Halloween's this coming Friday, but there's still plenty of time to pick out that perfect pumpkin. For those seeking that that true Halloween pumpkin patch experience, we present our annual roster of pumpkin patches in Marin and southern Sonoma counties. In Marin County, only the Lafranchi Pumpkin Patch offers that on-the-farm experience, but old favorites like the St. Vincent's Pumpkin Patch offer an exciting Halloween experience for families, too. To seek out real live farms offering pumpkin patches this season, head up north a short distance to rural Sonoma County, where you'll find them in relative abundance.

We visited a number of these pumpkin patches last year, and have posted links to our reviews of them below. We'll certainly make an effort to visit again this year, and we'll add our updated reviews when they're available.

We've included dates and hours for most pumpkin patches where available. As a rule, most pumpkin patches are open througout the month of October, although some open this month and others run through early November.

Have we overlooked your favorite pumpkin patch? Let us and everyone else know by leaving a comment. Admission to pumpkin patches is free unless otherwise noted.

Marin County

Nicasio Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch
(Lafranchi Pumpkin Patch)
5300 Nicasio Valley Rd (1/4 mile north of Nicasio square)
Nicasio
(415) 662-9100
Open September 27
Daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

The only real pick-it-off-the-vine pumpkin patch in Marin County, Nicasio Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch at Nicasio Valley Farms offers organic pumpkins, hay rides, farm animals, jumpy houses, a farm stand, and BBQ on the weekends. Popular children's recording artist Tim Cain performs on Saturday, October 4, and Sunday, October 19 and 26 at 11 a.m. Read our review of 2007's Lafranchi Pumpkin Patch.

Godmothers of Timothy Murphy School Pumpkin Patch
St. Vincent's Field, at the Marinwood/St. Vincent's exit off Hwy 101
Marinwood
(415) 785-3264
Open October 4 through October 31
Daily, 10 a.m–5:30 p.m.

Bounce houses, hay pile, face painting, snack shack, picnic area. Groups welcome. Read our review of St. Vincent's Pumpkin Patch.

Ian's Pumpkin Patch at Bon Aire Center
Bon Aire Shopping Center, Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Greenbrae

Shopping center pumpkin patch with bounce house and slide.
read more »

Find the Halloween event that's right for you! We'll keep updating our list of Halloween events in Marin as we find more. If you have an event you'd like to see added to the list, please contact us.

Marin Events:

Halloween Fun at Playtime Safari in Novato
Thursday, October 30
9:30am - 3:00pm
Bring the little ones in costume and enjoy snacks, "non-scary" Halloween fun. Free goodie bag for children (while supplies last). Bring your cameras for lots of great pictures. Playtime Safari is located at 5470 Nave Drive in Novato. Call (415) 883-5437 for more info.

One of our favorite pumpkin patches is the Great Peter Pumpkin Patch at Petaluma's Spring Hill Farm. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere (which is part of the fun) on a real working farm that normally produces the yummy Spring Hill Jersey cheese that you may have seen in farmers' markets or stores around town. The Peter Pumpkin Patch is a classic old-time pumpkin patch. We've been going there for the past five years, and it's definitely grown in size and scope to be a major autumn production. Despite its growth, Peter Pumpkin Patch is refreshingly devoid of stuff like bounce houses, slides, and other inflatable games that seem to be ubiquitous in area pumpkin patches. read more »

Last year we visited Peterson's Farm in Petaluma and decided it was our new favorite pumpkin patch. You can read about last year's visit here, but the short version of that story is that the visit was one of those delightful magical experiences that happen only rarely these days. So it was not without some trepidation that I prepared to drag the family up there this season. Would it be as great as it was last year? Was it one of those experiences that seems better in memory than in real life? Casting the fear of disappointment aside, we headed up across the county line.

So I'm sure you're wondering: "So how was it this time?" Well... it was as great as we remembered it, only better!

While there are plenty of awesome pumpkin patches to choose from in Marin and southern Sonoma counties (see our list of those here), you can find other great places to pick up pumpkins and other Halloween and autumn treats throughout the greater Bay Area. Maybe you're headed on a road trip to the south bay, or bound for the grandparents' house in Leisuretown this October--there's probably a pumpkin patch on the way. Here are a few out-of-town pumpkin patches in Solano, Contra Costa, and San Mateo counties, that we've seen or have had recommended to us. Of course if your favorite isn't here, now's the time to let us know! Leave a comment to this post or send us an email and we'll consider adding it to the list.

Sometimes it's hard to find time to go on the inevitable search for Halloween costumes. I usually ask my kids what they want to be for Halloween and then start searching online for that perfect costume. Online costume retailers are also great places to find those popular costumes that sell our of bricks-and-mortar stores early, as well as to comparison shop. Some of the places that I like to shop for costumes are listed below:

Boo! Bring your little goblins to this year’s Goblin Jamboree at the Bay Area Discovery Museum on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19. Come in costume and explore the Bay Area Discovery Museum, transformed into a haunted wonderland complete with games, attractions and live entertainment Take a train or pony ride, enroll in the witches’ school, visit the petting zoo, and enjoy a full brew of games, activities, and live entertainment. This fundraiser supports museum education programs, exhibitions, and community access initiatives. Tickets available at the door. BADM Members $12, general $14, children under 1 free. All activities are included with admission.
read more »

One of our favorite indulgences is personalized cards and other paper products from Tiny Prints. Tiny Prints offers cute and really well designed birth announcements, thank-you cards, party invitations, holiday cards, gift tags, and more, all of which you can personalize with your own photos and text. This year they offer a selection of really cool Halloween party invitations and greeting cards. There are 36 designs in all with in a wide variety of styles. They're perfect handing out to your favorite little ghosts and goblins or for inviting the gang to your neighborhood haunted house or trick-or-treat get-together. There are quite a few invitations that are perfect for more grown-up Halloween oriented events, too, so check them out. read more »