work on the farm after Marvin Sr. retired. While working hard on the farm, Robert’s eye gained interest in a young Law gal. Robert began a relationship with Jeannette Law and the two were married in 1954; they raised two boys – Thomas and Daniel. Robert had helped his father Marvin work on the farm since he was a young boy. Throughout his life he would see many changes brought to the Tweite farm.
In the 1940s Robert saw the horses used for farming slowly be replaced by new Farmall tractors (which are still used on the farm today). Robert helped build the current dairy barn in 1959 that prominently stands at the entrance to the farm. He rented and planted many square miles of land around the Byron, MN area and saw the landscape 
change as the roads expanded and the towns grew. And as Robert’s son, Tom, took ownership of the farm, he saw it transformed from a small grain and dairy operation into a fresh produce and agritourism farm.
If you visit the Pumpkin Patch in the fall, you will see Bob still working on the farm; driving some of the same tractors he labored with nearly 65 years ago.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
Farm History: Marvin and Son
As Marvin Tweite took over the farm, he met a lovely young woman named Marjorie Houston. The two were married in 1921 and began building a family of three boys and two girls – Marvin Jr., Robert, Mabel, David, and Bonnie.
As did previous generations, tragedy visited the family when Marjorie died in 1942, leaving Marvin with the five children. The children would grow up and begin lives on their own with two of the boys joining the military, but Robert stayed home to farm with their father for many years. After Marvin Sr. retired, Robert would eventually embrace the duties on the family farm.
The time Marvin and Robert spent farming together included a few significant transactions. During the 1940s, many of the tractors you see today on the farm were purchased to improve the 
efficiency of the production work. In 1959, the large white dairy barn was built. The family would expand their dairy operations to a more modern facility. The agricultural business was treating the 
Tweite family well.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
Farm History: Tvedt, Meet Tweite
Martha Tvedt (Lava’s sister, Christophers eighth child), gained the farm through unfortunate circumstances. Upon the death of her sister Lava, Martha and her husband Elef Tweite bought the farm. The Tweite (pronounced the same as Tvedt = T-white) family also immigrated from Norway and settled in the Kenyon, MN area.
Martha gave birth to three boys – Alfred, Marvin, and William – and one girl – Ida. Soon after the children were born and the farm was acquired, Elef died and left Martha to raise four children and run a farm alone. Despite the difficulty, the kids matured and helped their mother run a successful farm.
When the United States entered World War I, Alfred left the family farm to serve his country. While his brothers stayed home, tragedy would strike the Tweite family again. Alfred was killed in battle while his unit was fighting in France. Shortly thereafter, the youngest boy William also died in a drowning accident.
Being the only son left in the family, Marvin helped is mother run the farm and eventually took over to start his own family.
Our purpose at Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch is to enrich the lives of all children and their families by providing wholesome family fun for the young and young at heart.
Tweite’s Pumpkin Patch
In Southeast MN near Rochester
