October… Autumn … Color … and PUMPKINS! I enjoy October … I relish Autumn … I dig the Color and I love pumpkins!
In my house, we enjoy when the seasons change and there is a hint of Autumn in the air, knowing that pumpkins are growing fast and will be ready in time for our visit to the local pumpkin patch. I like to visit new farms for new experiences so I often use the Pumpkin Patches & More website to find a patch near us and to get many details for choosing the right Pumpkin Patch.
When looking for the right pumpkin patch for your family, several items to look for are:
- Cost of admission (all-inclusive with children’s activities and/ or pumpkins)
- If credit cards are acceptable or is it cash only
- The type of children’s activities/play area (if any)
- Farm animals available for visiting/petting
- Food for sale (or ability to bring our own snacks and drinks)
- Is there a farmers market
- Hours of operation (week days or just weekends)
- Location, Location, Location
- Family run business (size of the farm: small vs. extremely large)
- Any add-on activities (hay ride, pony rides, etc) not included in the cost of admission.
This past weekend, the weather was predicted to be sunny and warming and our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes had a bye week. This combination could only mean one thing … Lets head out to the pumpkin patch. I know I wasn’t the only person thinking this would be a great day to select pumpkins so we headed out early. We choose to visit Hidden Creek Farms in Sunbury, Ohio and wanted to arrive right when they opened for the day.
The cost for Hidden Creeks Farm was $6 (cash only) a person, under 2 free and free parking. Included in the admission was the pumpkin slide, games, animal petting, the hayride to the pumpkin patch and all the excitement you can handle. The fine print (not published on the website but on a small bulletin board at the entrance to the farm) indicated the actual pumpkin(s) selected from the patch is an additional .40 cents per pound payable upon leaving the farm.
Being that we arrived fairly early, we decided to check out our surroundings before the crowd arrived.
My kiddo wanted to try his hand at some of the games; which didn’t keep his interest level long however the younger children were quite entertained and our entertainment was watching the younger ones play. We quickly moved on to the pumpkin slide.
Knowing that this was a smaller, family owned and operated pumpkin patch, our expectations were smaller as well.
The Pumpkin slide was good for a few runs, but then seems to lose its luster for the older children, including my kiddo. When attending with the younger kids and planning on a short visit, the size of the farm and the activities was just right.
The lines started to pick up and we decided to get in line for the hay ride leading to the pumpkin patch. We ended up waiting longer than expected as the second tractor wasn’t ready for passengers. Often times, patience is called upon with the “hurry up and wait” theory, which may be more challenging with smaller children.
The hayride itself was a nice cozy ride about a mile out where we were dropped off in the “Patch”. (Which provided lots of time for selfies on the ride out). The day was sunny but the air was still chilly. My kiddo was glad that I insisted he wear a jacket with a hood; as I recommend dressing in layers and hats for everyone.
I think my kiddo thought he was shopping for his future and his future hinged upon the decision of picking the right pumpkin … after twenty minutes … I called TIME! He narrowed it down to three.
There seemed to be a nice selection of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
Over all, Hidden Creek Farms was exactly what we wanted and certainly what we expected based on the information on their website.
We were able to pick the pumpkins of our liking, enjoy loads of fresh farm air, and be home by lunch!
