Pumpkin Patches near Watsonville, CA

Watsonville

Clearview Orchards grows CCOF-certified organic apples on terraced hillsides overlooking the Watsonville valley, three miles from the ocean. Families come in fall for u-pick apples — Fuji, EverCrisp, and Mutsu among them — or shop the Apple Barn for organic fruit, fresh apple juice, apple turnovers, organic squash, pumpkins, dried lavender, and honey, weekends during the season.

Crystal Bay Farm is a small organic operation on Zils Road in Watsonville that runs u-pick days on Wednesdays and Sundays, noon to 5pm, alongside its fall pumpkin patch featuring rare and heirloom varieties. A self-serve farm stand and berry u-pick run alongside the pumpkins. Entry runs $2 per person; groups over ten should call ahead.

San Martin

Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park runs each fall in San Martin, in the garlic and row-crop country of South Santa Clara County. Visitors ride a small train and hayrides through the patch, and the attraction ranks among the higher-rated fall activities in the area on travel review sites. Hours and pricing change by season; check current listings before visiting.

Monterey

Cardinale & Wright runs its pumpkin patch each fall on the grounds of the Monterey County Fairgrounds, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a midday closure from noon to 1. Beyond the pumpkin rows there's a hay maze and a cow train ride for kids, all inside the fairgrounds' gates rather than out in an open field. It's more fairground event than working farm, but the pumpkins are real.

San Jose

ABC Tree Farms' Blossom Hill Road lot in San Jose, one of about 15 seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sites the family business has run across the Bay Area since 1983. Pumpkins are pre-picked and ready to carve through October.

Los Gatos

Not a farm at all — this is an annual glass-art fundraiser held on the lawn of Los Gatos High School, where Bay Area glassblowers sell thousands of handmade glass pumpkins starting around $25 each. The one-weekend sale has raised more than $250,000 for the high school's programs since it began, drawing collectors as much as families out for a fall outing.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins, run by third-generation ABC Tree Farms, has operated its Hillsdale Blvd location in San Jose for more than 70 years. The seasonal lot includes an inflatable park, giant slides, an inflatable maze, and a small petting zoo alongside the pumpkin selection, with Christmas trees sold at the same site later in the season.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins runs a fall lot on Canoas Garden Avenue near Curtner Avenue in South San Jose, one of two seasonal locations the operator runs in the city. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

Pumpkin Junction is the fall attraction at Casa de Fruta, the roadside stop on Pacheco Pass Highway that's drawn Highway 152 travelers since the 1940s with fruit stands, a bakery, the Casa de Choo Choo train, and a vintage carousel. Pumpkin season adds patch access and hayrides to the property's existing rides and Miner's Sluice.

San Jose

This Pick of the Patch Pumpkins lot sits on Tully Road on San Jose's east side, the second of the operator's two seasonal city locations alongside the Curtner Avenue patch. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

Davenport

Seaside Pumpkin Farms sits along Highway 1 near Davenport, California, on the Santa Cruz County coast, a stretch of bluff-top farmland known for artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and fall pumpkin patches with ocean views.