A small, 50-plus-year-old operation selling only 600-700 trees across roughly three weekends a year, which makes it one of the most limited-inventory farms in this research and a real sellout risk if you wait.
Handley’s Holiday Hillside has been in operation since 1972, which puts it among the longer-established farms in this research, but it runs at a scale that’s genuinely different from most of its neighbors: only about 600 to 700 trees are sold each year, across roughly three weekends total. That’s a small, deliberately limited operation, and it changes how you should think about timing a visit here compared with a larger farm that might stay open for a full month.
Do the simple arithmetic: 600-700 trees spread across about three weekends works out to a couple hundred trees available per weekend at most, assuming demand is even across the season — and it’s unlikely to be even, since opening weekend traditionally draws the most visitors at any tree farm. That means the real risk of arriving to find the lot picked over, or the season already sold out, is meaningfully higher here than at a farm managing tens of thousands of trees. If you want a tree from Handley’s, the opening Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, 2026) or the very next weekend are your safest bets.
The farm’s pattern, per regional news coverage, is to open on that Friday and then run the following Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until the trees sell out or roughly three weekends have passed. This isn’t a farm you can show up to on a random Tuesday — build your visit around one of those specific weekend windows.
This is one of the thinner records in this research, and it’s worth being direct about that rather than papering over it. No tree species were found in any source reviewed. No activities, amenities, or added attractions were mentioned anywhere — no gift shop, no hayride, no refreshments. No pricing information exists in the sources found either. A direct check of the farm’s Facebook page, which appears to be its primary online presence, returned only the business name with no usable page content, so even that avenue didn’t fill in the gaps.
None of this means the farm isn’t worth visiting — a 50-plus-year local operation surviving on word-of-mouth reputation rather than heavy online marketing is a plausible, even likely, explanation for the sparse online footprint. But it does mean this page can’t tell you what species you’ll find, what it’ll cost, or what else there is to do beyond cutting a tree. If you’re interested in Handley’s specifically, calling (319) 624-3646 ahead of a visit will get you further than anything available online, and it’s a genuinely useful step here in a way it might be optional at a more heavily documented farm.
Small, old, and limited in both inventory and online information — a real, longtime local option, but one you’ll need to call ahead for and shouldn’t put off past the first weekend or two of the season.
The farm's stated pattern is opening the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2026) plus the following Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., until the season's roughly 600-700 trees sell out or about three weekends pass, whichever comes first.
Not documented in the record, but with no activities or amenities mentioned, expect a straightforward, focused tree-cutting stop rather than an extended visit.
Not documented with specific numbers, but selling only 600-700 trees across about three weekends concentrates whatever demand exists into a narrow window — expect the opening Friday and the first following weekend to be the most active.
Not specified in the record.
Not addressed in the sources reviewed.
Skip waiting until mid-December, since the farm sells only about 600-700 trees across roughly three weekends and is likely to sell out well before a longer-season farm would.
Not documented in the record.
Roughly 600 to 700, sold across about three weekends per year — one of the most limited-inventory farms found in this research.
The opening Friday (Nov. 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving), plus the following Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., rather than daily hours.
Since 1972, making it one of the longer-established farms in this research despite its small scale.
Not found in any source reviewed. This listing has more gaps than most in this research and would benefit from a direct call before visiting.
Opens November 27, 2026 (closing date not published). Friday (opening day), then Saturdays and Sundays. Hours: 10:00am-4:00pm.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes. It's cut-your-own.
1731 White Oak Ave NE, Solon, IA 52333, in Johnson County. It is one of 5 farms we track in Eastern Iowa.
We track 5 farms in Eastern Iowa, 5 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.
There are 8 other farms we track in Johnson County. All Eastern Iowa farms →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
Checked September 2026.