In October, head to Sonoma County to enjoy pumpkin patches, and amazing corn maze!

Pick up a wheelbarrow, and load up on different kinds of pumpkins, kids love to play in a seed corn pits, go on hay bale rides, see farm animals, explore winding paths through a huge corn maze.

It’s fun to visit these family- run farms, operating for multi-generations.

Here’s four favorite pumpkin patches in Sonoma County:

 

Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, Petaluma

Amazing corn maze – This is a huge corn maze, created each year by Farmer Jim, and each maze is different.
Be sure to pick up the map to the maze, kids can see which routes lead through the maze.
Tip: Maze is open at night on weekends. Bright flashlights.

Play in seed corn pit

Select a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch.

Hay bale pyramid

Farm animals

Picnic tables, on-site food and snacks.

September 23 to October 31.
Sunday to Thursday 10am – 6pm
Friday and Saturday 10am – 10pm
450 Stony Point Road, Petaluma

 

Muelrath Ranches Pumpkin Patch, Santa Rosa

We discovered Muelrath Pumpkins driving through country roads, we kept seeing orange pumpkins signs – and arrows pointing the way. So we followed the signs to Muelrath Ranches Pumpkin Patch.

Haunted dungeon

Hay rides

Pumpkin sling shot and pumpkin cannon

Toddler corn maze

Climb on antique tractors

Twenty different kinds of pumpkins

Picnic area

September 30 – October 31, open daily 10am – 6pm.
3800 Walker Ave., Santa Rosa

 

Shone Farm Festival, Forestville

Shone Farm Festival is a one day festival, Oct. 12, 2024.

This is a real working farm, the festival is presented by the students and instructors of Santa Rosa Junior College Agriculural and Natural Resources Department. It’s very popular with local families, so plan to arrive early.

U pick pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes

Animal “meet and greet” (last year adorable sheep)

Rotten fruit slingshot

Hay bale rides

Farmstand

Food court

October 12, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm
7450 Steve Olson Lane
Forestville, CA 95436-9450

 

 

Children’s books

• Amara’s Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood, Samara Hardy
• Amara has many plants on her farm, but she’s looking for pumpkins for her potluck. Help Amara find pumpkins – pumpkins are large and round, but so are apples, pumpkins are orange, persimmons too, pumpkins grow on the ground, so does cauliflower. Learn about pumpkins – that grow on a vine, have a hollow center, orange pulp, squishy innards, and many seeds. Delightfully illustrated, plus a recipe for molasses pumpkin bread. (Picture book)

• Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht, Jarvis
• Visit a pumpkin patch, pick a pumpkin – orange, white, or speckled green, bring your pumpkin home, gather everything you need to scoop seeds out of your pumpkin. Invite friends to come and carve pumpkins (here’s ideas for different faces to carve). Then it’s not a pumpkin – it’s a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. (Picture book)

• Seed to Pumpkin by Sonia Black
• Close-up look at how a pumpkin grows – from a seed that sprouts into a leafy vine, with big yellow flowers. Flowers are pollinated by bees, and turn into a green, growing fruit. A pumpkin take about two – three months to ripen – now it’s ready to pick! Plus fun facts about pumpkins. (Picture book)

 

Where to stay

For weekend of fun, you’ll need a fun place to stay – check out our list of Sonoma County family hotels.

Find lots more fun things to do with kids in Sonoma County on Travel for Kids.