Get Out with the Grandkids and explore a local pumpkin patch near you

Randal C. Hill

 

Ah, October! The days are growing shorter, the air a little crisp, and fall festivals are in full swing. Visiting local pumpkin patches is a wonderful way to experience the harvest season in the great outdoors. Following are some great options for fall fun and memory making for all ages.

 

PORTLAND

The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island claims to be the original such place in Portland. Here you’ll find such delights as a corn maze and free hayrides to the largest U-pick pumpkin field in Oregon. Grandkids delight in the petting zoo. ThePumpkinPatch.com 503-621-3874

 

TUALATIN

Lee Farms offers wagon rides to four-acre combination corn maze and pumpkin patch boasting 27 different varieties of pumpkins. Visitors say the fresh donuts are beyond compare, and kids love the activities.  LeeFarmsOregon.com 503-638-1869

 

GERVAIS

Bauman’s Farm and Garden is a place where kids and kids-at-heart can shoot apples from a cannon! Other popular attractions include the weekend Bug Train, three acres of mazes, a giant slide and, as the Bauman folks say, “giggle-worthy” rides.
BaumanFarms.com 503-792-3524

 

SALEM

Weekends reign supreme at E.Z. Orchards
Farm Market, where fun awaits with an Oregon-shaped corn maze, duck races, hay and pony rides and live music. The scrumptious donuts are an attraction all their own.
EZOrchards.com 503-393-1506

 

CORVALLIS

The Melon Shack is a delightful locale for guests who enjoy hay and train rides. Speeding down a Super Slide and cavorting in a hay fort are popular attractions. On weekends, a haunted corn maze thrills the older kids. Lunch is ready at the selection of food carts.
541-243-4152

 

ST PAUL

The 500-acre French Prairie Garden offers everything from the yummiest baked goods to gorgeous hanging baskets. Pumpkin-seeking visitors can also delight in watching — ready for this? — the Pigtucky Derby Pig Races. FPGardens.com 503-633-8445