October, 2023
By Michelle Navarrete, Staff Reporter
Once October hits it is officially fall and spooky season! One of the best ways to start the season is by getting into the fall spirit and visiting pumpkin patches. They are beautiful spots for taking amazing pictures and enjoying many fall activities. The Austin area offers a variety of pumpkin patches and, since entry prices hover around $10, it’s important to know what you get at each one. To help you choose, I visited three area pumpkin patches to see what each offers.
Pumpkin Patch
The first pumpkin patch I visited is called Pumpkin Patch and is located at Rockin’ R New Braunfels. It will be open from September 30th to November 18th but the only days to attend will be Thursday and Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm. However, it will be open for Halloween. Unlike the other pumpkin patches, this one is free but a bit farther from the rest. Besides it being farther than the rest it is also much smaller than the rest. They did have nice spots to take pictures and had very cute decorations. This patch does have seasonal food and drinks but was not serving anything when I went. They do have activities for young children but those will cost you $10 per child (children under 2 are free) and $10 per adult. Overall I did not enjoy this one as much as the rest because of the long drive and how small the pumpkin patch was, but besides that, I liked the fall decoration they had.
The Texas Pumpkin Fest
The second pumpkin patch was the Texas Pumpkin Fest. It was by far one of the most beautiful places to celebrate the fall weather while enjoying activities and taking stunning fall pictures! This pumpkin patch is located in Leander, TX right by Leander’s Upward church as well as close to Davis Cemetery adding that Halloween mood.
The pumpkin patch is open from 10 am to 7 pm Thursday through Sunday, and will stay open from September 30th to October 29th. The cost of tickets for this event depend on the day you go: Friday through Sunday tickets will be $13 per person (with additional fees) while on Thursday tickets are $10 per person. The admission ticket will grant you access to some of the activities, though others require additional entry fees.
Some of the activities featured at The Pumpkin Patch include wall climbing, ax throwing, a miniature Ferris Wheel, train rides, and more. This patch also features wrestling matches and magic shows as well as live music throughout the day. Food will be available to purchase inside and include pizza, wings, snow cones tacos, and more.
Overall, this pumpkin patch was by far the best one to enjoy the fall weather and take beautiful pictures. I was also able to buy three pumpkins for me and my siblings for only $7.50. They were the small ones, though. The magic and wrestling show were for sure very enjoyable to watch as well as to participate in. The wrestling match was very entertaining for kids and even adults to watch interacting with the audience and pulling off hilarious stunts. However, the magic show was more interactive with the crowd allowing them to participate in the magic tricks. My little sister and brother even participated in one themselves.
Pumpkin Nights
The last and final pumpkin patch I visited was Pumpkin Nights. It is absolutely one of my favorite pumpkin patches. This pumpkin patch was different though: instead of being out in an open field it was more of a trail and reminded me a lot of a Halloween-themed Trail of Lights.
Once you arrive parking will be $10. That does not include the tickets, which must be purchased beforehand online and reserved until a later date. This pumpkin trail is located at Pioneer Farm Drive in Austin Texas and will be open from September 21 – October 30. Similar to the Trail of Light, there will be food trucks and concession stands at the opening before heading into the trail serving hamburgers, hotdogs, turkey legs, and much more. While this pumpkin trail did not have many activities it did have many different beautiful pumpkin backgrounds to take adorable pictures. I personally really enjoyed going to this pumpkin trail/patch. The lights from the decorated pumpkins to the sculptures made out of pumpkins were such an extraordinary experience to take in and loved the underwater-themed portion of the trail.
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