Bowers Farm - Discovery Oaks

Purchase Fall Festival Tickets

Oakland County Parks, Bloomfield Hills Schools and MSU Extension are building on the decades-long tradition of innovative environmental and farm-based education and Oakland County Parks’ long history of recreation programming and community service with Bowers Farm - Discovery Oaks Park. This 30-year partnership ensures that the values of hands-on learning, healthy living and community connection continue to grow, making Bowers Farm - Discovery Oaks Park Southeast Michigan's flagship public park destination.

Under the operating agreement, ownership remains with Bloomfield Hills Schools while staffing authority and day-to-day management responsibility transferred to Oakland County Parks. A capital commitment from Bloomfield Hills Schools included $1.5 million toward stabilization of existing conditions prior to OCP assuming operations while a capital commitment from Oakland County Parks includes not less than $1.5 million toward public access and recreation improvements across both Bowers Farm - Discovery Oaks Park and Bloomfield Oaks - Johnson Nature Center, to be expended within two years of full transition. The Park Action Plan will be reviewed every five years and the Capital Improvement Plan reviewed every four years.

• Partnership FAQs
• Discovery Oaks - Bowers Farm news release

Fall Festival Details

Celebrate autumn during the Fall Festival on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. Festival hours are 5-9 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Pick out a pumpkin, take a wagon ride and explore the Cornfield Quest for a traditional start to fall and participate in the apple launcher, haystack climb and visit with farm animals for fun, exciting experiences. The Fall Festival brings the sights, sounds and smells of autumn to life with activities, food and music for guests of all ages. Additional activities include a bounce pad, inflatables, crafts, games, food trucks, live music and a beer garden sponsored by Friends of Bowers Farm and Griffin Claw Brewing Company.

Guests can also look forward to family-friendly entertainment, plenty of photo opportunities and spectacular views of fall colors in a rustic setting.

Admission is $15/Oakland County resident, $19/non-resident and $8/member when purchased in advance. Tickets at the door are $17/Oakland County resident, $21/non-resident and $10/member. This price includes the Cornfield Quest, wagon ride, bouncer pad, hay climbing tower, farm animal visits, live music, inflatables and farm games. Other activities like apple launcher tickets and small, medium, large and specialty pumpkins have a nominal fee. The event will be held rain or shine.

Additional Information

Bowers Farm - Discovery Oaks Park includes livestock operations with sheep, horses, goats, poultry and llama; agricultural production areas; a farm kitchen and market selling farm-grown produce; 75 community gardens; and 21 curated botanical gardens maintained by the Oakland County Master Gardener Society.

The site is also home to two historic structures relocated and restored by Preservation Bloomfield: The 1834 Craig Log Cabin and the 1845 Barton Farmhouse. These pre-Civil War buildings represent some of the oldest surviving examples of pioneer architecture in Oakland County.

Signature events draw regional audiences throughout the year. Winter Park and Glow Tubing has become one of the county’s most popular winter attractions. The Fall Festival includes a Cornfield Quest, pumpkin patch, wagon rides and live music. Farm After Five hosts evening events featuring local craft beverages, while strolling dinners and fairy-house building programs attract families and adults alike.

The farm also hosts an active 4-H Club and serves as a partner site with MSU Extension.

The site sits within the population-dense central corridor of Oakland County, with direct access from Telegraph Road, Woodward Avenue and Square Lake Road, and visibility from I-75. It supports Oakland County Parks’ Mission 26 goal of expanding outdoor learning and stewardship opportunities.