The best pumpkin patches in the US to explore for fall

This epic pumpkinpalooza is celebrating its 50th year, which began with the farmers planting a few pumpkins and inviting schoolkids to come see. Since then, this working farm has grown the event which incorporates (they say), the ‘largest u-pick pumpkin field in the world.’ There’s a petting zoo, 24-inch gauge train rides with a diesel locomotive, and hayfield rides out to the pumpkin field – as well as a carousel, corn maze, an on-site bakery, a ‘Run Your Gourd Off’ 5k, a Coyote Mountain Mine where kids can collect marbles as they climb and then slide down the ‘mountain’... and so much more. This place is exhausting but fantastic! Admission is free, but parking is $20 on weekends and many activities require tickets – for instance, Coyote Mountain costs $5 in tickets.

This Wyoming ranch boasts a six-acre corn maze and a two-acre pumpkin patch, with lots of good-looking cows in the vicinity, cooling off in the river. There’s a hay bale slide, a corn pit and a concession stand where you can buy Gallagher’s natural beef burgers and brats (just be cool around the cows; they may be catching on). The setting is gorgeous at the foot of strikingly tall mountains which might even see a dusting of snow this early in the season. $8 admission covers everything except the pumpkin patch.

Why go? Free admission, plus the chance to pick your own pumpkin from a 40-acre field for just $5 (there are also pre-picked gourds at various prices). Plus, a $3 hay ride through the patch and picnic tables scattered around to make a day of it (a food truck parks here on weekends). If you want to get together a group of 15 for $8/person, you can have the hay ride all to yourself and have an extended experience where you learn about bees and see the inside of a hive, and you get to pick and bring home a pumpkin, two ears of Indian corn and one popcorn – which is literally poppable!

Visit 25 acres of a working farm, where the $13 admission brings you hours of good fun. Pumpkins are 49 cents a pound, but that’s just the start: zoom down the 30-foot tunnel slides, ply your bucket in the 944 bushel corn pool, and get lost and then found in the almost 10-acre mega corn maze, one of the few in the nation that actually spells out a message and incorporates an intricate design. A newer addition is The Meadow, a quieter place to play games like giant Connect 4 and giant Tic-Tac-Toe and take your photo in an enormous Adirondack chair.

This is actually a 68-acre apple farm with vintage orchards, but at that certain time of year, you can come and contemplate pumpkins on the vine in their beauty. You can cut your own or purchase pre-cut jack-o-lantern–sized pumpkins. There’s a great farm store and even housemade apple cider donuts. Admission is $9-$12 around Halloween, which includes a pound of apples, an apple bag, a farm wagon ride and unlimited selfies (whatever that means). 

This 65-acre farm is celebrating its 25th year of holding the fall festival, which the owner says began with just a few pumpkins piled in the corner of one field. Each year the Ferrari family tries to roll out something new to grow the experience (case in point: baby goat yoga!). Come see the still-standing 1890 barn and appreciate the hard work of a family that has farmed here since 1912. To make fall sweeter, they offer lots of extras, like a corn maze, corn walk, mechanical bull, paintball zombie hunt, a u-pick sunflower field, and 40 varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourds.

Come enjoy Mazeland, take a hay ride, and go into the apple orchard to pick your own apples. The hayride is unlimited – you can ride all day – and you get one free pumpkin with your paid ticket. With admission to the apple orchard, you get a free souvenir tote bag. Mazeland is a complex of mazes, like a puzzle wrapped inside an enigma: it’s a giant corn maze, a hay bale maze, a rope maze, a paver maze and a few other features to keep us all lost. Also, check out the pumpkin slingshot. All-access pass is $25.

Aw shucks, you’ve got to get out to Uncle Shuck’s to shuck your own corn! Take a few laps in the 15-acre maze, jump on a jumping pillow, climb the tire mountain and gem for mines, then go into the field to pick your own pumpkins. On weekends, get up your courage to walk The Dark Rows, a spooky haunted trail through the corn field (sounds like something Stephen King and his ‘children’ would approve of). The corn maze is $15, the haunted trail is $20, or do both for $25.

This place has craft beer, wine and wine slushies along with the expected autumnal gourds and we heartily approve. There are also more than 30 attractions, including a giant sling shot (extra price), a 150-foot mega slide, a five-acre corn maze, live music, a barrel train (a train where you sit in a converted barrel), a trike track and more. General admission currently slashed down to $13.95.

One of the things we love about this pumpkin patch is its emphasis on hay: you can buy round hay bales, square hay bales – it makes the air smell sweet and ‘hey,’ it isn’t just for horses. There is also a herd of American Aberdeen Angus cows hanging around, descended from some Australian cattle, but you will want to focus on the u-pick pumpkin patch: it’s just awesome, wholesome fun.

The simple, crisp name says it all: this is a completely free day of fun although, of course, you pay an affordable rate for any pumpkins you adopt. The pumpkin patch began in 2010 as a venture to help pay college costs (two bachelor’s degrees and one Master’s, it turns out!). A 15-minute Haunted Hay Ride takes place at night for $2.50 and moves you through the farm, Sneaky Forest and Creepy Corral for some chilling fun. No wonder it’s ‘the’ pumpkin patch.

There’s a lot going on at this farm, but in a quieter, more reflective way. There’s the corn maze, yes, and the hayride out to the pumpkin patch, but there’s also Critterville, where you can feed goats and observe the antics of turkeys and chickens, and a chance to pick your own raspberries, tour some historical farm equipment and enjoy pathways through a kitchen garden called ‘B. Ann’s Garden.’ There’s a ‘scarecrow factory’ where you can build your own scarecrow, a pumpkin tower and a cow train. The maze is $9, and the hayride which includes a free pumpkin is $8. 

There are not only pumpkins here in this 118-acre farm outside of Austin, but also vibrant flower fields you can wander through. Make your way through the five-acre corn maze, listen to live music (most days) and participate in a wealth of other activities like giant bubble blowing, hayrides, and lassooing. Relax with a cold one from the Barton Hugel Apfelwein and Biergarten. General admission is $21.95 with reservations available online.

Kingdom is truly one of the best: Let’s start with the awesome pun in the name and then look at the fact that it’s free to come and walk around and enjoy the pick-your-own pumpkin patch. If you want to go through one of the four mazes, there is a fee. We love the idea of the bike maze – makes you move more quickly through the labyrinth! There is a corn cannon, tractor-pulled wagon rides, the ‘Cow Lick Cafe’ (get it?), and a Spooky Flashlight Night.

The whole pumpkin patch at P and M is Western themed with cute old West names: Outlaw Oinkers pig races, pedal karts that are called the Outlaw Run, ziplines called the Barnstormer Ride, and Buckaroo Bouncers inflatables. It’s impossible to describe everything here, but we love the Chalk Truck, painted a matte black that you can draw all over with chalk. The pumpkins are 55 cents/pound for U-pick when you’re ready to pull up your wagon stakes and head home. Admission is $13.

This place has homemade chili and glamping, and that’s why we love it. The “Pumpkin & Chili Party’ takes place on extended weekends in the spooky season, and ends each evening with fireworks. For $23.95, you get access to an amazing number of activities (the usuals, plus Stuntmaster’s Dog Show, a roller coaster, a one-acre sunflower field, mini golf, and something called ‘flying farmers’ which might be disturbing or might be just great). If you book a campsite, a private fire will be lit for you with roasting food nearby, and you can come and go to the festivities as you wish. Last tidbit? There’s both regular chili and pumpkin chili. Whoa.