Best Pumpkin Patches Near DC for Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

Pick the perfect pumpkin at Great Country Farms.
Pick the perfect pumpkin at Great Country Farms.
9/17/23 - By Christine Mooney

Nothing says autumn like a trip to the pumpkin patch. Getting out on a beautiful fall day to pick a pumpkin, enjoy some apple cider, and have fun on a hayride is the perfect way to celebrate the fall season in the DC area.

We've put together a list of our favorite pumpkin patches near DC to help you find the best pumpkin patch to visit with your family. Many of these pumpkin patches are part of local farms with fun fall festivals, elaborate corn mazes, playgrounds, and other fun activities.

Read on for our list of 16 great pumpkin patches in Maryland and Northern Virginia for families. For even more ways to celebrate autumn, check out our Fall Fun Guide for Washington, DC kids and our Halloween Events and Activities Guide for Kids in Washington, DC.

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Butler's Orchard pumpkin patch
Hunt for the biggest pumpkin at Butler's Orchard.

Best Pumpkin Patches Near DC in Maryland

1. Butler's Orchard — Germantown

Butler's Orchard's Pumpkin Festival takes place on Wednesdays through Sundays from September 23 through October 29, 2023. Admission to the festival includes a visit to the pick-your-own-pumpkin patch and a slew of other activities, including hayrides, a corn maze, jump pads, farm animals, giant slides, pedal tractors, and more. It is strongly recommended to buy tickets ahead of time online—especially on weekends—to ensure that they are not sold out.

2. FarmAtHome — Poolesville

This quaint fruit and vegetable farm invites kids and families to enjoy a quiet fall outing filled with pumpkin picking, photo ops, picnicking, caramel apples, cider sipping, and other seasonal attractions. Prepaid appointments are required, but the payment can later be applied to the purchase of pumpkins and other items. Sensory-friendly appointments are also available. FarmAtHome is open for pumpkin picking on Saturdays and Sundays from September 23 through October 29, 2023.

3. Montpelier Farms — Upper Marlboro

Head over to Montpelier Farms for its annual fall festival, which takes place on select days from September 16 through November 5, 2023. The festival includes a variety of activities like corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin bowling, a petting zoo, and evening bonfires. When you’re all tapped out of the activities, head to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin. You can also forgo the festival and visit just the pumpkin patch for free; you'll only have to pay for the pumpkins you pick. If you do want to go to the festival, pre-purchase tickets online.

4. Homestead Farm — Poolesville

Looking for a straightforward, relaxing pumpkin-patch experience? Homestead Farm has just that. Along with a plethora of pumpkins, apples are also currently in season. Admission costs just a few dollars for everyone age 2 and older; after that, just pay for what you pick. The pumpkin patch is open daily from late September through Halloween, and you may just get a glimpse of goats, pigs, and other farm animals.

5. Clark’s Elioak Farm — Ellicott City

This farm is truly magical for young kids, with a fairy garden, an enchanted forest, storytimes, a petting zoo, and more. From September 16, 2023 through Halloween, you can pick a child-sized pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, as well as larger and mini pumpkins and gourds from the farm market. October 28 and 29 feature Halloween costume parades, and November 4 and 5 is pumpkin-chucking weekend. Clark's Elioak Farm is open Tuesdays through Sundays in September and early November and daily in October.

RELATED: Fall Bucket List for Kids: 30 Top Things To Do Near DC This Fall

Queen Anne Farm pumpkin patch
Plump pumpkins and pretty views make Queen Anne Farm a must-visit in the fall.

6. Queen Anne Farm — Mitchellville

Enjoy a tractor-pulled hayride to the pumpkin patch, where you'll find pumpkins ranging from itty bitty two-ouncers to giant 200-pounders. Kids will enjoy the petting zoo and the adorable Pumpkin House, and don’t forget to browse the country store. If you hate the chore of cleaning out pumpkins for carving, you can purchase pre-cleaned gourds, ready to cut, on October 30 and 31. Queen Anne Farm's pumpkin patch is open daily October through November 7, 2023.

7. Gaver Farm — Mount Airy

The Gaver Farm Fall Fun Fest takes place every day from September 1, 2023 through Halloween. At the festival, kids can cruise down giant slides, pet and feed barnyard animals, wind their way through the corn maze, hit the playgrounds, and enjoy roughly 60 other attractions. Festival admission also includes a hayride to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch. If pumpkins are all you are after, you don't have to pay admission—just take a free hayride to the patch.

8. Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch — Middletown

Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch is open daily from September 23 through October 31, 2023. Weekday admission is free and includes a large selection of pumpkins and mums, fall shopping, and a petting zoo. On Fridays, guests can also enjoy hayrides to the pumpkin patch, multiple play areas, and (for a fee) a 20-acre corn maze. Jumbo's charges a fee for admission on Saturdays and Sundays to tis fall festival, which features all of the Friday activities and many more.

RELATED: Best Corn Mazes Near DC for Kids and Families

Summers Farm pumpkin patch  
Take a peek inside the Pumpkin Hut at Summers Farm.

9. Summers Farm — Middletown

Families can enjoy over 45 fun activities at the Summers Farm Fall Festival, including wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, corn pits, mini golf, a pumpkin train, and lots more. The farm is also known for its interactive corn maze, which includes 2.5 miles of trails and a hidden scenic bridge. The fall festival is open Wednesdays through Mondays from September 16 through October 30, 2023 and on Halloween.

10. Shlagel Farms — Waldorf

Visit Shlagel Farms on Saturdays and Sundays between September 30 and October 29, 2023 to take a fun hayride to the pumpkin patch, where you can pick your own pumpkins. Families can also hold baby chicks and enjoy a petting zoo, corn boxes, a straw maze, and a large sand pile with diggers, all included in the admission fee.

11. Rock Hill Orchard — Mount Airy

Take a hayride to Rock Hill Orchard's pumpkin patch on Saturdays and Sundays from September 23 through October 22, 2023 to pick the perfect pumpkin. Families can also tackle a 15-acre corn maze, pick apples, launch pumpkins from a pumpkin blaster, pet calves, and watch cows being milked with a robotic milker. Be sure to reserve a date and time online prior to visiting.

RELATED: Apple Picking Near DC: Best Apple Orchards for Apple Picking with Kids

Great Country Farms pumpkin patch
Pick your pumpkin right off the vine at Great Country Farms.

Best Pumpkin Patches Near DC in Virginia

12. Great Country Farms — Bluemont

Pig races, apple cider donuts, and pumpkin picking, oh my! Families can head to Great Country Farms any day of the week in October for its Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival. Kids love the 12-acre play area, the corn maze, and P. Rex, the pumpkin-munching dinosaur. You can also take a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins right off the vine. Advance tickets are recommended for weekend visits and can be purchased online. Active-duty military and veterans get free admission on weekdays for up to six family members.

13. Wayside Farm — Berryville

From September 23 through October 29, 2023, Wayside Farm is open Thursdays through Sundays for fall fun including an eight-acre pick-your-own pumpkin patch, a 10-acre corn maze, a pumpkin playhouse, a playground, giant slides, a hayride, pig races, and lots more. You can also skip the activities and just visit the pumpkin patch, where you'll find pumpkins in ever color, shape, and size.

14. Cox Farms — Centreville

The wildly popular Cox Farms Fall Festival is back from September 16 through November 7, 2023. The fun includes the farm's famous 20-minute hayride, tons of slides, a goat village, a tractor museum, and lots more. At the end of it all, you can choose your perfect pumpkin from the makeshift pumpkin patch, which includes pumpkins brought in from other farms.

RELATED: Best Harvest and Pumpkin Festivals Near DC

Wegmeyer Farms pumpkin patch
The variety of gourds at Wegmeyer Farms are perfect for fall decorating.

15. Wegmeyer Farms — Hamilton

Wegmeyer Farms grows a whopping 50 varieties of pumpkins, from traditional Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins to unique heirloom varieties. You can visit the pumpkin field to pick your own pumpkins right off the vine, or shop for pre-picked ones. Wegmeyer Farms is open for pumpkin picking Wednesdays through Sundays (plus Monday, October 9) beginning September 24, 2023, and the farm asks that you reserve a time to visit ahead of time online.

16. Hollin Farms — Delaplane

For a no-frills pick-your-own pumpkin experience without the crowds or endless activities, head over to this four-generation family farm. In addition to picking pumpkins, families can pick apples and fall greens, and even dig their own peanuts and potatoes. Leashed dogs are allowed on the farm; just not in the pumpkin patch or vegetable gardens.

All photos courtesy of the farms

This post was originally published in 2019 and is updated annually.

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