10 Best Pumpkin Patches in San Diego County for Fall
Fall in San Diego means sweating your way through pumpkin patches (they are our warmest months). There are so many farms and pumpkin patch experiences for the whole family to find the perfect pumpkin. From straw mazes to pony rides, tractor rides and bounce houses, we have visited a ton of pumpkin patches and these are the best pumpkin patches in San Diego!
I am going to break down what you can do at each pumpkin patch and when the pumpkin patches in San Diego open for the season. Hint: most pumpkin patches open in September!
Here is a list of Pumpkin Patches in or near San Diego County!
- Bates Nut Farm
- Family Christmas Tree Farm
- Rancho Bernardo Pumpkin Station
- Carlsbad Strawberry Company
- Oma’s Family Farm
- Fallbrook Pumpkin Patch
- Goff Family Pumpkin Patch at Liberty Station
- Belmont Park Pumpkin Patch
- Pumpkin Station Del Mar
- Fort Cross Autumn Jubilee
- Peltzer Pumpkin Farm Temecula
Bates Nut Farm
Cost: Free, activities cost $5, parking $10 on weekends, pumpkins about $15 depending on size.
Dates: Thursday, September 18, 2025 – Friday, October 31, 2025
September Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm
October Hours: Weekdays: 9:00am – 5:30pm, Weekends: 8:30am – 6:00pm
This little farm out in Valley Center is so cute and is a San Diego staple! You can visit year-round to feed the goats, chickens, and for some reason a llama? During the Halloween season, they have the BEST pumpkin patch. Think giant Cinderella-style pumpkins you can walk all around and take pictures on in pumpkin fields.
They also have a straw maze and a hay ride. Bates Nut Farm is free to enter and has free parking. You buy tickets to do the experiences. They open September 18th and stay open daily until October 31st. It’s best to go on a weekday because weekends can get crowded!
More tips for Bates: You can buy feed to feed the animals inside the gift shop. Or, you can have your kids pick up the food the other kids’ dropped and feed that to the goats which is what my kids always do anyway.
While you’re in the market, grab some saltwater taffy from the barrels and some nuts! They’re cheaper and fresher than the nuts at the grocery store. If you walk to the back of the store there’s a room with old-fashioned toys and Christmas ornaments year round.
Family Christmas Tree Farm
Cost: $6 entry, all activities included. Can buy pumpkins, sunflowers, and animal feed.
Dates: Sept 26 2025 – Friday, October 31, 2025
Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00pm every day
This is definitely San Diego’s most affordable pumpkin patch. Entry is only $6 and children under three are free. They have a cute wagon ride, animals to see, a massive hay maze, pumpkins on the vine, and more!
My kids loved the little red wagon to pull around the farm. She insisted on taking it everywhere. The pumpkins and sunflowers are both reasonably priced. It’s really close to Gillepsie Air Field which is a super cute and cheap museum attached to the airport.
Pumpkin Station Rancho Bernardo
Cost: Free admission, activities $5 each, sunflowers $2/stem.
Dates and Hours:
Sept 26th through Oct 9th from 9am – 6pm
Oct 10th through Oct 31st from 9am – 7pm
If it’s good enough for Blippi, it’s good enough for me. Blippi filmed an episode at this pumpkin patch a few years back! Have your kids watch it before going. This Rancho Bernardo pumpkin farm is one of my favorite pumpkin patches!
The best part about this pumpkin patch is the sunflower fields. They give you shears and you get to cut them yourself! Beware the bees though. Another advantage is it’s right off the 15 freeway, meaning you can skip the long drive out to Valley Center or Lakeside if you’re a coastal mom AND it’s not quite as hot.
This pumpkin patch is a part of the Pumpkin Station chain that are all over San Diego. There are a few actual farms like this one and then some spots where they bring the pumpkins to more coastal areas and have rides.
Though it’s free to enter, I always wind up spending more at Pumpkin Stations. Everything is about $5 per person, or you can buy ticket packages. I would recommend the hayride and the goat-feeding experience. They also have a small Indian corn maze.
Carlsbad Strawberry Company
Cost: $15/person
General admission includes: entrance to pumpkin patch, Marigold and Terciopelo fields, tricycle race, yard games, shaded picnic area, photo opportunities, and certain activities as listed on calendar here.
Activities are extra: Jurassic Fright ($10), Corn Maze ($10), Sheep & Goats ($5), Rabbits ($5), Tractor Ride ($10), Haunted Corn Maze on Fridays & Saturdays in October ($25)
Beware Bounceland that is priced separately and is $30 for 20 minutes of jumping or at least it was last year.
Dates: Sept 26-Oct 31
You may know it for strawberry picking, but they also have a great pumpkin patch! The farm setting is beautiful, though you should note it’s right next to a major freeway which ruins the farm vibes a bit. BUT it is easy to get to and right around the corner from LEGOLAND.
This pumpkin patch now costs $15, likely because of the addition of the pumpkin patch dinosaurs. They have a marigold field, a tractor ride, a corn cannon, sheep and goats, and sometimes they have these massive bouncy houses. Warning: the bouncy houses are $30 for 20 minutes. I accidentally laughed when the attendant told me how much the bounce house was and loaded some disappointed kids back in the car.
Oma’s Pumpkin Patch
Cost: Free, some activities $5/person.
Dates: Sept 27-Nov 1st
This pumpkin patch gets my vote for best pumpkin patch. The benefit to this place is that you pay one admission and get to do all the fun activities (though the wagon rides through the farm are extra). It cuts down on whining significantly. I would rather pay upfront and then just be able to relax than be berated by my kids for “one more train ride” for the whole visit. They have slides, duck races, a trike track, playgrounds, giant slides, gem mining, and a petting zoo. It’s basically kid paradise because there’s something to do around every corner. Our kids loved all the farm animals!
You must reserve a time slot online to go. It’s about $11-$18 depending on when you go and your age. The pumpkin patch fun begins September 27th and goes through Nov 1st. They also have music, events, and fun things to do on the weekends!
Falbrook Pumpkin Patch
Cost: Free admission
Dates: September 26th – November 2nd, 2025
Wednesday through Friday 4 PM – 8 PM
Saturday 10 AM – 8 PM
Sundays 12 PM- 8 PM.
Closed Monday and Tuesday.
The Fallbrook Pumpkin Patch is a small family-owned pumpkin patch in their fifth year of operation. It’s hosted on a winery and it’s free to enter! They have a small children’s area that costs a few dollars to get into to do the activities. There are free lawn games for the kids. You can also pick your own pumpkins! It opens September 26th.
Goff Family Pumpkin Patch at Liberty Station
Cost: Free admission
Dates: September 19th – October 31st
Hours: Friday & Saturday: 9am – 9pm
Sunday – Thursday: 9am – 8pm
This pop up pumpkin patch is smack dab in the middle of Liberty Station. We accidentally discovered it one day when we were going out to eat at Corvette Diner. By the way, Corvette Diner is great for kids! They have dancing waiters and people tying balloon animals. Also an arcade.
The pumpkin patch itself is simple. It has a cute setup and photo ops, but no extra hayrides or animal experiences. Sometimes that’s kind of nice because you can focus on what you came there to do: pick a pumpkin!
If you’ve never been to Liberty Station, it’s a food hall / gathering place in Point Loma. It used to be a Naval Training Center but now it’s more of a Town Center where people to to eat and hang out.
There are two places we like to play here. The first is the boat playground behind the food hall. The other is this kinda hidden playground by the bay! Oh and don’t forget to grab shave ice from the Hawaiian food stand inside the food hall. You can pick a pumpkin and get shave ice in the same day, it’s San Diego we don’t have rules here and fall is hot.
Belmont Park Pumpkin Patch
Cost: TBD, I am not sure this pumpkin patch is happening this year. I will email my contact and update you soon. Going to keep the info here, just in case.
Dates: TBD
Have you ever chosen a pumpkin on the beach? Well, you can do just that with the pumpkin patch at Belmont Park in Mission Valley! They close off their parking lot and have tons of pumpkins to choose from. Our kids loved all the old-fashioned games and the attendants were very generous with the prizes. I was impressed with all the fall fun they packed into a small space in the parking lot. Note: this patch has been in La Jolla in previous years and was called Mr. Jack O Lanterns Pumpkin Patch
When you’re done, don’t forget to check out Belmont Park’s Fall Fest and antique carousel! Belmont Park offers free admission but I highly recommend grabbing ride bands and trying out the ropes course or laser tag. They often have live music on the weekends. We also love The Plunge near here. It’s an indoor pool with an obstacle course, perfect for a hot day.
Pumpkin Station Del Mar
Cost: Free admission, activities $5 each
Dates and Hours:
Sept 26th through Oct 9th from 9am – 6pm
Oct 10th through Oct 31st from 9am – 7pm
This Pumpkin Station right next to the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Jimmy Durante Blvd has more of a carnival vibe complete with ferris wheel. There are a ton of rides and cute jumpy houses. The pumpkins are brought in, it’s not an actual farm per se. I didn’t notice a large selection of pumpkins.
All of the Pumpkin Stations are $5 per experience per person. They are a different feeling than the family-owned farms, but generally better located and less of an all day experience than the farms. Of all of them, the Rancho Bernardo one is definitely my favorite because it’s a real farm! All the Pumpkin Stations open September 26th and run through Halloween.
Fort Cross Julian Autumn Jubilee
Cost: $25/person
Dates: September 20 – October 26
You’re already going to the Julian farms for apple pie this fall, why not add in pumpkin picking? This is a real working farm with TONS to do. We went to Julian many times before discovering this gem! For their adventure package, you pay for the day and then get to participate in a series of activities such as axe throwing, slingshot paintball, archery, and more!
For their Autumn Jubilee, they include reptile interactions (have you ever fed a chameleon?), hoedown and jug band show, cider pressing demonstration, petting zoo, candle dipping, and a painting craft! They are pretty with social media, so follow their Instagram to get the latest info.
In order to go, you need to reserve a time online and it’s $25/person for the experience. I would say that is well worth it for all the things they pack into your reservation slot.
Peltzer Pumpkin Farm
Cost: $2-$4 entry
Dates: Sept 21-Oct 31st
This cute patch up in Temecula is a Southern California gem! Entry is $2 on weekdays and $4 on weekends. There’s gem mining, pony rides, train rides, and carnival games. There are petting farms and you can even sign up for classes to paint your own pumpkin! It opens on September 22nd and goes through the fall season.
