Why Friday Is the Priciest Day at Vala's for Gretna Locals This Fall

If Vala's is ten minutes from your front door, is there a reason to go on a Saturday? This year the pricing makes that question worth asking. The 42nd season opened to the public on September 4 and runs every day through November 1. The biggest price break of the season isn't a coupon. It's the line Vala's draws between Thursday and Friday.

Out-of-town families plan one big weekend trip because they have to. People who live in Gretna can pick any day. This fall the calendar favors those who go early in the week, pay attention to the October 1 festival changeover, and have a way around the construction on Schram Road.

Friday costs what Sunday costs

WOWT reported on September 3 that general admission is $26.99 per person Monday through Thursday and $45.99 Friday through Sunday. Admission covers more than 50 attractions and live shows. Pumpkins cost extra. The gap is $19 per person. For a family of four, that's $76 for the same rides, the same hayrack to the pumpkin patch, and the same orchard.

Friday is on the weekend side of that line. Many families treat Friday evening as the easy start to the weekend, so it's the day most likely to catch locals off guard. The season passes split the week a little differently, and that difference is where the math gets interesting.

The Bronze pass counts Friday as a weekday, while regular admission counts it as a weekend day. Vala's co-owner Kirsten Fong told WOWT the farm offers weekday season passes "for people who want to come out on the weekdays." Vala's labels its listed admission prices as online discount prices, so these comparisons use the online rates:

1. Bronze at $74.99 covers its cost after two Friday visits, because two Fridays at $45.99 add up to $91.98. On Monday–Thursday visits alone, it passes the $80.97 cost of three weekday tickets on the third trip.
2. Silver at $99.99 covers its cost after three weekend visits, which would total $137.97 in single-day tickets. It takes four Monday–Thursday visits to reach $107.96.
3. Gold at $124.99 also comes out ahead on the third weekend visit, and it's the only tier with no blackout dates or weekday limits.

All three tiers include Season Passholder Day, which already happened on September 3. So anyone buying a pass now is buying the rest of the season, from late September to November 1. That leaves time for a handful of visits.

The week the orchard hands off to the patch

Vala's runs two festivals back to back. The Apple & Cider Festival runs September 4 through September 30, and the Pumpkin Harvest Festival starts October 1 and goes through November 1. This makes the last week of September the last chance for the orchard events. A lot of it lands on the less expensive weekdays or on weekend dates worth planning around:

• Tuesday, September 22: Awana's Day, with $13.50 admission for the family when the student wears an Awana shirt or uniform.
• Wednesday, September 23 and September 30: Music Bingo, per the official calendar.
• Thursday, September 24: 4-H Day, with $13.50 admission when the student wears a 4-H shirt or shows membership.
• Friday, September 25: The last Friday fireworks show of the Apple & Cider Festival, at 9 p.m.
• Saturday, September 26: The last Bluegrass & BBQ Saturday.
• Sunday, September 27: The last free butterfly release.
• Through Sunday, October 4: Sunset Orchard Cider Tastings on September 25–27 and October 2–4.

Homeschool Days also continue September 28–30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This fall's new additions are open during both festivals, which works in favor of weekday visits. KETV reported at the September 4 opening that the new features include the Seven Seas mini-golf course, the Pony Express spinning coaster and a swinging pirate ship. Vala's attractions page calls the ship Cap'n Elias' Pirate Ship. KETV also reported that Vala's is serving beer for the first time in the farm's history, along with a bottled wild-berry cider soda. You can try the new coaster on a Tuesday for $26.99.

In October the schedule moves to pumpkins. The Pumpkin Harvest page lists Witch's Night Out for October 2 through 4. Check with Vala's before planning around it, since parts of that page have not been fully updated for 2026. Trick-or-treating runs October 30 and 31 starting at noon, and Pumpkin Destruction Day closes the season on Sunday, November 1.

Three October Saturdays work differently

October 10, 17 and 24 are all Saturdays. They're the three blackout dates for the Silver pass. Vala's doesn't give a reason on its ticket page or in its pass terms. For a Silver holder, those dates simply aren't available, which leaves Gold or single-day admission.

This connects back to the weekday math. If your family is looking at Silver for flexible weekend visits, the three October Saturdays it excludes are right in the middle of the Pumpkin Harvest Festival. A Silver holder who prefers weekends still has Fridays and Sundays in October. A Bronze holder can go any day Monday through Friday. The three passes cover three different kinds of weekly routines, and the right one depends on which days your household is free.

The last weekend of the season works a little differently. Vala's lists a 35% discount for October 30 through November 1. That weekend also has trick-or-treating and Pumpkin Destruction Day, so it's the one weekend of the season that comes with a built-in discount.

Whichever day you choose, bringing your own food helps keep the cost down. Fong told WOWT:

"We also allow people to bring in their own food and beverage. So we hope that people can make it in here, even if they're on a budget."

With weekday admission plus a cooler from home, a local family can visit several times this fall for about what a single weekend trip with concession food might cost.

Getting there while Schram is still a work zone

A weekday visit only saves time if the drive is easy, and Schram Road is still under construction. The work between 186th and 189th Streets is the City of Gretna's Schram Road Improvements project, and Graham Construction is the contractor. The council awarded the $849,177.85 contract on April 7, 2026. The work includes a bridge replacement, concrete paving and 1,750 linear feet of storm sewer. The bid documents listed substantial completion for August 14 and final completion for August 28, 2026, subject to extensions approved by the city.

The project was still active after those dates. On September 1, the council approved Graham's first pay request of $227,440.80. Schram closed between 186th and 189th for passholder day on September 3 and reopened at 4 p.m. on September 4. KETV noted it would remain an active construction zone after reopening. We haven't found an updated completion date, so expect conditions to change from week to week.

KETV's suggested route for drivers coming from Highway 370 is 168th Street or 180th Street to reach Vala's at 12102 S. 180th Street. If you're thinking about the Friday, September 25 fireworks, keep in mind that the park stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. A work zone after dark with a car full of tired kids is one more reason a Tuesday afternoon visit is easier.

The 204th Street and Schram Road project is a separate proposal. It covers Schram from 192nd to 204th Street, and it isn't the job near Vala's.

Before or after, close to home

Since you're already near 180th and Highway 370, you can easily make an afternoon of it. Marrow, at 17870 Oakmont Drive, Suite 106, serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. KETV lists Saturday hours of 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday hours of 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., so brunch before a morning at the patch works well.

On the west side of town, Hollister's grand opening at Nebraska Crossing is set for 10 a.m. on September 25, the same day as the last Apple & Cider fireworks show. Kalamata, a Mediterranean grill and bar taking over the former Voodoo Taco space, is still listed as opening in fall 2026, with grand-opening details to come.

For most Gretna households, the least expensive way to enjoy this season is a Monday-through-Thursday visit, planned before September 30 if you want the orchard events. After that, it depends on whether your family is free on the three October Saturdays the Silver pass skips.

Living close to places like Vala's is part of what makes a neighborhood feel like home, and knowing a community at that level helps when you're thinking about a move. If you're weighing a home in Gretna or anywhere in the Omaha metro, BHG | The Good Life Group can walk you through it clearly and on your schedule. Contact a Good Life Group agent.