There are some activities that let you know that the Halloween season is finally here, and picking pumpkins has to be at the top of the list! However, it can be hard to find good places to do this classic activity, especially in Orange County. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of all the best places in and around the OC so you can get on your way to making the most of this fall favorite!
Pumpkin Patches In Orange County
Pumpkin Patch at The Outlets
101 W Avenida Vista Hermosa, at The Outlets of San Clemente
Open September 17 – October 31
Have your pick of a wide variety of pumpkins while taking instagrammable photos amidst an autumn backdrop
Enchanted Country Pumpkins & Trees
480 N State College Blvd., Brea, CA 92821
Enchanted Country Pumpkins & Trees has been a California institution for fifty years! Founded by Bill and Barbara Duncan in 1972, they claim to be California’s first entertainment pumpkin patch. Come visit their patch to experience a dose of farm fun without having to leave the suburbs!
They offer a wide assortment of fresh-picked pumpkins, hand selected by the farmers who grew them. Whether you’re looking for pumpkins big and tall, or just a small one to decorate a mantle, you know you’ll find what you need here!
In addition to their selection of pumpkins, Enchanted Country Pumpkins & Trees also offer some fun attractions to entertain the children when you visit. They have a number of carnival games and bouncy rides set up for good safe fun, along with tractor rides so they can pretend to be a real farmer! They also have a petting zoo with adorable baby chicks, so you can get up close and snuggle with their friendly animals.
Irvine Regional Park Pumpkin Patch
1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869
Opening Day is September 14, 2024
Weekdays 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Weekends 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Every year, Irvine Regional Park transforms into a fabulous fall fantasyland with games, activities, train rides, hay rides, and of course, a pumpkin patch. There’s always a pumpkin weigh-off to award a prize for the largest pumpkin. You won’t believe the size of these pumpkins, so come out to the park to see them for yourself.
Once you’ve explored the park, visited the not-so-haunted house, and made it through the hay maze, visit the pumpkin patch to pick your pumpkins to take home. The Irvine Regional Park Pumpkin Patch is fun for the whole family, but is especially exciting (and tailored to) kids 10 and under.
Pumpkin City
24203 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 (Laguna Hills Mall)
October 1 – October 31
Monday – Thursday 11:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Pumpkin City is a great place to visit to get into the fall spirit! The highlight here is of course their pumpkin patch, with seemingly endless pumpkins brought right into the city for you to choose from. It’s definitely a great choice if you don’t have the time to go for a long drive, but still want nice fresh pumpkins for your house.
In addition to the pumpkin patch, they also have a number of carnival rides, including swing rides, saint slides, and bouncy castles. For more laid-back fun, you can participate in a number of unique activities such as their puppet theater. For the nature fans, they also have a petting zoo and three different geological attractions: Crack Open Geode, Lucky Luke’s Gemstones, and Rocky Mountain Mining Company – Panning for Gold.
Once you’ve had fun with all of those, you can test your luck with a number of competitive activities like inflatable ax throwing and ball tosses. You can also relax and grab some food at the Pumpkin City Diner, with all your carnival favorites like hot dogs, churros, and ice cream!
The Pumpkin Factory
1025 Westminster Mall, Westminster, CA 92683
Opening Day is October 3, 2024
Mon-Thurs: 5:00pm-9:00pm
Friday: 4:00pm-10:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am-10:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am-9:00pm
Conveniently located at the Westminster Mall, you’ll be delighted by all the Pumpkin Factory has to offer! Of course, the highlight is their pumpkin patch, where you can pick up all the pumpkins you might need for the fall season, but they also offer a great number of attractions!
If you’re a fan of carnival rides, there are a few here to thrill you! You can also test out your aim with their archery and paintball galleries; just be sure to fire in the right direction! Plus there is a petting zoo and plenty of other attractions, games, and fun family activities.
The Pumpkin Patch
300 Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia, CA 92870
Opening Day is October 9, 2024
Entrance fee is $2 per adult, children are free
Hours:
Closed Mondays
Tuesday – Thursday 4PM – 9PM
Friday 4PM – 10PM
Saturday 10AM – 10PM
Sunday 11AM – 8PM
The Pumpkin Patch in Placentia is one of Southern California’s oldest pumpkin patches, operating since 1976. They’ll have plenty of pumpkins and gourds for the whole family to choose from. But don’t stop there. Families can make a day of it here, with fall photo ops, face painting, mining for gold and gemstones, human hamster balls, inflatable activities, carnival games, tractor rides, farm animals, and more.
Seasonal Adventures Pumpkin Patch
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Opening Day is October 1, 2024
Parking is free Monday through Thursday
$10 parking Friday through Sunday
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 10pm
Saturday 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm
Closing October 31st at 7pm
The Seasonal Adventures Pumpkin Patch at the OC Fairgrounds features a huge pumpkin selection hand selected by local growers. After picking out your pumpkins make it a day at the fair and enjoy the petting zoo, mechanical carnival rides, inflatable bounce houses, slides, and obstacle courses, and more fun family activities. Admission is free, but activities and rides require tickets.
Tanaka Farms
5380 3/4 University Drive, Irvine, CA 92612
Opening Day is September 14, 2024
Open daily 9AM – 6PM
Open 9AM – 9PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday October 4-27, 2024
Possibly OC’s most popular u-pick pumpkin patch, Tanaka Farms has acres of farm fun with dedicated pumpkin patches for people to come out and pick their very own perfect pumpkin. Bring the family, grab a wagon, and set out on a pumpkin hunt.
In addition to pumpkins, guests can check out the games and activities, the barnyard exhibit, take a wagon ride to tour the farm, and more.
Tanaka Farms also has a second location, Hana Field, in Costa Mesa. This pumpkin patch can be found at: 427 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Hana Field Pumpkin Patch opens on September 30th. Open Saturdays and Sundays only from 10AM – 6PM.
More Orange County Pumpkin Patches
Knott’s Scary Farm
8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, CA 90620
Decorate your own pumpkin in Calico Park.
Manassero Farms Pumpkin Patch
33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA
Santa’s Garden Pumpkin Patch
5840 Walnut Ave., Irvine, CA 92604
777 S Beach Blvd., La Habra, CA 92631
Zoomars Pumpkin Patch
Zoomars Petting Zoo | 31791 Los Rios Street, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Beyond Orange County
Pa’s Pumpkin Patch
6701 E PCH, Long Beach, CA 90803
A Long Beach staple for over forty years, Pa’s Pumpkin Patch is a great place to stop! Selling a wide range of pumpkins and corn, you’ll be able to find everything you need for the harvest season.
Once you’ve picked the perfect pumpkins, you can have fun on their wide variety of attractions. For those looking for big rides, take a turn on their Leap of Faith or Dragon Race! If your kids want to take a turn behind the wheel, they can have fun on their racetrack or with their Toon Cars.
For more relaxing attractions, you can spend time with all the cuddly animals they have at their petting zoo! They also have a Great Pumpkin that is perfect for photo opportunities, as well as pony rides for children who want to live out their cowboy or cowgirl dreams. Last, but certainly not least, they also have a fun Mirror Maze for you to try and solve, with a twisty slide at the end to reward any adventures who manage to find their way out!
Frosty’s Forest
14861 Ramona Ave., Chino, CA 91710
Located just northeast of Anaheim, Frosty’s Forest is a perfect Halloween getaway! They have a great pumpkin store filled with all the gourds you can grab, featuring many different varieties and colors. You can also grab some gorgeous photos between the store and the various photo opportunities set up in their park.
However, the true highlight of Frosty’s Forest has to be their mazes. Their sunflower labyrinth is a neat spin on a crop maze where you will be surrounded by fully-grown, blooming sunflowers. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see some bees pollinating the flowers up close! They also have a traditional corn maze stretching over four acres for anyone looking for a more traditional challenge.
Their most unique maze is their Haunted Corn Maze, which is specifically not for children. Frosty’s Forest advises that only guests eighteen years of age or older participate in the Haunted Corn Maze, which includes props containing significant gore and violence. While it may sound intense, this is the perfect unique experience for anyone who loves haunted houses and wants to try something new!
Fortunately, Frosty’s Forest has fun activities for the kids as well! They have a great selection of carnival rides, from a Ferris Wheel and a carousel to themed rides like their cow train and caterpillar coaster. For animal fans, they also have a free viewing zoo, and if you want to get even closer to the animals you can go for a pony ride as well!
Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Fest
September 30 – October 29, 2023
4102 S University Drive, Pomona, CA 91768
The Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Fest has become a wonderful tradition of the college just north of Anaheim. Running for thirty years now, this fall festival sees the students of the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture, which was the founding college of Cal Poly Pomona, setting up a wide array of nature-based activities that regularly draws crowds from all over Southern California!
As you would expect from its name, the Pumpkin Fest always has a huge variety of pumpkins to choose from. Whether you’re looking to make huge, intricate jack-o-lanterns, or just want a few small pumpkins to give your house a festive feeling, you will definitely find what you’re looking for here. They also have a number of beautiful photo stops spread throughout the pumpkin patch, so you can take plenty of pictures to remember your fun day out!
If you’re a fan of corn mazes, the Pumpkin Fest has not one but two for you to find your way through! Boasting corn “walls” that grow more than twelve feet high, you will have to have a great sense of navigation to make your way out of these crop puzzles. However, they will provide a great team-building exercise for you and whoever you attempt the challenge with, and with all that corn surrounding you, you are sure to get some great photos as well!
Of course, you can’t have a festival organized by a college without having some educational activities! Student tour guides operate hay wagon rides pulled by restored antique tractors, and being agricultural students they are more than happy to teach you about all the things that make the Pumpkin Fest possible. They also put together Ag Discovery Lane, a series of displays and exhibits showcasing different agricultural processes like cow milking, sheep shearing, and beekeeping.
They also have a number of activities for children to get closer to nature. Their petting zoo hosts some of the cutest, friendliest animals around, with goats, sheep, and calves all making appearances alongside other adorable creatures. They also create a Children’s Garden where kids can learn about plants and agriculture in lessons about such topics as composting, home gardening, and pollination. After doing all that learning, they can sit down and watch exciting presentations including the Creepy World of Bugs and Reptiles, which is sure to excite or terrify them depending on how they feel about those creepy crawlies.
Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch
32335 Live Oak Canyon Road, Redlands, CA 92373
Opening Day is September 22, 2023
This is the furthest location on our list, located just outside of San Bernardino, but boy is it worth it! Home to the largest pumpkin patch in Southern California, you are certain to find the perfect pumpkin here. If you like to get down and dirty, you can head right into the fields to pick your own pumpkin, but if you prefer to keep your hands clean you can also grab one from their huge pumpkin tent surrounded by attractions.
What kind of attractions, you ask? Pretty much every kind imaginable! Like a few other places on our list, the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch has a corn maze on the outskirts of their park, with a sunflower field right beside it. You’ll be absolutely surrounded by plantlife as you enjoy the views afforded by getting up close to some of the tallest veggies and flowers you can find!
If photos are what you’re looking for, they offer a whole lot more than just cool plants for a backdrop. They claim to have both the World’s Largest Rocking Horse and the World’s Largest Rocking Chairs, so you can pretend to be living in a giant’s world without having to climb a beanstalk. Other great photo opportunities include their teepee, flower gardens, and both a hay castle and a hay pyramid!
They also host a wide variety of carnival and animal attractions. If carnival rides are your thing, you can get a great view of the park from the top of a pumpkin-themed Ferris Wheel, or go for a spin on their classic carousel. For some faster rides, hop on their Cow Coaster or Dino-Go-Round for a super fun time! For the real thrill seekers, the Pumpkin Patch also includes mini zip lines and low ropes courses, sure to excite any child brave enough to give them a try.
On the animal side of things, kids can get up close and personal with a number of adorable animals at their petting zoo, or climb atop a horse for a quick pony ride. They also have a pony field for all their young steeds to roam around, which can make for a great photo backdrop or just a lovely place to stop and stare at the beauty of the animal world.
More Pumpkin Patches Beyond OC
Carlsbad Strawberry Company
1050 Cannon Road, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Pumpkin Patch, Tractor rides, farm animals, photo ops, corn maze/haunted corn maze, vendors
Pumpkin Polar Palooza
1200 Laurel Tree Lane, Carlsbad, CA 92001
Pumpkin patch, funzone, petting zoo, movie nights, mini hay ride, pumpkin sling shot, games
Tom’s Adventures Pumpkin Patch
1201 E Washington Ave., Escondido, CA 92025
North County Mall – 272 E Via Rancho Parkway, Escondido, CA 92025
555 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Pumpkin Station
Rancho Bernardo Pumpkin Farm: 13421 Highland Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92128
Bonita Pumpkin Farm: 5354 Sweetwater Rd., Bonita, CA 91902
Del Mar Pumpkin Station: 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014
Mission Valley Pumpkin Farm: 1750 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA 92108
Plaza Bonita Pumpkin Station: 3030 Plaza Bonita Rd., National City, CA 91950
Venegas Family Farms
U-pick and pre-cut pumpkins
13835 Euclid Ave., Ontario, CA 91762
In Conclusion
While we may have ventured a little outside of Orange County to showcase some of the best pumpkin patches in the area, all the places are well worth a visit! If you end up making your way out to any of them, please let us know how you enjoyed them, and feel free to tag us in any posts showing off how much fun you had!
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