It’s that time of the year – pumpkin patches time! Fall is by far our favorite time of the year for us. It actually warms up here in San Francisco, yet there’s the smell of Pumpkin Spiced Latte everywhere. It’s the beginning of the festive time of the year, and Tony will mention football season. More than anything though, we love it because there are pumpkins everywhere!! If you are looking for some bucket list worthy pumpkin patches and celebrations, look no further.
Here are 10 amazing pumpkin patches and celebrations around the world that you cannot miss, provided by fellow travel bloggers!
Pumpkin Patches and Celebrations in the U.S.
Moorpark, Orange County, California
By Maggie Torsney-Weir of From Toddler to Traveler. Give her a like and a follow on their Facebook Page.
Since my daughter was born, every year we look forward to the Fall Festival at Underwood Family Farms. Not only does it offer some pretty fabulous pumpkin picking with rare pumpkin breeds like Cinderellas, Jack Be Littles, and Magic Lanterns, but it also has a wide range of activities for everyone. On a typical day, Underwood Family Farms has pony rides, a petting zoo, animal races on the weekends, and pick-your-own gardens and orchards. For the fall festival, though, they add a corn maze, hay bale mountain, games and delicious food. I think most pumpkin patches should smell of roasted corn and cinnamon, and Underwood Family Farms does not disappoint. Kids can play on the tractor slide, ride the cow train, and last year they even had a corn cannon. Admission is free for kids 2 and under, and weekends can cost up to $20 per person. They have ample free parking, and you can pick up some delicious farm fresh produce before you head home. Besides the fun, Underwood Family Farms donates proceeds from the Fall Festival to local organizations, such as Ventura County Search and Rescue, Moorpark High School, and many more.
Carmel Valley, California
By Dhara from It’s Not About the Miles. Give them a follow on Instagram.
One of my most favorite places to see fall pumpkin displays in Northern California is at the Earthbound Farms demonstration gardens in beautiful Carmel Valley. Earthbound Farms is one of the largest produce suppliers in the USA, and they grow lots of varieties of fruit and veggies in their organic demo gardens. The location is beautiful and you can actually see lots of pumpkins growing in the demo gardens through the summer.
Come the weeks leading up to Halloween (end of October), the pumpkins are harvested and piled up in eye-catching displays in the yard. You can see pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, arranged in towers and on tabletops throughout the property. Jack-o-lantern carving demos and other activities are organized on the weekend for kids (and adults who want to rekindle their childhood!) I love walking through the gardens, taking in the sights and sounds of fall. And the colorful pumpkin displays make for great fall photos!
If you happen to be in the Monterey-Carmel area in October, don’t forget to stop by Earthbound Farms to check out the pumpkin displays!
Half Moon Bay, California
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By Emily of Henry and Andrew’s Guide For more fun things to do in San Francisco Bay Area, join our Facebook Group to keep up to date!
Half Moon Bay is the self-proclaimed (and I don’t doubt it) Pumpkin Capital of the World. They boast so many amazing pumpkin patches, and host a yearly Pumpkin Festival showcasing some of the largest pumpkins in the world! We love Farmer John’s, Lemos, Pastorino, Arata’s and Bobs! For a detailed description on each of these pumpkin farms and more to do in Half Moon Bay in the fall, read our post on top 10 things to do this fall in the San Francisco Bay Area!
State College Pumpkin Festival, Pennsylvania
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By Karen at Wanderlustingk. For an insider’s guide to Penn State by Karen, click here. Follow her on Instagram or Pinterest!
Isn’t fall the most magical time of the year? In State College, Pennsylvania, you’ll find the adorable Penn State Pumpkin Festival held at the Arboretum at Penn State during October. This lovely family-friendly festival is completely free to attend and includes free pumpkins to carve as part of their annual pumpkin carving contest held at one of the prettiest spots in State College. (Arrive early if you want to join as they run out of pumpkins fairly quickly!). Similarly, you can enjoy delicious local apple cider as you admire the lit up pumpkins. The best time to visit the festival is around sunset when you can see the pumpkins prior to seeing them lit up. It’s the perfect way to welcome in the Halloween season! I love coming here with friends to debate which is the best pumpkin. There’s nothing like seeing hundreds of pumpkins lit up with lights in a row.
Houston Zoo Pumpkin Patch, Texas
By Ketki Sharangpani of Dotted Globe. Follow on Instagram here.
Houston Zoo is our favorite place to spend weekends with our toddler because of all the animals in there and wonderful events the Zoo comes up with. We especially enjoy the Halloween celebrations at the zoo when jack o lanterns hang on trees and in cages and kids dressed in costumes have the run of the place. The zoo also puts pumpkins inside the cages and we have caught chipmunks and monkeys in the act of devouring them.
Our toddler especially enjoys the zoo pumpkin patch because they have small child-sized pumpkins which are perfect to pick up with small chubby hands. The pumpkin patch is always overflowing with pumpkins and there are plenty of photo ops inside the patch. The pumpkin patch also has activities where children can either sketch or put stickers on their pumpkins and take it home.
The Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze, New York
By Retha of Roaming Nanny. Follow her on Instagram here.
The Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze is by far the best Fall event I’ve ever been to; This coming from a girl growing up in Massachusetts spending time in Salem come Halloween. The Blaze takes place at Van Cortlandt Manor located in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Tickets for the 2018 event go on sale September 4th. Get your tickets early as the Blaze, which runs from the end of September through November, sold out in 2017 and is expected to do so again.
The grounds of the Van Cortlandt Manor are illuminated with thousands of intricately carved pumpkins and displays that will make your jaw drop. Seeing a pumpkin Statue of Liberty and a fulling functioning pumpkin carousel are just a few of the highlights. Custom music was created for the event by the composer, Richard Christy.
For more information visit: https://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/
Ackerman Family Farms, Morton, Illinois
By Roxanna of Gypsy with a Day Job (photo courtesy of Ackerman Family Farms). Follow her on Facebook here.
Right in the heart of central Illinois, the small city of Morton is a pumpkin lovers dream. Home of Libby’s world’s largest pumpkin canning factory, and calling itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World,” the city embraces everything pumpkin.
Each year the city hosts their annual week-long Morton Pumpkin Festival, drawing visitors from across the Midwest. The entire community gets involved providing venues and events, and both a pumpkin queen and princess are selected.
Pumpkins are celebrated in every conceivable way! Pumpkins are weighed, measured, rolled, raced, decorated, paraded, carved and cooked. Of course, you can have some delicious Libby’s pumpkin pie, but why stop there when you can also have pumpkin pancakes, cookies, shakes, chili, and even pumpkin pasta salad?
There are a handful of pumpkin farms in the surrounding area that supplies the cannery, but these are the dull pinker pumpkins, that makes for better eating. But, there are two big pumpkin patches in the area that feature the prettier orange pumpkins. Roth Pumpkin Patch and Ackerman Family Farms are designed to entertain, with play areas, petting areas, and Ackerman’s even has a corn maze. And of course, there are lots of beautiful orange pumpkins!
Pumpkin Patches and Celebrations Around the World
Ludwigsburg, Germany
Jack-o’-Lantern Festival in Budapest, Hungary
By
Halef of The Round The World Guys
It is a familiar tradition to celebrate Halloween with jack-o’-lantern’s in the United States. However, the celebration has slowly been making its way to other countries, including Hungary.
Budapest recently started a Jack-O’-Lantern Festival at its iconic Heroes Square. The popular event is technically a fund-raising festival, where residents carve their best pumpkins and to bring cans of food or any non-perishables to the event. The collected food is intended for charity and for children in need.
If you are visiting Budapest around Halloween, head out after dark for a true Halloween treat. The Budapest Jack-O’-Lantern Festival is a popular destination for family and kids, where you can stroll amongst some of the best-carved pumpkins in town. Well lit jack-o’lantern displays adorn this massive public square, surrounded by colossal statues and museum facades.
If you want to celebrate Halloween in a more traditional way, head out to Raday Utca. Kids and adults in costumes are trick-or-treating on this beautiful street lined with restaurants. Check it out. And if you’re still looking for something to do, read about some of the more unusual things to do in Budapest.
Check out their video below for more! The Jack-o’-Lantern Festival starts at 3:48 mark.
Tokyo Disneyland, Japan
There you have it!
Doesn’t these festivals and patches look fun? This definitely got me in the spirit and I cannot wait to visit all of these places someday!
Want to know more about Budapest and fall activities? Read more here:
- Things to do with kids in Budapest
- Top Things to Do This Fall in San Francisco Bay Area
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10 Must See Pumpkin Patches and Celebrations Across the World #pumpkinfestivals #pumpkincelebrations #fall #travelbloggerscollab #jackolantern #pumpkinpatches #pumpkins #thingstodofall
10 Must See Pumpkin Patches and Celebrations Across the World #pumpkinfestivals #pumpkincelebrations #fall #travelbloggerscollab #jackolantern #pumpkinpatches #pumpkins #thingstodofall
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