The South's Best Pumpkin Patches

The Dallas Arboretum is ripe for the harvest, piling high pumpkins for Autumn at the Arboretum. Stroll through the Pumpkin Village, created with more than 75,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash.

Pumpkins are practically synonymous with fall. While leaves are changing to vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges, pumpkins of all varieties—including Long Island Cheese, Cinderella, and Neon—are popping up in patches all around the South. Whether you like to carve them, toast the seeds, or bake them into a pie, we invite you to bundle up in your favorite scarf and go on an adventure to one of these stellar farms.

Here are five of the South's best pumpkin patches.

The Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch at Love Creek Orchards Medina, Texas

Although this farm may be best known for being the first commercial apple orchard in Texas, it also hosts one of the top pumpkin patches in the state. Celebrating 30 years of farming, Baxter and Carol Adams open the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in October starting October 9. Admission includes old-fashioned family fun: unlimited hayrides, playing in the hay bale maze, a visit to the cider mill, painting a pumpkin, and a visit to the petting zoo. Little ones can take part in the Great Hill Country Symphony, where singing storytellers share instruments with the audience to help tell their stories. Bring your friendly pets and enjoy food, music, and a bountiful Texas harvest. Admission: $7 per person, children two and under free.

Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at Peebles Farm Augusta, Arkansas

You may have seen an aerial view of the incredible corn maze at Peebles Farm. Stretching across 16 acres, this hand-cut maze is only one of the perks included with admission. Owners Dallas and Katherine Peebles have the largest pumpkin patch in Arkansas. Pick pumpkins in a 60-acre patch, or go old school with u-pick cotton, spread across four acres. Admission includes entry to the corn maze, access to the cotton and sunflower patches, a visit to the barnyard, rubber duck races, and fun on the playground. Admission: from $13 per person, children two and under free. Hayrides $3 per person.

Parkhurst Ranch Arcadia, Oklahoma

Enjoy the fresh country air off Historic Route 66 at the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch. This family-owned patch is open Thursday through Sunday from September 24 to December 19. Pick out a pumpkin, get lost in the corn maze, take a hayride, explore the candy corn teepee, or even buy s'mores from the concession stand and roast them at the fire pit. For an extra treat, tap into your inner cowgirl/cowboy with pony rides. Admission: $11 per person, $7 for children 12 and under, two and under free. Pony rides $5 per person.

Burt's Farm Dawsonville, Georgia

If you've been reading Southern Living since the early eighties, you may have seen Burt's Farm on the cover. Johnny and Kathy Burt began growing and selling pumpkins more than forty years ago from a stand in their front yard. Now, Burt's Farm cultivates around 70 acres of the gorgeous, well-loved gourds. Just as important as the patch, however, is the hayride. Pulled by a large tractor around two miles of farmland, the hayride passes through a covered bridge with singing pumpkins, drives by thousands of giant zinnias, and offers a glimpse of the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast – Amicalola Falls. Admission: free. Hay rides $6 for adults, free for children under two.

Lucky Ladd Farms Eagleville, Tennessee

Tennessee's largest petting farm has geared up for autumn. This 13-year-old farm owned by Jason and Amy Ladd is a 60-acre property just south of Nashville and has thousands of locally grown pumpkins to choose from. In addition, families can visit more than 100 friendly farm animals, find a multitude of amusements at the Ag-venture Fun Park, twist through Tennessee's top corn maze, and wander through the Cedar Glade Trails. Lucky Ladd Farms is open through October 30. Admission: from $15.99, children under two free.

Need ideas on how to use your pumpkins? Here are a few of our favorites: 6 Instant Pumpkin Displays Pumpkin Etching Templates 12 Easy Ways To Decorate With Pumpkins