Find a local pumpkin patch here!

Looking for a local pumpkin patch, corn maze, hayride, gourds and other Halloween activities in the Santa Cruz County area of California? Scroll down this page and you will see the all of those in the Santa Cruz County area of California, sorted by county. Some are farms, where you take a hay ride out into the field, others are elaborate farm stands with mountains of pumpkins and other activities and some are simple roadside stands. Most have loads of pumpkins to choose from. To really make it fun for your kids, look for those that have the extra activities, like a corn maze, spook house, or hayride. There is usually a small fee for the mazes (of course, the more elaborate mazes tend to charge more. Hayrides are often free. ALWAYS call before you go to confirm the info, they don't always report changes to me!

And if you know of one I missed and want to add it or correct the information, please let me know! If you are looking for pumpkin weigh-offs and the US and world's largest pumpkins, see this page! Want to do a fundraiser selling pumpkins? See this page! There are affiliate links on this page. Read our disclosure policy to learn more.

New for this year, see our Top Ten list of best pumpkins to make pumpkin pies and for baking and cooking. Also, our Master List of 100 Varieties of Pumpkins for every purpose. Then see this page for our easy pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin recipe.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, active Federal facilities like dams, a mint, NASA, even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas They're fun, inexpensive and educational! And for road trips and camping, see RoadTrippingAndCamping.com

Updates for March 2024

Most pumpkin patches and corn mazes usually open by mid September, some earlier! You may also like a local zombie event or Zombie Paintball!. The world's best pumpkin pie recipe is here, and the pie crust recipe is here! And we have home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. You can access many pumpkin and other recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search.  If you are looking for pick your own apples with pumpkins and often also fun activities, see this page.

NOTE: Many farms went out of business in the past 2 years and others are dropping their websites and switching to Facebook pages thus breaking all links to them. If a link is broken please click the "click here to report a broken link or blank page" so we can find the replacement link! Thanks!

After Halloween, find a Christmas tree at a local Christmas tree farm (and enjoy a bonfire, smore, hot chocolate and free hayrides, and often Santa visits! And next Spring, you'll want to take your children to a free Easter egg hunt - see our companion website to find a local Easter Egg hunt. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! And Find a a local farm market here

Pumpkin Patch Listings, by county

Click on Resources above, if you need a county map

Santa Cruz County

  • Crystal Bay Farm - Certified Organic, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, tractor-pulled hay rides, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours
    40 Zils Road, Watsonvillle, CA 95076. Phone: (831) 724-4137. Email: [email protected]. Open: First weekend in October; Call to schedule a Halloween farm tour or event. Directions: From Highway 1 take the the San Andreas / Larken Valley exit to San Andreas road, drive 4.5 miles to Zils road We are at the corner of San Andreas and Zils Road. Click here for a map and directions. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check. We are a small family farm open to the public, located between two state beaches on the beautiful Monterey Bay. We offer a self-serve farm stand, a pumpkin patch, and farm tours. Our Self-Serve Farm stand operates on the honor system. If the farmer is not around take your fruit and place your payment in the cash tube at the corner of the farm stand. In the Fall we have a huge assortment of pumpkins and winter squash. So come on out, we look forward to seeing you in the field. Certified Organic by CCOF since 1997. Some of the most fun we've had here on the farm are the Farm Tours, we do educational, fun, interactive, tours to fit your groups needs. We offer farm tours from mid February thru first part of November.
  • Gizdich Ranch - pumpkins, apples, PYO Berries and large fruit.
    55 Peckham Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: 831-722-1056. Everyone is welcomed to take a walking tour of our ranch. Individuals and families can take a self-guided walk through the apple orchards and berry farm, every day except on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. They can also watch the apple juice pressing each Saturday, September-May only. Schools, Clubs, and other groups can tour our facilities and farm by calling and setting up an appointment -- minimum of 20 people please. Pik-Yor-Self - Strawberries, Olallieberries, Boysenberries, and Apples are available in our Pik-Yor-Self program. Experience the most fun part of growing fruits, here at the Ranch! Combined with fresh air, sunshine and a little sweat, it's a whole lot of fun for the kids and the entire family. Call for our opening dates and prepare for a fun day of picking delicious fruit. Bring your own containers or let us provide boxes for a small fee. After picking, take a self guided tour of our apple orchard and berry farms. If you're here on Saturdays (September-May only), you can watch the apples get pressed for juice! When everyone's ready for lunch, picnic behind our sales barn and let the kids play. Plan to see us soon!
  • Live Earth Farm and Discovery Program - Certified Organic, pumpkins, Pick-your-own apples, pumpkins for sale in the shop or farmstand, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, Fall festival, we also have pie pumpkins, tractor-pulled hay rides, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, Cider mill with fresh apple cider made on the premises, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area (bring your own food), face painting, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations
    1275 Green Valley Road, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: 831-763-2448. Alternate Phone: 831-728-2032. Email: [email protected]. Open: Saturday October 25, 12 to dark. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page.
  • Roaring Camp Railroads - Harvest Faire pumpkin train
    Felton, CA 95018. Phone: (831) 335-4484. Open: Weekends October 3 - November 1. This is a family and children's Halloween event! Ride the train through a redwood forest as tHARVEST FAIRE Welcome Fall with the Harvest Faire at Roaring Camp! Take the Redwood Forest Steam Train to Bear Mountain. Pick a pumpkin from the town pumpkin patch. Have fun with Covid-safe children’s heritage activities.. Reservations required. For tickets and information, call.
  • Rodoni Farms - Certified Organic, Pumpkins, pumpkin patch - pick in the field, corn maze, specialty squash,
    4444 Coast Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Phone: 831-426-0666. Email [email protected] Open: daily (rain or shine) from the last weekend in September to October 31st from 9 am to 5 pm. We have a great crop of pumpkins and specialty squash. The corn maze is taller than it’s ever been, so come try it out! We will have fresh veggies from our farm on the produce cart. Directions: U Pick Em Pumpkins is located 4 miles North of Santa Cruz, California on Hwy. 1. Take Mission Street through the center of town and continue on to Hwy. 1 towards San Francisco/ Halfmoon Bay. Come roam through the fields of pumpkins. There are so many varieties to choose from! We have hay bales, scary cutouts, and a 5 acre corn maze! We also have fresh Brussels sprouts on the stalk, artichokes, corn stalks, and gourds. **Pumpkins are priced by size, not weight. Payment: Casf, checks, venmo, paypal. (UPDATED: October 20, 2019, JBS)
  • Seaside Pumpkin Farms - Pumpkin Patch
    Highway 1, Davenport, CA. Directions: Half-mile north of Davenport. Open: October 1-31, 2007, 9 am-6 pm. No admission charge.
  • Spooky-Ooky Pumpkin Patch at Crystal Bay Farm - Pumpkin Patch
    40 Zils Rd., Watsonville, CA. Phone: 831/-761-8507. Email: [email protected] . Open: October 1-31, 2007, 10 am-6 pm. No admission charge. Also has u pick strawberries in the Spring.
  • Swanton Berry Farm - Certified Organic, Strawberries, apples, pumpkins, vegetables
    25 Swanton Rd, Davenport, CA. Phone: 831-469-8804. Email: [email protected]. Also pre-picked broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes and peas. Everything is Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers. U-Pick Sundays beginning June 15th and continuing every Sunday until August 31st. Tours depart from our Swanton Ranch Farm Stand (just 2 miles north of Davenport on Highway 1) every Sunday at 9 am. The day includes a 1 hour guided farm tour, variety tasting (all you can eat!), plus a dessert from our bakery kitchen. Bring a picnic to enjoy by our ocean front fields. The cost is $10 for Adults, $5 for Children under 8. U-pick is available for tour guests at an extra charge.


Halloween Costumes

Here are some of the most popular Halloween costumes for children this year. For more choices, see our Halloween costumes pages.

You may find these websites useful!

Here's the quick list to related farms for PYO, Honey, Pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc.:

 

 

Find Related Information and Resources Here!

Don't miss our page of costumes, ready made and ones you can make yourself!

And here's a book of 130 pumpkin carving stencils!

More carving kits and stencils are here!


Find Other types of farms:


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