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"I guess the most fulfilling thing is seeing the children have a good time," she said. "And watching the parents, because we try to give them an atmosphere where they can feel at home."
But most homes don't have THIS much to do. There is a hay bale maze and a sudan grass maze for children of all ages to find their way through, a wagon tour of everything from wild hog traps to historic cabins to growing blueberries, peanuts, sunflowers and of course, pumpkins.
Mitchell Farms is open for pumpkin patch tours until Nov. 6, all day Saturday, Sunday after church, and on Monday through Friday, with group tours by reservation only.
Recently the seniors class from Monticello Baptist Church made the trip.
Church leaders set it up as a secret destination trip, so the group didn't know where they were going before they got there. They were excited to see where they had ended up.
"This is exciting because this is lost to modern-day children," said Don Fava. "They need to see how we grew up."
Meanwhile, Jo Lynn Mitchell's mother-in-law, Nelda, tells the story of the Don't Post Office, which was born when they put a post office in a country store in the Collins area. When the postmaster had to put the name of the community on the application, he put "don't," because "it don't have a name."
The powers that be at the U.S. Postal Service named the post office, "Don't," and it is recreated as a ticket booth at Mitchell Farms.
And another exciting attraction that kept Bogue Chitto's Davis Hart, 6, and his brother Marshall Hart, 3, occupied for a while was the Goat Palace, where three regular goats and a soon-to-be mother goat live in comfort with swinging bridges, a three-story set up, furniture and satellite television.
"They'll eat right out of your hands," said Barbara Harris, who works in the gift shop as she sold the boys some goat food.
The wagon ride around the farm lasts about 20 minutes, and the rest of the tour can take up to three hours, depending on how long people want to spend looking at all the sights.
And then comes the pumpkin picking. Real pumpkin patches don't look like the ones depicted on Charlie Brown specials, Mitchell explained, so farm workers harvest the pumpkins and bring them up to the main part of the farm where they rest in a field next to the Goat Palace, and in front of the U-Pick Market, where visitors can pick their own butterbeans, blueberries, tomatoes, okra and peas.
Mitchell said the farm is not just there to make money for the family and to provide seasonal fun for tourists, but she and her husband Don have found it a good way to teach their three children some valuable lessons.
"They're learning to manage money and deal with the public," she said. "There are days they fuss about working, because we're very busy in the summer, but they love growing up on the farm."
She said she is glad she came up with the idea for the farm tours and U-Pick garden, because it's given her a life very few people get to have.
"There are a lot of advantages," she said. "Everyone can't work with their family. I work with my in-laws and we all love each other."
Anyone interested in more information about Mitchell Farms or to make reservations for the fall tour is invited to call 601-765-8609 or 601-765-8033.
