It seems I have been going to the Pumpkin Patch for awhile now as an adult. Never as a kid that I can remember, yet I can’t remember when we started this tradition as big kids. Yet, as with everything, the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvies Island has lost a little of its luster. Don’t get me wrong – still a great place to go and get fresh farm veggies and your pumpkins. Also, everyone loves the hay ride and the opportunity to get your boots dirty. I just think I am a little worn on the huge crowd. Last year, after filling our bags full of yummy veggies, we cruised down the street to another farm for our u-pick pumpkins.
Which brings me to my question. My friend and I were chatting about the upcoming weekend and I asked him if he was going to take his son to the Pumpkin Patch. He felt the same way as I did about the crowd, but also commented on the horrible traffic that ensues. We both immediately wondered out loud if there are other “Pumpkin Patches” that are as close and rural as on Sauvies Island. We’re in close in North and NE. I thought somewhere in Gresham or deep SE may be an option, and then I thought of you, our wonderful readers. Where do you go for autumn pumpkin fun?
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It’s on a much smaller scale than the Pumpkin Patch but last year, we found Lee Farms in Tualatin. 21975 SW 65th Ave. They do a hayride and have a maze made out of hay bales.
The family has been farming there for generations. It’s very charming.
You go south on I-5 and take the Nyberg exit. Turn left at the top of the ramp and follow the road around the curve, past Meridian Park hospital. In another mile or so you’ll go over I-205 and the farm will be on your right.
http://www.leefarmsoregon.com
We just got ours at BiZi Farms in Vancouver.
Another family farm that’s been around forever. If you’re coming from Portland it’s a pretty quick trip up the freeway.
http://bizifarms.com/
If one doesn’t have an aversion into crossing the river (Washington… it’s like a whole ‘nuther state!), it seems that most of the local playgroups/preschools/etc. end up at Bi-Zi Farms [horrible website warning]. They have a pumpkin patch, corn maze, etc.
Heh… and that’s what happens when I take too long to put together a comment… Brian beats me to it!
We hit Liepold Farms out in Boring last Sunday. No U-Pick, but they have the phattest pumpkins I’ve seen in a while and an Alice In Wonderland corn maze.
we’ve been going to Fir Point Farms in Canby since i was a kid. it’s getting more crowded by the year. i think all of them are. but as long as they keep making homemade, warm and fresh doughnuts along with homemade hot cider (my mouth is watering) i’ll keep going.
@Adam – I’m pretty sure we were one of the new families crowding Fir Point Farms last year – it’s a good one.
When we manage to be coordinated enough to fetch pumpkins, we like Baggenstos Farms. They’re pretty close in for those of us in the SW, but it still feels rural. They have a corn maze and hayrides to the pumpkin patch. I’ve always felt that they’re a pretty class act.
Some schools set up elaborate pumpkin patches one weekend a month with games and snacks and pumpkins, not as much fun for the adult kids, but if you have little ones it’s great (plus they’re usually a fundraiser for the school so the money goes to a good cause)
After an hour in the car on the road out to Sauvie Island last year, we all gave up, turned around, and went to Uncle Paul’s on Hawthorne. They have great big pumpkins for cheap, and then you can go home and have fun with a carving party.
The best part is that they are right near Burgerville so you can pick up a Ghirardelli Caramel & Apple milkshake with some sweet potato fries – yum!!
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