One of my Halloween traditions is to visit our local pumpkin patch at least once every season! With the weather here in Orange County never quite reaching ideal fall temperatures (we're usually still stuck in the 70s and 80s) and no real autumn foliage to enjoy, visiting the pumpkin patch is one of the few nature-y things I can do in SoCal that manages to invoke that special Halloween feeling!
My go-to pumpkin patch is Tanaka Farms, located in Irvine, California. It is a real working farm that grows its own pumpkins, as well as growing fruits and veggies (during other seasons you can do watermelon and strawberry tours, and you can also pick your own veggies there!). During October, you can visit their pumpkin patch, go on wagon rides around the farm, visit their country store, navigate their corn maze, and more! Entry is just $2 (with wagon rides and other activities costing extra). In the middle of suburbia, it is a welcome respite and the perfect way to reinvigorate your autumn spirit!
I visited them the first weekend of October, and as usual, it got me in the spirit of the season! Check out photos of my visit below:
That weekend they were offering free wagon rides, so I went on my first ever
wagon ride around the farm! It was so fun!
They even had a pumpkin cannon that we got to watch shoot off pumpkins!
Boo-tiful rows and rows of pumpkins!
Local schools and organizations designed scarecrows and we got to vote on
our favorite! Of course I chose my man Jack!
Gorgeous gourds!
He who guards the rows!
Cinderella pumpkins! I love these cuz they are perfect for stacking.
The most sincere pumpkin patch.
They also have a little country store full of produce, fresh bread, and Halloween
decor, like his scarecrow cutie!
The weather was as close to fall as SoCal can hope for when we went,
low 70s and partly cloudy, with bright blue autumn skies!
Mini pumpkins galore!
I prefer carved pumpkins, but these guys were too adorable! Now I wanna
dress my pumpkins up!
They had a good selection of Halloween decor - this is just one section!
I think I'm just gonna wait here until the Great Pumpkin shows, because this
has to be the most sincere pumpkin patch in all of OC!
The only thing I don't like about Tanaka Farms is that they have a petting zoo. Though the animals look well-cared for, I just hate to think of them cooped up and harassed by annoying kids all day long and possibly mistreated. I have yet to find a pumpkin patch in Orange County WITHOUT a petting zoo, if you know of one let me know!
You can find more info on Tanaka Farms via their website!
Looks like a ton of fun. What a beautiful assortment of pumpkins.
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