A family-activity-heavy cut-your-own farm with a pay-as-you-exit pricing model, meaning you won't know the cost of your tree until you're already at checkout with it cut.
Pay-as-you-exit model; no fixed per-tree or per-foot price published online.
Goldenman leans harder into the family-outing side of a tree farm visit than several others in this batch - a hayride, a petting area with live animals, a scavenger hunt, and hot cider are all listed as included activities, not paid add-ons layered on top. If the goal is an afternoon out with kids rather than a fast in-and-out tree pickup, that’s a real point in this farm’s favor.
Rather than posting a per-foot or per-tree rate, Goldenman uses what’s described as a “pay as you exit” system. In practice, that means there’s no number to plan around ahead of time - you pick and cut a tree, then find out what it costs when you’re checking out. That’s not necessarily a bad system, but it is a genuine gap for anyone trying to set a budget before leaving home. If a firm number matters to you, calling the farm directly and asking what a typical tree runs is the honest workaround, since nothing published online fills that gap.
The 2025-season pattern found shows a real split between weekend and weekday hours: a full 9am-5pm window on Saturdays and Sundays, but only 3pm-5pm on weekdays and 1pm-5pm on Fridays. That’s a narrow band to hit if you’re planning a weekday trip, and missing it by even half an hour could mean driving out to a closed gate. 2026 hours weren’t posted at the time of this research, so treat the 2025 pattern as a guide rather than a guarantee and confirm before a weekday visit specifically.
Unlike most other farms in this batch, the record doesn’t include any named tree species for Goldenman - the pages found didn’t specify what’s growing in the fields. That’s worth asking about directly if you have a specific fir or pine in mind, since this record genuinely can’t tell you what’s available.
Goldenman also operates seasonal retail lots away from the farm, at Coborn’s in Elk River and in Maple Plain. Those are described as separate, presumably pre-cut retail operations rather than the cut-your-own farm experience, but they’re worth knowing about if the Zimmerman location’s limited weekday hours or the drive itself don’t fit your plans.
This is a reasonable pick for a family day built around activities rather than a fast transaction, as long as you’re comfortable with an unknown price until checkout and you plan your visit day around the real gap between weekend and weekday hours.
A weekend, since 2025-season hours ran a full 9am-5pm on weekends versus a narrow 3-5pm window on weekdays and 1-5pm on Fridays - a weekday visit means arriving during a short window or missing it.
With a hayride, live animals, and a scavenger hunt on offer, budget closer to two hours for a full family visit rather than a quick in-and-out cut.
Not documented directly, but the much longer weekend hours (9am-5pm) compared to the short weekday window (3-5pm) suggest weekends see meaningfully more traffic.
Not documented in the record.
Not documented in the record.
Skip a weekday visit unless you can make the narrow 3-5pm window (or 1-5pm on Fridays), and skip this farm entirely if you need a firm price in hand before you go, since it uses a pay-as-you-exit model with no published per-tree or per-foot rate.
Located in Zimmerman, Sherburne County, close to Jan's Christmas Trees and B&J Evergreen, both also in Clear Lake, for comparison if hours don't line up.
There's no published fixed price. The farm uses a pay-as-you-exit model, so the cost isn't confirmed until checkout. Calling ahead to ask is a reasonable step if you want to budget first.
The farm advertises a hayride, a live animals/petting area, a scavenger hunt, and a hot cider stand as included family activities.
2025-season hours were weekends 9am-5pm, weekdays 3-5pm, and Fridays 1-5pm. 2026 hours weren't confirmed at the time of this record.
Yes, the company also runs seasonal retail lots off-site at Coborn's in Elk River and in Maple Plain, separate from this Zimmerman farm.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Daily, hours vary by day. Check with the farm before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked. Pay-as-you-exit model; no fixed per-tree or per-foot price published online.
Yes. It's cut-your-own.
11055 245th Avenue NW (County Road 19), Zimmerman, MN 55398, in Sherburne County. It is one of 14 farms we track in Twin Cities Metro MN.
We track 14 farms in Twin Cities Metro MN, 14 of which let you cut your own tree. The farm has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
What sets it apart locally: it has a hayride or sleigh ride, a petting area, a cocoa or cider stand, which most Twin Cities Metro MN farms on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 3 of the 14 farms we track in Twin Cities Metro MN had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.
There are 2 other farms we track in Sherburne County. All Twin Cities Metro MN farms →
goldenmanchristmastrees.com · familyfuntwincities.com
Checked September 2026.