By Miles Flynn | Southern Indiana Business Report
LOOGOOTEE — Along with the chill in the air and the leaves putting on their annual show, the arrival of fall also means another season of family fun at Lark Ranch. The destination in rural Loogootee got its start two decades ago, and its creator, attorney Matt Lark, launched the attraction as a way to get to know people while also incorporating his lifelong love of agriculture. (His parents farmed in nearby Shoals.)
A winning strategy for growth
Adam Lark, Matt’s son who now runs the property with his older brother Kyle and younger brother Eric, told Southern Indiana Business Report that his father probably never dreamed during those early days as a new attorney and budding agri-tourism entrepreneur just how big the Lark Ranch experience would grow.
What began with a corn maze and pumpkin patch now fills 80-100 acres of the 550-acre farm; requires 40-70 employees; and boasts amusements including a carousel and swings, horse rides, a track for pedal go-carts, hayrides, all sorts of slides and jumping attractions, and an 80-passenger miniature train that gives guests a view of the property. “The train ride is probably our crown gem,” Adam said.
The goal all along has been to reinvest as much money from the park as possible back into its expansion. By providing visitors with something new to experience every year, Lark Ranch sees families come back season after season. “We want to create a bit of a family tradition,” Adam said.
The other component of that approach is to provide hours of fun for a competitive price. This season, Lark Ranch raised its all-day Saturday and Sunday pricing to $15. However, prices for Friday nights remain at the $10 level. For what all a family can do at Lark Ranch, Adam said, it’s a tremendous value.
So far, the strategy has been very successful. Lark Ranch regularly draws visitors in from a two-hour radius and has seen some folks come from as far as Saint Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati, Ohio. This season, the attraction is on pace to serve about 40,000 guests over the course of its seven weekends of operation. Adam said the figure is typical of what Lark Ranch has seen the last few years. (The desire for outdoor fun during the COVID year of 2020 helped drive supernormal numbers of almost 50,000, however.)
Looking ahead, Adam said the family is now considering ways to expand outside the fall season with the help of new activities and themes. The family also rents out rides in the attraction’s off season for local festivals and happenings.
A helping hand for charities
In addition to reinvesting proceeds into more visitor experiences, the Lark family also uses the attraction to help charities. A big beneficiary is Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Traditionally, Lark Ranch has donated a set percentage of gate proceeds each year to Riley. Lark Ranch also helps out the IU Dance Marathon for Riley. Plus, children who are currently patients at Riley Children’s Hospital, or who have been patients in the last five years, get free admission to Lark Ranch. All families have to do is let admission staff know upon arrival.
The family connection to Riley runs deep. Adam explained an older cousin of his was born with a congenital heart defect and was a Riley patient herself. Thanks to treatment from the hospital, she was able to experience more of life, including time spent at Lark Ranch, before passing away at age 12. “Without Riley, she never would’ve had those years,” Adam said.
Other ways Lark Ranch helps include school field trips and providing free pumpkins and other items for good causes, including the Indianapolis Zoo’s annual Zoo Boo event. For Zoo Boo, Lark Ranch typically gives approximately 500 pumpkins and 400 bales of straw.
Success spawns new location
The success of the Looogootee location spurred the Lark family to open another Lark Ranch, just east of Indianapolis in Greenfield, in 2008. That location is run by Matt, the creator of the original concept. Adam said the property is near the home of his grandparents and has involved them. Although his grandfather passed away in 2012, his grandmother still enthusiastically lends a hand every weekend. His aunt and cousins are also helpers. Employment and visitor numbers for the Greenfield location are now just about even with what’s seen at Loogootee.
Now, the Lark family is exploring the possibility of adding a third location near the Louisville, Kentucky, area. Plus, Lark Ranch’s success is also being used as a model by other entrepreneurs. The Larks are members of an industry association of corn mazes and similar attractions. That group is set to come to Indiana this year and will be making visits to both Lark Ranch locations.
For the Larks, the growth of Lark Ranch into a perennial family favorite that’s enjoyed sustainable growth and been able to give back in major ways has been an amazingly gratifying experience.