Apple cider doughnuts, getting lost in a corn maze, finding the perfect or the “perfectly imperfect” pumpkin... it’s all part of the fall festivities in Maryland we look forward to each year come mid-September through October.
From taking a hay ride to getting lost in a corn maze and finding fluffy bunnies at the petting farm while sipping a pumpkin spice latte, it’s all part of what makes the pumpkin festival season so much fun.
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What To Bring to the Pumpkin Patch
Sunscreen and hats
Layers (you never know with the unpredictable Fall weather!)
Camera for those picturesque family photos
Picnic lunch, or cash for snacks
Comfortable shoes (rubber boots are great for trudging through apple orchards!)
*For those suffering from environmental allergies keep in mind that you will most likely be exposed to grass, straw, animal hair or possibly mold during your visit to the pumpkin patch.
Address:Butler’s Orchard,22222 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, MD20876
Weekend Festival Admission: $12 per person over the age of 2
Butlers’s Orchard is a huge family run farm in Montgomery County, MD. Butler’s has a large festival every weekend in October with live music and food venders. The food is great – favorites of mine include the quinoa and sweet potato stew and the pit BBQ sandwiches with fries and freshly brewed tea.
Included in the festival admission are hayrides to the pumpkin patch, giant slides, a playground, corn pits, a ride on the farm tractors, straw and corn mazes, rubber duck races, and more.
Bring CASH for entry fees, food and additional activities (face painting, pony rides, etc). Butler’s also has a really great farmer’s market with fresh produce, delicious baked goods and seasonal decorations and crafts.
BONUS: If you want to make a full day of it, explore the festival and then pick some apples to take home or let the kids pick wild flowers to make their own seasonal bouquets.
Weekend Admission: $17. Weekday $10 (check online for “supersaver days” and other discounts)
Summers’ farm is a real working farm with a ton of kid-friendly activities. This farm is best suited for an active family, as there are huge slides, giant bouncing pillows (our favorite!), corn bins, a huge corn maze, animals, apple cannons, pick your own pumpkins with a hayride, a treasure hunt, food concessions and much more!
Expect some crowds as you enter the farm and during checkout before you leave.
Summers’ has several food options available on the weekends, but it’s somewhat limited during the week. There is a small farmer’s market at check out and the homemade cider doughnuts are a must-try!
If you have older kids or want to stay until the evening fireworks, you can rent a fire pit. Summers’ farm now offers fireworks in the evening and wood-fired pizza – both just added this year!
Gaver Farm
Address: Gaver Farm,5501 Detrick Road Mt. Airy, MD21771
Fall Fun Festival admission: $7.75 per person (weekdays) and $11.00 per person (weekends). Children 2 & under are free.
Included in the entry fee: Hayrides, corn maze, giant slide, animals, jumping pillow, cow train (runs on the weekends), playground, giant tricycles, rubber duck races, corn pit and more! You can also pick your own apples for an additional cost.
There is also a farmer’s market at Gaver’s that sells baked and canned goods, fresh apples and pumpkins, and some seasonal items.
On the weekend food from the grill is available for purchase.
Jumbo’s is a smaller pumpkin patch with free admission. While Jumbo’s doesn’t offer a long list of activities, if it’s just pumpkins and a free hayride you’re after, then look no further (hayrides run Friday-Sunday)!
There is also a petting zoo, play area and general store. While the entry is free, additional activities are available for purchase such as a corn maze, pony rides and face painting (Saturday and Sunday only).
Be sure to look online for discounts on the corn maze!
Admission: Free. Weekend Hayride: $6.50 additional fees for Straw Maze & Boo Barn
Larriland is another small farm with no entry fee but the option to pay for additional activities. There is a pumpkin patch, a 20-minute hayride through decorated woods and a stream, a straw maze and the Haunted Barn.
The hayrides only run on Saturdays and Sundays for the public. If you plan to visit with a large group it is possible to reserve a hayride during the week.
At Larriland you can also ‘pick your own apples’ and grab a bite to eat on the weekends (apple fritters, hot dogs, etc).
Hope on a hayride to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard when you visit Baugher’s Orchard. Weekend in October come alive with pony rides, a pumpkin bounce, face painting, petting zoo and loads of sweet and savory treats.
NOTE: bring cash as many food vendors at Baugher’s Orchard do not take credit cards or check.
Dates: September through first weekend of November
Pop into Gaver Farm to pick your own pumpkins, sunflowers and apples. You can also pick up a few snacks at the food stand or the Farm Market.
Fall Fundays offer up more than 50 activities, including an insanely large corn maze, jumping pillows, petting and feeding the farm animals, rides on the giant slides, the Chicken Show, farm animals, mini mazes, playgrounds, duck races, ball games and photo set ups for all of your autumn picture needs.
Pick-you-own pumpkins and apples are available in the autumn. Keep an eye on their website to know when crops are ready to harvest, as it does change from year to year.
Refreshments are available inside the farm on weekends, and kids will have a chance to meet the farm animals before or after they pick their produce.
Rock Hill Orchard & Woodbourne Creamery
Address: Rock Hill Orchard, 28600 Ridge Rd, Mt Airy, MD 21771
Dates: Late September through early November
Come to Rock Hill Orchard and Woodbourne Creamery for ice cream and apple cider donuts this fall.
Pick-you-own pumpkins, wander through two corn mazes (one is 14 acres, the other smaller one is one acre), try out the world champion pumpkin cannon, watch the cows being milked and pet the baby calves.
Dates: Weekends September through November, plus Fridays in October
Grab the kids and take a wonder through the Montpelier Farms pumpkin patch in Maryland to find your perfect pumpkin this autumn.
No need to pack a snack; this farm has apple cider donuts!
Kids will love all of the fall activities at the farm, including gem stone mining, pumpkin chucking, a scarecrow workshop, pumpkin painting, corn mazes, straw sculptures, a peddle cart track, roping range, barnyard bowling, and more.
Queen Anne Farm Inc
Address: Queen Anne Farm Inc, 18102 Central Ave, Bowie, MD 20716
Dates: End of September through October
Wander through a huge array of pumpkins in the field after you jump off of the tractor-drawn wagon.
Queen Anne Farm pumpkins range in size from teeny tiny two ounces to more than 200 pounds. The farm boasts seven varieties of orange pumpkins perfect for carving, as well as six different varieties of heirloom pumpkins, including white, grey and those ones with the bumps all over them.
After your find your pumpkins, head over to the Pumpkin House to take photos inside, plus explore the giant critters and straw farm animals. End your journey with a stop at the store for a snack, autumn mums, gourds and more.
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Address: Clark’s Elioak Farm,10500 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Dates: mid-September through mid-November
Join 7th generation farmers at Clark’s Elioak Farm in Ellicott City to find your perfect pumpkin this year. There plenty of farm animals for you and the kids to pet, as well as hay rides, a Cow Train, pony rides, an Enchanted Express Train and a Fairy Forest.
Teachers looking to book a field trip should get in touch with the farm ASAP, as spots do fill up.
Take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and apple orchards to do your own picking this season. The Farm Stand will be open if you need any jams, jellies or honey.
Dates: Fridays and Saturday, 6pm to 12am, last weekend of September through the first weekend in November.
Although the pumpkin patch is closed (last we checked), Screamland Farms is open to give you a fright on Friday and Saturday nights in October and November.
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm offers open houses at the farm throughout the season. Keep an eye on their website for dates and times the public can join.
Teachers can book a field trip for an educational farm day, which teaches children pilgrim history, basic farm skills, why bees are important to our ecosystem, and of course, a chance to pick a pumpkin and ear of corn right from the fields.
Dates: Open weekends in October (weekday tours are available for groups)
Wander through this locally-owned farm southeast of Washington, DC to find a pumpkin that will make the perfect jack-o-lantern this Halloween.
Kids can enjoy the straw bail slides, petting zoo and more.
Councell Farms
Address: Councell Farms, 11773 Old Skipton Rd, Cordova, MD 21625
Dates: Open 7 days a week, September through October.
Bring the whole family (grandparents are free!) to enjoy 20+ farm related activities, including a corn maze, jumping pillow and combine slide.
Wander through the pumpkin patch to find your perfect gourd, but remember, you pay by weight in this field. Maybe that giant pumpkin that can barely fit in your car should stay in the field for all to see.
If you get hungry, you can pick up local apples, fresh apple cider and a large selection of jams and jellies.
If you need some autumn decor, load up on gourds, Indian corn, straw bales, corn stalks and mums, all for sale in the farm shop at Councell Farms.
Spider Hall Farm
Address: Spider Hall Farm,3915 Hallowing Point Rd, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
We aren’t sure if Spider Hall is open for pumpkin picking this year or not, but will let you know as soon as we do.
Pop into Strohmer’s Farm to visit the farm animals, go on a hay ride, pick a pumpkin, wander through the corn maze, and participate in activities like the straw jump, stick horse corral and try your hand at lassoing a steer.
Dogs are welcome on Sundays, as long as they are on a leash.
While they may not have pumpkins, this farm is worth popping into for fresh apple cider in autumn. They do offer pick-your-own apples, flowers and blackberries in the fall too.
Miller Farms
Address: Miller Farms, 10140 Piscataway Rd, Clinton, MD 20735
Dates: weekends in October, Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m
Guests can enjoy a scenic hayride around the farm to see an impressive scarecrows displayed in wacky poses, wander through the giant corn maze, meet barnyard animals, run through the tire obstacle course and take a ride down a giant slide.
Don’t forget to grab a dozen (or more) of their apple cider donuts, homemade pumpkin and apple Pie Ice Cream, apple cider, freshly cut mums, and more. Oh, and of course, grab your pumpkins for Halloween too!
Dates: Open Saturdays and Sunday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. (last weekend of September through October)
Located just outside of Annapolis, MD, Knightongale Farm has plenty of free and paid activities are available for families to enjoy.
Don’t miss the including peddle tractors, corn boxes, petting the animals, miling the cows, a straw bale playground, tug of war, Lasso Lassie, Pin the Tail on the Pony, Hoppity Hop Ball Ring and more.
Keryn is the founder and editor-in-chief of Walking on Travels, an award-winning site that gives hope to today’s active parents who don’t want to stop their lives; they simply bring their kids along for the ride. Keryn utilizes her project management background, along with a masters degree in journalism and an undergrad degree in photography to the team to create dynamic content and a vision that keeps up with the latest technology and trends. You can find Keryn dragging her 2 boys around the DC area most days and across the globe several times a year.
