Last weekend, our little family decided it was time to go pumpkin picking. Like apple picking, picking a pumpkin is always high on our fall to-do list. Just from scrolling Instagram and looking at my Facebook feed, it seemed that a lot of people (if not everyone), went to Pumpkin Valley Farm in Dayton, Maine for pumpkins. After skimming the website, it looked super fun and just what we needed for our active toddler.
So here’s the deal on Pumpkin Valley Farm. It is AWESOME for families. I already plan on going back next year and possibly all years after that. It’s open every fall from mid-September to late October and is only a short 30-minute drive from Portland, Maine. They’re open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm with admission closing at 4pm. We opted to go around 2 o’clock after Allie’s nap and while there were definitely a lot of people, it was a big enough place to where the large crowd wasn’t a big deal.
Admission is $10* for everyone 2 years old so for two adults and a toddler, we only paid $20 to get in. This may seem more pricey for those with more kids/larger families, but that $10 gives you access to so many fun activities such as the corn maze, the pumpkin patch, hayrides, a jumping pillow, the corn pit, duck races, the ball zone, farm animals, the cow train (one ride ages 10 and under), and other play areas. Parking is free as well. So the admission price is awesome for the number of activities you have access to.
**Pricing update: Admission is now $15 per person (ages 3 and up)
The first thing we did when we arrived, was walking through the corn maze. This maze was pretty big and I’ll be honest, we never actually made it to the end. They have a few fun activities you can play along the way to help you get from one end to the other and we gave up on it at the first checkpoint. Zack preferred to just explore and let Allie run around and lead the way.
TIP: If you’re bringing a stroller, I highly recommend a jogger! The terrain can be super rough and I couldn’t even imagine not having our jogger for this outing. Our travel stroller wouldn’t have made it.
After we finally got out of the corn maze, I took Allie to this cute little play area while Zack got us some snacks. I was pleasantly surprised by the pricing of the food. Not only was admission super affordable, but the food was as well. Zack came back with two hot dogs, a bag of Doritos, and a pretty big bag of kettle corn and only paid $9! Again, this is perfect for families needing an affordable afternoon activity this season.
TIP: Bring cash for the concessions! They don’t take a card and I don’t recall seeing an ATM while we were there.
Once we were done eating, we decided to find some animals to pet. Since Allie is still a bit too small for things like the bounce houses, we figured animals would be more her pace. She loved petting the animals at Smiling Hill Farm over the summer so I knew she’d enjoy them. And she did.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any areas where she could go in and actually play with them, but she liked going from cage to cage, reaching in and talking to them. We tried to take her to see the cow and donkey, but for some reason, she was terrified of the cow’s moo. It was quite loud and she broke down in tears every single time. So we didn’t hang out with the cow for too long.
The last thing we did was actually pick out our pumpkins. We really didn’t want to have to drag around our pumpkins and they took up Allie’s whole stroller too. So we saved it for the end. Again, her jogging stroller was super helpful to have with us! Farms are so hard to drag regular strollers through so I’m very glad we swapped out our travel stroller for the jogger.
TIP: Save pumpkins for last! Otherwise, you could be left carrying it around or making a trip to the car. Depending on where you park, that “quick” trip to the car could take a bit!
Like the concessions, the pumpkins were very reasonably priced as well. Pumpkins under 5 pounds were all $2.50 and then pumpkins over 5 pounds were $0.49 per pound. I think Allie’s came out to be about 8 pounds and ours was just under 16 pounds so we spent roughly $12 on our two pumpkins. Again, pretty affordable! We spent maybe $40 on this outing which isn’t bad at all for 2 hours of fun.
If you’re in Southern Maine and need something to do this weekend, I highly recommend Pumpkin Valley Farm! Again, they’re open Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm (admission ends at 4pm) and be sure to carry cash! Our family had so much fun exploring the corn maze and picking our pumpkins. We definitely recommend it to other families in the area!
Oh she is just so precious! I cannot get over that dress. This is why I love autumn 🙂
Allie’s pumpkin patch outfit is adorable! It must be so fun to experience the pumpkin patch through the fresh eyes of a toddler.
Oh my gosh, she is the cutest! I love her little cat outfit!! These are beautiful photos of your family. 🙂
She’s so adorable!! I love going to the pumpkin patch. It’s such a great activity for fall. Since last year, we’ve added it to our yearly fall traditions!
I’m happy that Allie was able to go to the pumpkin patch! Her outfit is adorable. It sounds like everyone had lots of fun. We’re all about Halloween at my house, so picking out pumpkins takes almost as long as picking out a Christmas tree. Luckily they are very inexpensive around here, (2-3 dollars even for the big ones), so we usually fill up the car.
What a fun family day! This looks like the perfect fall outing! I’ve never picked my own pumpkin, but it is on my fall bucket list!
I’m glad she was feeling better enough to get some fresh air! What a cute outfit on her too 🙂