Carve out some fun at the best pumpkin patches in the area

The air is crisp, the leaves are crispier, and fall is in full swing. Halloween is right around the corner and a flawless pumpkin is a necessity for the ultimate jack-o'-lantern. You can always go to a local supermarket, but why not make it fun? Pumpkin patches are the perfect spot to go for a date, a family outing, or just to hang out with friends. Here’s a ranked list of the best patches in the area:

Butler’s Orchard

Don't be fooled by their delicious apples—Butler’s Orchard in Germantown offers the best pumpkin patch experience by far. The almost 75-year-old pumpkin patch offers the classic pumpkin-picking experience, and rows of tomato, lettuce, and eggplant on the side provide all the fall essentials. They have a large selection of pumpkins ranging from no bigger than your hand to behemoth pumpkins weighing over 45 pounds. The price is reasonable at only 75 cents per pound of pumpkin. After picking a pumpkin, other fall attractions like the market, corn maze, or sprawling yearly pumpkin festival are just a short walk away. Overall, Butler’s Orchard is the quintessential pumpkin patch.

Homestead Farm

Homestead’s beautiful farm has pumpkins galore. The stunning drive through the surrounding countryside is already enough to cement its place as the second-best pumpkin patch in Maryland. Homestead offers both large bins of harvested pumpkins and a sprawling pumpkin patch. A grassy walkway takes visitors under a 20-foot-tall goat bridge that connects two of their enclosures. Visitors are encouraged to feed and watch the goats play in their pens. Although the animals are awesome, don’t forget to try a delicious caramel apple from their market stand. Homestead Farm is another amazing spot to visit to get into the swing of fall, especially if you want to see high-climbing goats.

Sharp’s at Waterford Farm

With acres of pumpkins, Sharp’s at Waterford Farm is the perfect place for all ages. Out of all the pumpkin patches, they are the most pet-friendly, even hosting an annual dog day weekend with dog-related vendors on Oct. 28 and 29 this year. The farm allows visitors to learn more about farmers, livestock and the environment through educational farm tours and hayrides. They also have goats, chickens, and even pigs that visitors can pet and take pictures with. Sharp’s is even willing to host special events like birthday parties, gourd painting, and campfires. Be sure to pick from their selection of pumpkins and check out their dog days. 

Zabriskie Chapel-Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill Pumpkin Patch

Located in Alexandria, Va., the patch directly supports feeding, housing, and educating the vulnerable members of our community. 100 percent of the patch’s profit goes toward more than 25 local, national, and international charities. All pumpkins are grown by Navajo farmers. The patch works with Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser, which is a company that distributes pumpkins from a large Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico and provides jobs for the reservation. The patch closes Oct. 31 so make sure to buy one of their picture-perfect pumpkins before Halloween.

Pumpkin patch field butlers orchard

Photo: A sprawling pumpkin patch

A sprawling pumpkin patch Photo courtesy of Eloisa Somodevilla.

Although these patches are ranked, at the end of the day all of these patches offer both higher quality pumpkins and overall experiences than your average patch. Whether you pet animals, eat fall foods, or tour fall festivals, a visit to these pumpkin patches will be a wonderful fall experience. All of these sites give you pumpkin to talk about so hopefully they’ll patch you there!