A Day Out at Adobe Pumpkin Farm

Last weekend we dragged 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 this an annual tradition to make our visit during the Weekend Along Farm Trails event on the last weekend of September (this year it was on September 25 and 26).

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. 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 like little maniacs, which is good. There are a few animals, including lambs, cows, and a horse, for children to visit, too. Machinery junkies will get a kick out of the displays of antique tractors and farm equipment, as well as the vintage pickup trucks filled with pumpkins.

As it’s a money making operation, you’ve got to pay for most of the Halloween attractions on site. There’s the obligatory jumpy house, a corn maze, a haunted house, and a less scary Haunted Barn. 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. It’s probably impossible to leave without getting something. They also sell soft drinks and cold bottled water (which was great as it was about 100º out when we were there), as well as cotton candy and other sweets.

If you're thirsty or hungry, you'll find both an espresso stand (in the barn with the big "Espresso" sign), and a BBQ stand selling hot dogs and other snacks. Oh, and for those who just can’t wait, there’s also a Christmas shop on-site selling decorations and Christmas tree ornaments.

Like most kids, ours have a love-hate relationship with the scary part of Halloween. The Adobe Pumpkin Farm haunted house wasn't quite ready for visitors yet when we were there. We decided that we'd pay a visit the open and kid-friendly Haunted Barn ($3 per child, free for adults). This all went according to plan until we got to the entrance, whereupon my son decided, again, that it was too scary, so we never went in. That's too bad, as it looked like a lot of fun. We might run back up there and give it another try later on this month.

Adobe Pumpkin Farm is located at 2348 East Washington Street in Petaluma. 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. There’s plenty of parking.

Adobe Pumpkin Farm can also host your school field trip, your birthday party, or a weekend BBQ for your group. Contact them for more information at www.adobepumpkinfarm.com or (707) 763-6416.