You know Halloween is right around the corner when you start to see pumpkins for sale at your local grocery store.
While there is nothing wrong with a grocery store pumpkin, there is something great about picking your pumpkin from a huge field of them.
They are laying there in the fields proudly on display hoping to be picked up and brought home.
The number of pumpkin patches in a larger metropolitan area can be overwhelming.
There are parking lot patches galore that try to compete with pumpkin farms.
In the greater Sacramento area there is a very large number of places that sell pumpkins, however, I have narrowed down the list to three that offer a day of family fun as well as a large selection of pumpkins.
At the top of the list is Bishop's Pumpkin Farm! One of the things that makes this place the best is the price! They never charge admission and you only pay $10 on weekends for parking.
They have huge fields of pumpkins to choose from including a jumbo pumpkin patch and many other unique varieties! They offer free hay rides out to the pumpkin fields as well as a free petting zoo and slides for the kids.
For a small fee you can enjoy other fun activities including a train ride, corn maze and pick-your-own bouquet flower garden.
They are open Sunday through Thursday 9 am-6 pm and Friday and Saturday 9 am-7 pm.
The next for sure pumpkin farm to visit is Dave's Pumpkin Patch.
Parking is free but there are not any free activities.
For 10 dollars you can buy a wristband that allows you to enjoy all the attractions which include hay rides, hay maze, pig races, jump house with slide, hay bounce and the corn maze.
Still a good deal for a day of family fun! You can also pay separately for each attraction if you don't want to do every activity.
They also offer movie nights and craft fairs some days.
They are open Sunday through Thursday 10 am-Dusk and Friday and Saturday 10 am-9 pm.
Finally there is Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm...
This place has it all! Pumpkins galore, a petting zoo, hay rides, a haystack climb, pony rides and farm animals are just some of the great things that this farm has to offer.
No parking fee and only 3 dollars admission allows you to enjoy all these great things (pony rides are extra) and children 3 and under are free.
Fog Willow is a VERY popular attraction for school field trips and has a focus on the educational aspect of agriculture.
They are open Monday through Friday 11:30 am-6 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am-6 pm.
You can find all of these places at http://www.
mycampmate.
com on their interactive map as well as other places of interest around these pumpkin farms for free.
The weather is great, so get your family out there and explore!