Pumpkin patches near Charlottesville: farms, corn mazes, hayrides

When pumpkin season is near Charlottesville

Pumpkin patches around Charlottesville open in the last week or two of September and run through Halloween. Corn mazes open at about the same time and some keep going into early November, often with flashlight nights on the last few weekends. The best picking is early in October; by the final weekend the big ones are mostly gone.

Weekend afternoons are the busy time. Most farms are quieter on weekday afternoons and on Sunday mornings, and a few are only open to the public on weekends, so check the days before you go.

How pick-your-own pumpkins work

Most farms charge admission for the patch and play area, then sell pumpkins by the pound or by size on top; a few charge a single price per pumpkin. Wagons are usually provided, and most farms take cards, though cash is quicker at a busy stand.

Pumpkins and gourds are sold by weight almost everywhere, and the price per pound is posted at the stand. Mazes are usually a separate ticket. Weather closes fields: after heavy rain a patch may stay shut for a day or two, and farms post that on their own pages, often that morning.

Right now the farms with pumpkin days on their calendars include Montfair Resort Farm, Chiles Peach Orchard and St. Paul's Memorial Church.

Corn mazes and hayrides around Charlottesville

Corn mazes are cut in late summer and open with the pumpkins. They range from a short loop a small child can finish to multi-acre mazes with checkpoints that take an hour. Hayrides are usually a tractor-pulled wagon out to the patch and back, included with admission at some farms and ticketed at others.