Bay Area pumpkin patches: Your guide to finding the perfect pumpkins this fall

It s that time of year when your -year-old is meant to stand in overalls next to a pumpkin twice their size and pose for the photo you ll keep on your mantle for decades Also known as pumpkin-patch season Whether you re looking for the largest pumpkin or the roundest pumpkins to carve or to eat we ve got a list of selected of the best places in the Bay Area to be entertained during pumpkin season Smith Family Farm Brentwood A day at the Smith Farm s Pumpkin Patch is an autumnal rite of passage in eastern Contra Costa where the focus turns from Brentwood s famous corn and stone fruit and tomatoes to pumpkins and pomegranates and persimmons when the weather changes Weekends offer special exercises Families can visit the interactive barnyard s animals demonstration beehive and herb garden wander the corn maze play cornhole and enjoy live music at the gazebo Those days also feature arts and crafts vendors food trucks and face painting The Antique Tractor Expo Oct - this year is reliably a big draw Details Open a m - p m daily through Halloween Only cash checks accepted Admission for all visitors ages and up includes a pumpkin to take home No hayrides this season Sellers Ave Brentwood www smithfamilyfarm com Webb Ranch Portola Valley This working -acre ranch in operation for over a century grows a majority of the organic pumpkins at its pumpkin patch on-site the rest are from Half Moon Bay And once the pumpkins are selected there are plenty of other harvest-season festivities to partake in including bounce houses a haunted house a corn maze and a farm obstacle subject And if you visit on the weekend or on Columbus Day Oct there are additional initiatives like tractor rides and reptile and petting zoos where visitors can befriend critters like ducks bunnies sheep alpacas goats pigs and chickens plus frogs spiders snakes turtles and lizards If you plan to visit on the weekend you ll need a reservation while walk-ins on weekdays are welcome Details Open a m - p m daily at Alpine Road Portola Valley tickets are - depending on age Kids and under are free webbranchinc com pumpkin-patch html RELATED All hail Farmer Mike the Bay Area s preeminent pumpkin carver Spina Farms Morgan Hill Having got its start as just a humble little family patch back in the s Spina Farms has grown into a massive operation and true fall season destination that certainly ranks among the biggest pumpkin patches in the Bay Area The Morgan Hill farm which was originally located at Bailey Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard but has since moved a quarter-mile south to Laguna Avenue and Santa Teresa features a giant corn maze train tractor rides pumpkin blasters plenty of big dinosaurs as well as King Kong and Godzilla carnival games a huge pumpkin pyramid and lots of other attractions to entice visitors Details The event runs through Nov Cost per attraction is or you can buy a park pass Parking is free Mondays-Thursdays but costs cash only Fridays-Sundays For more information visit spinafarmspumpkinpatch com Ardenwood Historic Farm Fremont This living-history park devoted to the agrarian life of - is partnering with Dig Deep Farms for its annual pumpkin patch Open three weekends in October the family-friendly destination promises games crafts food and drink and of class the opportunity to carve and decorate the pumpkin of your choice Plus there s a hay pyramid to climb and a corn maze to deal with As the farm says Let the gourd times roll And on Oct - the park is holding a separate Harvest Festival with cider pressing live music historic crafts and the fun physical activity of harvesting corn to feed to farm animals - Details Pumpkin patch is open a m - p m on Oct - Oct - and Oct - at Ardenwood Blvd Fremont for -older ages - free for and under ebparks org parks ardenwood events People walk through a mini hay maze at G M Farms in Livermore Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Queens Pumpkin Patch Saratoga This rural patch set in suburban Saratoga offers a wealth of sessions for kids During the weeks leading up to Halloween families can engage in old-timey pastimes like riding on a hay wagon wandering through a corn maze riding the children s trains visiting the petting zoo or picking out the best pumpkins for a front-porch array at home Or for the older kids and the adventurous there are sessions like pumpkin slingshots wall climbing bumper boats and human hamster balls You ll pay per activity Admission is Activity prices range from hayride petting zoo to -plus climbing wall corn maze etc Details Open a m - p m daily through Halloween at Saratoga Ave Saratoga https queenspumpkinpatch com G M Farms Livermore David Letterman liked this farm so much he featured it twice on his show It s well-known for its huge and haunted corn maze but also has a swell and free pumpkin patch with a hay maze and corn-kernel pit Children harvest gourds in little red wagons to carve or cook at home Then there are other events most of only open on the weekends including pedal carts jumping pillows hayrides and a Cow Train that meanders through the corn maze And don t forget the cute farm animals to hobnob with Everything runs until the farm closes for the season Oct Please leave the pets at home Details Pumpkin patch is open - p m Wednesdays-Fridays a m - p m Saturdays and a m - p m Sundays at E Airway Blvd Livermore check prices and hours of attractions at gmfarms com pumpkin Lemos Farm Half Moon Bay You know you ve arrived at Lemos Farms when you see Ol Paint a horse statue whose paint job changes monthly with the seasons standing sentinel at the farm s entrance This working farm goes all-out in its celebration of the spooky season Through Nov visitors can enjoy not just a pumpkin patch but also a panoply of seasonal pursuits including pony rides for kiddos up to pounds train rides hay rides a haunted house and more Weekend pumpkin patch visitors might also plan to pair their outing with a goat yoga session offered on-site Friendly goats treat downward dog posers as their own obstacle courses scrambling atop yogis who may just find that supporting the weight of their agile farm friends is a surprisingly vigorous and hilarious core workout Details Open a m - p m Wednesdays-Sundays at San Mateo Road Half Moon Bay lemosfarm com ABC Tree Farms California multiple locations A longtime purveyor of seasonal outdoor amusement ABC Tree Farms is hosting more than a dozen Pick of the Patch Pumpkin Patches all around the Bay Area Families can beeline to the one closest to them whether that be Fremont Hayward Concord San Jose or elsewhere A sampling of what s on tap at these patches includes giant inflatable amusements for kids to bounce on and different varieties of pumpkins to pick For the older kids there s also plinking each other with paintballs Details Find the dates addresses and programs at abctreefarms net pumpkin-patches Joan s Farm Pumpkin Patch Livermore It s hard to pass up any pumpkin patch that features pumpkin bowling Joan s is full of Halloween-themed programs including a corn maze Old West Town an obstacle curriculum an old farm equipment museum a train inflatable slide and an opportunity to feed the animals Details Open a m to p m daily except Tuesdays at Mines Rd Livermore joansfarm com Three Nunns Farm Brentwood Enjoy a tractor ride into the pumpkin patch where the kids can also explore corn mazes historic hay forts and educational displays about the farm history Details Open daily a m to p m at Walnut Blvd in Brentwood threenunns com about Dingle Family Farm Oakley Here a play date with a pony is combined with a pumpkin patch as the farm offers one-hour private tours with pony rides and interaction with farm animals to go with your pumpkin-picking experience Pricing starting at Details Located at Brown Road Oakley thedinglefamilyfarmandstables com