You know Halloween is right around the corner when you start seeing pumpkins for sale at your local grocery store. While there is nothing wrong with a pumpkin from the grocery store, there is something great about picking your pumpkin from a large field of them. They are lying in the fields proudly displayed in the hope that they will be picked up and taken home. The number of pumpkin patches in a larger metropolitan area can be overwhelming. There are a lot of parking patches trying to compete with the pumpkin farms. There are a plethora of places that sell pumpkins in the Sacramento metro area, however I’ve narrowed the list down to three that offer a day of family fun as well as a great selection of pumpkins.
At the top of the list is Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm! One of the things that makes this place the best is the price! They never charge admission and you only pay $10 on weekends for parking. They have huge fields of pumpkins to choose from including a giant pumpkin patch and many other unique varieties! They offer free hay rides to the pumpkin patch, as well as a free petting zoo and slides for the kids. For a small fee, you can enjoy other fun activities including a train ride, a corn maze, and a pick-your-own-bouquet flower garden. They are open Sunday through Thursday from 9 am to 6 pm and Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm.
The next pumpkin farm to visit is Dave’s Pumpkin Patch. Parking is free, but there are no free activities. For $10 you can buy a wristband that allows you to enjoy all the attractions including hay rides, hay maze, pig races, jump house with slide, hay bounce and corn maze. Still a great deal for a day of family fun! You can also pay separately for each attraction if you don’t want to do all the activities. They also offer movie nights and craft fairs on some days. They are open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to dusk and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Finally there is Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm… This place has it all! Pumpkins galore, a petting zoo, hayrides, haystack climbing, pony rides, and farm animals are just a few of the great things this farm has to offer. No parking fee and only $3 admission lets you enjoy all these wonderful things (pony rides are extra) and kids 3 and under are free. Fog Willow is a VERY popular attraction for school field trips and focuses on the educational aspect of farming. They are open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
You can find all of these places at http://www.mycampmate.com on their interactive map, as well as other places of interest around these pumpkin farms for free. The weather is great, so get your family out and explore!
