Can peaches grow in Phoenix? That’s the question I asked myself when I heard about the Phoenix Peach Festival. It seemed unlikely to me that peaches could grow in such an arid climate, but apparently they can. My friend brought her kids last year, so I thought it would be a fun event to check out the Festival with my kids.The Phoenix Peach Festival only happens for two weekends a year at Schnepf Farms. The event has free admission, so you only have to pay for any peaches or food you buy. They offer hayrides to the peach orchards, live music, train rides, carousel rides, and some delicious food like their peachy pancake breakfast, peach cinnamon rolls and more.I read on their website that the event gets packed early. So the morning we went, we got the kids ready, loaded up the Rav4 Hybrid Toyota loaned us, and departed our house by 7am. The drive out to Queen Creek was about 40 minutes, and by then, several of the lots on the farm were already full.My parents happened to be in town that weekend to watch my graduation, so they also came to the Phoenix Peach Festival with us. After parking and walking to the entrance, we immediately got in the line for the hay ride. We didn’t know at the time, but this was a really smart decision. By the time we got back from the peach orchard, the line was very very long and directly in the sun.The kids loved the ride out to the orchard because they got to ride behind a giant tractor. It was also their first time on a hay ride, which was a lot of fun. When we arrived at the orchard, we walked through the lines of trees and let the kids pick some peaches. They ones near the front were pretty small and picked through, but the kids still thought it was a lot of fun to pick the peaches.After walking around the orchard, we headed back to the main area and let the kids play on a playground and also ride on the carousel. This was the first time I rode with them on the carousel, so that was a fun memory. We also checked out some of the farm animals and we were all mesmerized by the peacocks.We had a great morning at the Phoenix Peach Festival. It was a long drive out there, but we were very comfortable since Toyota let us use their Rav4 Hybrid for the weekend. The car drives so smoothly and the kids loved riding in the car because it sits up high and they can see so much more out of the Rav4 windows than our car. Driving a new car with plush interiors and all of the updated technology is always so much fun. The car definitely made the long drive to Queen Creek much more comfortable and enjoyable.If you ever attend the Phoenix Peach Festival, we would definitely suggest arriving the minute they open, immediately going to pick your peaches, and heading toward the back of the rows of trees to get the best peaches. If you’re interested in trying the peach pancake breakfast, get in that line early too! The entire event filled up so fast and the early start time definitely didn’t deter people. The benefit of arriving early is not only to get good peaches, but also to avoid the mid-day heat.
Have you ever been to a peach festival?
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