A Day Out at Adobe Pumpkin Farm

This weekend we took the kids to the first pumpkin patch of the season (but certainly not the last). We visited the Adobe Pumpkin Farm in Petaluma, located at the intersection of Adobe Road and East Washington Street. We've sort of made it an annual tradition to visit Adobe on its opening weekend, which usually coincides with the Weekend Along the Farm Trails event. Adobe Pumpkin Farm is also usually the first pumpkin patch to open in the fall, so it's a fun kick-off to the season. Since it's still early in the season they were still putting the fiinishing touches on many things, and some of the attractions like the Haunted Barn and the Christmas Shop were not yet open.

Located just minutes from the suburban sprawl of east Petaluma, Adobe Pumpkin Farm is a real farm that, in addition to pumpkins, also grows flowers and a variety of vegetables. Here you can pick your own pumpkin from a large field, or choose from already-picked varieties in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes. Plenty of wheelbarrows are available for hauling your pumpkins back to the Pumpkin Barn and to your car. You can also buy gourds and fresh-cut flowers.

They also have different kinds of squash and gourds available. Adobe Pumpkin Farm is a very commercial operation, and I mean that in a good way. It’s well done, with a large variety of activities and attractions to keep families busy after the initial thrill of the pumpkin hunt.

The place is absolutely huge, so there’s plenty of room for children to run and jump and tear around. There are some farm animals to visit, including lambs, cows, chickens, and goats, and machinery junkies will get a kick out of the antique tractors and farm equipment scattered around the grounds.

Since Halloween pumpkin patches seem to be pretty competitive in these parts, there are plenty of added attractions to enhance your visit. There’s the obligatory jumpy house ($2), a corn maze ($5), a haunted house dubbed "Spider Hollow" ($5, and not recommended for children under 8), and a less scary Haunted Barn that's more suitable for younger children ($3; no charge for parents tagging along).

Later on in the season (starting October 8), they're planning on bringing out some giant slides and inflatables on weekends. Other attractions will include pony rides from Victoria's Fashion Stables ($5), face painting, and custom balloon creations. The Pumpkin Fairy Godmother will also make appearances on weekends starting October 8. She'll tell stories, visit with children, and sprinkle fairy dust on your pumpkins. Additional weekend happenings include hay rides ($4), the Adobe Marketplace selling crafts and handmade goods, the Adobe Farmer's Market, and visits by local 4H groups.

As you probably figured out, there's a lot of stuff to see and do here! Dates and times of these events vary, so make sure you check their website to find out what's happening on the day you plan to visit.

The Pumpkin Barn, where you buy tickets to the attractions and pay for your pumpkins, is also a gift shop chock full of Halloween and autumn related décor items, toys, and other assorted gee gaws, as well as bottled water and soft drinks. It’s probably impossible to leave without getting something.

If you're thirsty or hungry, you'll find the Coffee Barn selling hot and cold drinks and snacks, and on weekends a variety of food vendors will be on hand selling BBQ, Chicago style hot dogs, tacos, cotton candy, and kettle corn. Eclectic Petaluma shop Heebe Jeebe has a Halloween outpost set up in a barn, too, with spooky decor, costumes, hats, and accessories. Oh, and for those who just can’t wait and want to bypass Halloween altogether, there’s also a Christmas shop selling decorations and Christmas tree ornaments. 

Like most younger kids, ours have a love-hate relationship with the scary part of Halloween. The Spider Hollow haunted house was open, but since it's not recommended for younger kids, we decided that we'd finally pay a visit to the kid-friendly Haunted Barn, only to discover that it wasn't yet open. We might run back up there and give it another try later on this month.

We did take advantage of the special Weekend Along the Farm Trails pricing on the corn maze, which everyone enjoyed after we convinced my daughter that we weren't going to get lost. The corn maze is open daily.

Adobe Pumpkin Farm is located at 2348 East Washington Street in Petaluma. It's open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, weather permitting, through October 31. Amenities include a picnic area and portable toilets with hand-washing stations. There’s plenty of free parking. Credit cards are accepted, and there's also an ATM on site.

Get there by taking 101 north to the Washington Street exit in Petaluma, then turn right onto East Washington and follow it until you reach Adobe Pumpkin Farm, which is just past the Petaluma Airport.

Adobe Pumpkin Farm can also host your school field trip, your birthday party, or a weekend BBQ for your group. For more information and a schedule of events visit www.adobepumpkinfarm.com (beware—it's a Flash site that plays music when you load it) or call (707) 763-6416.