Whether you like corn mazes or a hayride, now is the right time to visit a pumpkin farm in America. After all, it’s the peak of the pumpkin season and farmers across the country are welcoming visitors back for attractions, great food and of course, pumpkin picking. Although you may already have your favorite pumpkin patch, here are just 10 of the best to visit this fall season.
Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm
13341 W. 151st St.
Homer Glen, IL 60491
(708) 301-3276
www,pumpkinfarm.com
Despite not having a corn maze, you’ll find plenty of fun things to do at Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm. In fact, this pumpkin farm is so good, it’s among the best in the entire country. In the first place, there are 13 family friendly attractions here, including a roller coaster and two kiddie train rides. What’s more, there is a variety of great food for purchase, especially its award-winning BBQ ribs. Among the other attractions you can enjoy are tractor-pulled hayrides, haunted barn and a petting zoo. General admission includes unlimited rides and can be purchased online or at the main entrance. Please note that Bengston’s is going cashless this year. In other words, you can use a credit card or touchless payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay. In business for over 40 years, Bengston’s is about 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Cool Patch Pumpkin
6150 Dixon Ave W
Dixon, CA 95620
(530) 746-8725
www.coolpatchpumpkins.com
If you want walk through world’s largest corn maze this fall, then visit Cool Patch Pumpkins. Located in the outer reaches of the San Francisco Bay Area, Cool Patch Pumpkins boasts a 63-acre corn maze. Indeed, this gigantic maze is so large it doubles the size of many other corn mazes at pumpkin farms in America. Moreover, Cool Patch’s corn maze has been certified as the largest by none other than the Guinness Book of Records. Of course, there are other fun things to enjoy at the farm’s pumpkin patch. For instance, there are kid-friendly attractions like a mini hay maze, hayrides and a corn bath. Although the pumpkin farm is open daily, food and drinks are available only on Friday nights and weekends. You can find Cool Patch Pumpkins in Solano County, between Vacaville and Sacramento. Don’t forget to pick your own Halloween pumpkins that are priced by size and quantity.
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Cox Farms
15621 Braddock Road
Centreville, VA 20120
(703) 830-4121
www.coxfarms.com/
Located about 32 west of Alexandria, Cox Farms is currently hosting its annual Fall Festival through November 8. Now in its 50th year, Cox Farms has a very impressive collection of festival attractions. In detail, you can enjoy its popular hayride, family friendly rides and Foamhenge, a full-size, styrofoam replica of Stonehenge. That’s not to mention its Fields of Fear corn mazes, Festival Market and Goat Village. The Fall Festival operates Thursdays through Mondays through November 7, in addition to Tuesday, November 8. Tickets can be purchased online and prices range from $10 to $25 for peak weekends. Fields of Fear tickets can only be purchased online and range from $25 to $35 on peak evenings. Please note that the Field of Fear is not recommended for children under 12 years old. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Critz Farms
3232 Rippleton Road
State Route 13 South
Cazenovia, NY 13035
(315) 662-3355
www.critzfarms.com
With about 350 acres, Critz Farm is best known for producing not only pumpkins but a variety of apples. Located southeast of Syracuse in Cazenovia, Critz Farms is hosting its Fall Harvest Celebration through October 23. During this time, you can walk through the corn maze, go on a wagon ride and visit friendly farm animals. Of course, if you’re traveling with your kids, there’s also a playground and outdoor games like cornhole. In addition, Critz Farms is a popular spot for its award-winning hard ciders. In addition to sampling premium beers and hard ciders, you can also visit the Cider Mill through October 23. If you visit the Fall Harvest Celebration on a weekend, you must purchase a ticket online or at the entrance.
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Great Pumpkin Farm
11199 Main St.
Clarence, NY 14031
(716) 759-1929
www.greatpumpkinfarm.com
Of more than 15,000 pumpkin producing farms in America, the largest might be the Great Pumpkin Farm. About 20 miles east of Buffalo in Western New York, the Great Pumpkin Farm covers 360 acres. To put it differently, that’s about the size of 272 football fields, making it exceptionally large. With a pumpkin farm that big, you just know there will be all sorts of fun things to do. Most notably are Festival Weekends, with live music, kid-friendly rides and a corn maze with friendly zombies. In addition are other activities like a petting zoo, juggling and magic acts and hayrides. While there is free admission on weekdays except Columbus Day, Festival Weekends requires a fee. However, you can purchase your tickets online, which includes redeemable discount coupons. Lastly, make sure to visit the Pumpkin Palace and the “zillions” of pumpkins. After all, you’re visiting the farm that produced the world’s first 1,000 pound pumpkin.
New American Record Pumpkin Weight
Just recently, a pumpkin grown at the Great Pumpkin Farm set a new world record. This mega-pumpkin came in with a weight of 2,554 pounds. The previous record was 2,528 pounds. The world’s heaviest pumpkin, at 2,702 pounds was grown by a farmer in Italy.
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Lemos Farm
12320 San Mateo Road
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-2342
www.lemosfarm.com
Although you won’t find a corn maze here, Lemos Farm is worth a visit in San Francisco Bay Area. Besides, this 100-acre farm is in the city known as the pumpkin capital of the world. The fall season is the busiest for this farm as it hosts its Pumpkin Patch through Thanksgiving. During this time, you can enjoy several rides and attractions, like pony rides, hay rides, a petting zoo and haunted house. You can make your visit better by purchasing Pumpkin Patch tickets online while skipping the ticket lines. Lemos Farm also offers great food and public goat yoga classes. In a few weeks, the 50th annual Art & Pumpkin Festival takes place in Half Moon Bay. Preceding the festival is the annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on October 10. Last year’s winning pumpkin had an incredible weight of 2,191 pounds followed by a 2,007 pound pumpkin.
World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off 2022
Just days after the Great Pumpkin Farm set a new national record, the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off set another. On October 10, a pumpkin grown by Travis Gienger of Anoka Minnesota weighed 2,560 pounds. The second place pumpkin from Pleasant Hill, Oregon came in at 2,425 pounds and a Napa pumpkin came in third.
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Linvilla Orchards
137 W. Knowlton Road
Media, PA 19063
(610) 876-7116
www.linvilla.com
Set in the Delaware Valley near Philadelphia, Linvilla Orchards isn’t really a pumpkin farm. Indeed, this 300-acre farm seems to grow everything else but pumpkins. Despite this, it’s one of the most popular farms in America to visit this fall season. That’s because Linvilla features everything you might expect on a farm, such as a Pumpkinland through November 6. As an illustration, you’ll have hayrides, a straw maze and corn maze, train rides and pony rides. That’s to say nothing of evening attractions like an Autumn Moon Hayride and Hayrides to the Witch’s House. However, it’s important to point out that the Witch’s House is completely family-friendly with happy, smiling Halloween witches. While you can purchase tickets online for rides and attractions, parking and admission is free. Although you can’t pick pumpkins at Linvilla, these orange gourds are available at Pumpkinland. The farm is about 18 miles southwest of Philadelphia and 15 miles from Wilmington, Delaware.
Siegel’s Pumpkin Farm
17250 Weber Road
Lockport, IL 60441
(800) 304-3276
www.ourpumpkinfarm.com
If you live In the Chicago area, you have not one, but two very popular pumpkin farms to visit this fall. For one, you have Bengston’s with its 13 family-friendly attractions and great food. However, don’t overlook Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm in Lockport. But the truth is, both are worth seeing and you might be able to fit both in a single day. With all this in mind, Siegel’s features over 35 attractions, including the 2022 Jurassic Farm Corn Maze. In addition, historic Seigel’s Cottonwood Farm Pumpkin Fest offers a Ghost Town train ride, hayrides and petting zoo. Admission can be purchased online and includes almost all of the attractions. Siegel’s also offers discounts to visitors with disabilities and grandparents who come with a grandchild. Equally important is free admission to military/veterans and law enforcement and fire department members.
Treinen Farm Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch
W12420 WI-60 Trunk
Lodi, WI 53555
(608) 622-7001
www.treinenfarm.com
It’s easy to understand why Treinen Farm has one of America’s best corn mazes. Although the 15-acre maze isn’t exceptionally large, the maze designs are what gives it national recognition. For example, last year this 200-acre farm featured a Schrödinger’s cat and a distinct water bear aka a tardigrade in 2020. Coupled with three pumpkin patches bearing over 50 pumpkin varieties, Treinen Farm is worth a fall visit. Indeed, the farm also hosts fall activities like pumpkin carving, a molehill mountain ride with a spooky cave and feeding farm animals. If you book your admission tickets in advance you can save 15% off the price at the gate. Treinen Farm is about 25 miles northwest of Madison and just south of Lake Wisconsin.
Vala’s Pumpkin Patch
12102 S 180th St.
Gretna, NE 68028
(402) 332-4200
www.valaspumpkinpatch.com
In operation for 38 years, Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is currently hosting its annual Fall Festival Celebration through Halloween. A consistent mention as one of America’s best pumpkin farms, Vala’s features an huge amount of attractions. In particular are train rides, a Lost Pumpkin Mine walk-through attraction, corn maze and more. In addition, Vala’s is featuring the new Jan’s Carousel, dedicated to co-founder and matriach Jan Vala, who passed away last September. General admission tickets are $19.99 on weekdays, with higher prices on Fridays and weekends. Also operating during the Fall Festival is apple picking at Nebraska’s largest apple orchard. Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard is about 20 miles southwest of Omaha.
About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012-2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.