Raprager Farms reopens Sept. 18 with fall festival, restaurant

Raprager Farms in Odessa launches its Fall Pumpkin Festival and a new restaurant on Friday, Sept. 18.

The Odessa farm at 16907 Boy Scout Road is billing the date as a grand reopening. Festival admission is $19 and covers farm animals, hayrides, a petting zoo, bounce pillow, corn pit, hay chute slide, a passion fruit maze and field games like cornhole and giant Connect Four. Premium add-ons include axe throwing, a zip line, pony rides and gem mining.

New Chef Brings Fine-Dining Background to Farm

Opening alongside the festival is Whizk & Brew, a sit-down restaurant debuting inside the farm. Jessica Tomlinson, the owner and executive chef, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and cooked at Michelin-starred Spiaggia in Chicago, The Bristol, Ford's Garage and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, among other restaurants, according to the farm's website.

Tomlinson rose to vice president on the corporate side of the hospitality industry before deciding to open her own kitchen, the restaurant said in a Sept. 9 Instagram post. Co-owner Lance Tomlinson and head chef Joe Himes round out the leadership team.

Comfort Food Menu Anchors New Restaurant

The menu skews comfort food. Breakfast options include a birria brisket burrito, chorizo biscuits and gravy, and brown butter buttermilk pancakes. Lunch and dinner feature a smashburger, brisket and frites, and bacon scallion mac and cheese. Whizk & Brew is open Fridays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. No farm admission is required to eat there outside of major festival dates.

Festival Runs Weekends Through November

The fall festival itself runs on select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. Halloween-themed evening programming, including ghost stories, haunted paths and a "Bog Monster" hunt, begins in October after 6 p.m.

Two Retail Chains Join Farmville Village

Two retail chains are also new. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Cold Stone Creamery have joined the farm's Farmville retail village.

Tampa Bay 28 first reported on the festival opening. Tickets and details are available at rapragerfarm.com or by calling 813-606-4242.

Upcoming at Raprager Farms