Get Into the Spirit of Fall at These Bay Area Pumpkin Patches

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting crisper, the leaves are starting to change color — so let the annual family pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch begin! There are plenty of pumpkin patches around the Bay Area to shop for the perfect pumpkin, get lost in a corn maze, and get up-close-and-personal with farm animals. Whether you stay close to home or want to venture further afield, here are some of the Bay Area’s best pumpkin patches to visit.

Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch hut with hay and pumpkins.
Photo: Courtesy of Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch website

Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch

Nicasio

Marin County’s beloved Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch offers a stand-out selection of pumpkins, two hay mazes (one for the littles and one for older kids and grown-ups) and farm animal encounters. This year, weekend activities resume, including face painting, the petting zoo and hay rides; live music and four options for food are also on the schedule. The 12-acre property offers plenty of space for picnicking and for groups. Open from Sept. 28 through Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends.

5300 Nicasio Valley Rd, Nicasio, 415.662.9100

A sign reads "Happy Fallidays" on top of hay between of pumpkins and a corn maze.
Photo: Courtesy of Petaluma Pumpkin Patch on Facebook

Petaluma Pumpkin Patch

Petaluma

Now in its 32nd season, the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch grows and sells 50 varieties of squash, pumpkins and gourds — generally with around 35 varieties of pumpkins in particular —, but farm animals, a corn kernel sandbox and tons of hay bales to climb also keep the kids engaged. The biggest highlight, however, is fourth generation pumpkin farmer Jim Groverman’s 4-acre corn maze (he creates a new maze every year) — try it at night for an extra-spooky experience! Open from Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

450 Stony Point Rd, Petaluma, 707.781.3132

Pumpkins sit on wooden pallets in a dry field for The Farmstand pumpkin patch.
Photo: Courtesy of The Farmstand on Facebook

The Farmstand

Petaluma

The Farmstand at the Gambonini Family Ranch, which opened in 2020, might not offer bounce houses and pony rides, but the no-frills Petaluma pumpkin patch does have a bountiful selection of pumpkins — the organically grown varieties are all edible, including Long Island cheese pumpkin, porcelain doll pumpkin and kakai. Choose from the farm’s pre-selected squash, or head out to the U-pick field and harvest your own. While you’re there, pick up some fall flowers, Indian corn, corn stalks, honey and sweet treats. 

7325 Old Lakeville Rd no. 3, Petaluma, 707.481.2457

Pumpkins on a green lawn next to the water and with a cityscape in the background.
Photo: Courtesy of Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch on Facebook

Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch

Oakland

This East Bay Halloween “wonderland” — the Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch — is accessed by walking through the Halloween store at 4414 Piedmont. Choose from more than a dozen varieties of pumpkins, plus corn stalks, corn, gourds and straw bales. If you can’t make it there, this pumpkin patch delivers all over the Bay Area, and can even set up a pumpkin patch at your location, complete with scarecrows and cobwebs. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

Pumpkins sit in a line on dry hay with a rustic building in the background.
Photo: Courtesy of Lemos Farm on Facebook

Lemos Farm

Half Moon Bay

Traffic on Highway 92 backs up for miles when Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay opens for the season, and no wonder — this family-owned pumpkin patch offers plenty to keep the kids occupied for a couple of hours: pony rides, hay rides, train rides, a petting zoo, an inflatable slide, and even scary and non-scary haunted houses. Oh yeah, and of course there are pumpkins galore. New timed, advance-purchase tickets help to limit crowds this year. Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day in October.

12320 San Mateo Rd, Half Moon Bay, 650.726.2342

A tractor, teepee, pumpkins and a corn field for Farmer John's pumpkin patch.
Photo: Courtesy of Farmer John’s on Facebook

Farmer John’s

Half Moon Bay

For a simpler, pared-down pumpkin patch experience in Half Moon Bay, head to Farmer John’s. This fifth-generation family-run business grows a plethora of pumpkin varieties, including the Atlantic Giant, which can weigh anywhere from 250 to 1,500-plus pounds! There are plenty of spots for a photo op here too, including an authentic Native American teepee and an old John Deere tractor that Farmer John (yes, there really is a Farmer John) once used on the farm. Open from Sept. 6 through Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

850 Cabrillo Hwy N, Half Moon Bay, 650.730.9258

Pumpkins sit in a field with people in the background.
Photo: Courtesy of Webb Ranch on Facebook

Webb Ranch

Portola Valley

In the heart of Silicon Valley, Webb Ranch operates year-round, offering horse riding programs, organic produce and U-pick berries. Come fall, the ranch’s pumpkin patch is buzzing with activities, including a bounce house; tractor hay rides; a petting zoo; and a creepy/crawly zoo with lizards spiders and frogs — plus, there’s a new haunted house inside a corn maze and a farm-themed obstacle course. Reservations are required for weekends. (Come back in December for Santa’s Village.) Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.every day.

2718 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley