For farms

Mainstay Farm

📍 1004 W. Bethesda Rd, Cleburne, TX 76031🗓 Season dates not yet published for 2026🏷 From $19.95

A full agritourism destination with a tubing hill, jumping pillow, and Ferris wheel bundled into general admission, plus a saw-provided cut-your-own Blue Ice Cypress -- but it's a pricier, more event-like outing than a simple tree lot, and current-year dates weren't confirmed.

Aerial view of Mainstay Farm in Cleburne, TX

How you get your tree

This farm offers

cut-your-own

Included

tubing hilljumping pillowFerris wheelfarm animalsmazesSanta visits

General admission $19.95 presale / $31.95 at the gate (covers rides/activities, separate from tree cost); Blue Ice trees priced individually by size/grade in the field

Our take

Mainstay Farm is less a simple tree lot and more a full agritourism destination that happens to include Christmas tree cutting as one of its features. General admission unlocks a tubing hill, a jumping pillow, a Ferris wheel, farm animals, and mazes – a lineup that puts this farm in a different category from most others in this research, where the tree is usually the whole trip.

The admission math is worth doing explicitly

Presale general admission runs $19.95 per person online, compared to $31.95 at the gate – a $12-per-person gap that adds up quickly for a family. For a group of four, buying online ahead of time instead of paying at the gate would save roughly $48, using only the numbers published by the farm. That’s real money, and it’s the single most actionable piece of cost advice available for this listing: if you know you’re going, buy the tickets before you arrive.

The tree itself is a separate cost, and a separate species choice

Only one tree variety is grown here for cut-your-own harvest: Blue Ice, an Arizona Cypress cultivar known for its distinctive silvery-blue color rather than the classic dark green of a fir or pine. If you’re set on a traditional-looking tree, that’s worth knowing before you go. Trees are priced individually by size and grade in the field rather than through a single published rate, so there’s no per-foot or flat number to calculate from – the actual cost is set at the point of selection. Staff do provide the saw, which is a genuine convenience since you don’t need to own or borrow one.

Because admission and tree cost stack, this is a pricier day out

Because you’re paying for general admission on top of whatever the tree costs, a Mainstay Farm visit is a more expensive proposition than most cut-your-own farms in this research, several of which charge only for the tree itself with no separate entry fee. That’s not a criticism – the attraction lineup here is genuinely larger than what those farms offer – but it does mean budgeting for two line items instead of one, and it’s worth deciding in advance whether the added attractions are worth the added cost for your particular group.

Confirm the calendar before you go

The specific hours found in research – select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, roughly 10am to 5:30pm – were sourced from 2024-season information rather than a currently posted 2026 calendar. Check mainstayfarm.com directly closer to the season for confirmed dates and hours before finalizing a trip.

The honest bottom line

Mainstay Farm makes sense if you want a bundled day of activities alongside a tree-cutting trip and are willing to pay for both separately, with real savings available by buying admission online in advance – but it’s the wrong choice if a simple, low-cost tree stop is what you’re after.

Planning your visit

Best time to go

The most recent hours found describe select Fridays 10am-5:30pm, Saturdays 10am-5:30pm, and Sundays 11am-5:30pm, but these were sourced from 2024-season information, so confirm current dates on mainstayfarm.com before planning a trip.

How long to budget

Given the tubing hill, jumping pillow, Ferris wheel, farm animals, and mazes included with admission, expect a half-day visit rather than a quick tree stop if you plan to use the attractions.

Crowds

Not stated in the record. A destination-style farm with a Ferris wheel, tubing hill, and jumping pillow is likely to draw larger crowds than a simple tree lot, especially on Saturdays, though this is an inference based on the scale of attractions rather than a documented crowd count.

Parking

Not described in the record.

Strollers and accessibility

Not addressed in the sources reviewed.

What to bring

  • A plan to buy general admission online in advance if possible, since presale pricing is meaningfully cheaper than paying at the gate
  • Comfortable clothes for the tubing hill and other physical activities, if you intend to use them
  • A phone call or site check to confirm current-year hours and dates, since the specific schedule found was sourced from the 2024 season

How to spend less here

  • General admission is $19.95 presale versus $31.95 at the gate -- buying ahead saves $12 per person, a real and meaningful discount if you're bringing a family
  • Admission covers the tubing hill, jumping pillow, Ferris wheel, farm animals, and mazes, but is separate from the tree price itself, which is set individually by size and grade in the field rather than a single published rate
  • Because a saw is provided for the cut-your-own Blue Ice Cypress, you don't need to buy or bring your own -- a small but real cost avoided

Who it suits

Good for

  • Families looking for a full day of activities -- tubing, a Ferris wheel, mazes -- bundled with the tree-cutting trip
  • Visitors specifically wanting a Blue Ice Cypress, an Arizona Cypress variety, with a saw provided by the farm
  • Anyone who prefers presale ticket pricing and wants to save over paying at the gate

Skip it if

Skip Mainstay Farm if you want a low-cost, no-frills tree stop, since general admission here is charged on top of the tree price and covers a much bigger attraction lineup than most farms in this dataset -- or if you specifically want a Fraser Fir or another traditional species, since Blue Ice Cypress is the only tree variety offered.

Worth pairing with

No specific nearby-farm comparison is available in this record.

Common questions

How much does general admission cost at Mainstay Farm?

$19.95 per person presale online, or $31.95 at the gate -- a $12 difference that rewards buying ahead. This covers rides and activities, not the tree itself.

How much does a tree cost?

Blue Ice Cypress trees are priced individually by size and grade in the field, according to the farm's own materials. No single per-tree or per-foot rate is published, so the final cost depends on which tree you choose.

Can I cut my own tree, and do I need my own saw?

Yes, cut-your-own is offered for Blue Ice Cypress, and the farm provides the saw -- you don't need to bring one.

What are the current hours and dates?

The most recent figures found (select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, roughly 10am-5:30pm) were sourced from the 2024 season. Check mainstayfarm.com directly for confirmed current dates before visiting.

When is Mainstay Farm open in 2026?

2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Fri-Sun (per most recent info found). Check with the farm before driving out.

How much does a tree cost at Mainstay Farm?

Trees start at $19.95. General admission $19.95 presale / $31.95 at the gate (covers rides/activities, separate from tree cost); Blue Ice trees priced individually by size/grade in the field

Can I cut my own tree at Mainstay Farm?

Yes. It's cut-your-own, and a saw is provided.

Where is Mainstay Farm?

1004 W. Bethesda Rd, Cleburne, TX 76031, in Johnson County. It is one of 4 farms we track in Dallas-Fort Worth.

How Mainstay Farm compares in Dallas-Fort Worth

We track 4 farms in Dallas-Fort Worth, 4 of which let you cut your own tree. At $19.95 to start this one sits below the regional median of $49.99, undercutting 1 of the 2 priced farms we track here.

What sets it apart locally: it has a petting area, which most Dallas-Fort Worth farms on our list do not.

One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 2 of the 4 farms we track in Dallas-Fort Worth had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.

Other farms near Cleburne

There are 8 other farms we track in Johnson County. All Dallas-Fort Worth farms →

Quick facts

SeasonSeason dates not yet published for 2026
Days openFri-Sun (per most recent info found)
HoursSelect Fridays 10am-5:30pm; Saturdays 10am-5:30pm; Sundays 11am-5:30pm
Starting price$19.95
Tree typesBlue Ice (Arizona Cypress)
Saw providedYes
CountyJohnson County
RegionDallas-Fort Worth

Sources

mainstayfarm.com

Checked September 2026.