A cool fall breeze means it’s time to throw on a flannel shirt and head over to your local pumpkin patch. These farms across Montgomery County offer a cozy space to get into the autumnal spirit.
Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival
22222 Davis Mill Road, Germantown
Butler’s Orchard is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays and Columbus Day for its annual Pumpkin Festival. Tickets includes admission to the pick-your-own pumpkin fields, hayrides, a corn maze and a visit with barnyard animals.
Other activities, which cost from $3 to $5, include shooting from a pumpkin cannon, pony rides and face painting. Online tickets are $10 per person for weekdays and $15 per person on weekends. Tickets purchased at the gate are $12 per person for weekdays and $17 per person on weekends.
Children younger than 24 months can enter for free. The festival is weather dependent, and Butler’s Orchard encourages attendees to call or visit the website if weather is questionable.
Just want to pick a pumpkin? You can skip the festival and head directly to the fields. Admission is free with no reservations required during the week, and on weekends it is $3 for an online ticket and $5 at the gate. Pumpkins are 75 cents per pound.
FarmAtHome
15350 Partnership Road, Poolesville
FarmAtHome, a pick-your-own family farm, is open for private or semi-private appointments daily during October. It offers a variety of pumpkins, fall displays, and various outdoor games and activities – such as cornhole, tug of war and tetherball. Prices range from $15 for one hour (maximum two adults or children) to $100 for three hours (maximum 10 adults or children).
Heyser Farms
14526 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring
Heyser Farms is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays year-round. The farm is home to a pumpkin patch, along with a market offering apples and sweet cider made with an on-site press.
Homestead Farm, Poolesville
15604 Sugarland Road, Poolesville
Homestead Farm is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31 for pumpkin and apple picking.
The farm’s admission fee is $3; children younger than 1 can enter for free. Pumpkins cost 75 cents per pound.
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
4003 Jennings Chapel Road, Brookeville
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays – and until 5 p.m. on weekends– until Nov. 10. The 530-acre farm offers free hayrides to its pumpkin patch on weekends. Admission is free.
