Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Today we took Nick to the Pumpkin Patch, one of or our yearly fall traditions. I was excited because last year Nick was only three months old and did not really know what was going on. Also, because the weather was nice and cool, unlike last year when it was over 100 ° in October, which is why we have named it “The Pumpkin Patch from Hell.” And, I was finally able to cross something off of our Fall Bucket List. If you’re looking for fall activities with a toddler, check out my post here.

We decided to go to the pumpkin patch at Irvine Park Railroad, located in Orange, California. Although not “local,” we decided to make the drive because the ones in our town are very small and don’t have many activities. Most of them are corner lots with tiny mazes and very few activities. For those local to the Orange/LA County Area, this place offers train rides, hay rides, a moon bouncer, a hay maze, and even a cute little haunted house. They also have other activities such as face painting, carnival games, and cookie decorating as well as pony rides. Truth be told, we didn’t really need pumpkins since my awesome husband grew them for us in our backyard this year. We were there more for the activities and the photo-ops (oops).

Since the weather was nice and cool we were able to walk around the patch and let Nick explore. As you can see, Nick looks distracted in most of the pictures, I think because he’s not used to seeing so many people (except for when we go to Disneyland lol). He also started knocking on the pumpkins as he was making his choice. I think he saw dad do this back at the house so now he does it too. I kept on trying to give him smaller pumpkins that he could actually carry but the stubborn little boy kept on choosing the big pumpkins that I could hardly lift myself. He also spent a lot of his time people watching. He loves other little kids and always tries to grab their attention.

Hands down the best part of the day was the train ride. Don’t tell my husband but this is the only reason I chose this pumpkin patch over the one we went to last year. Although the wait was about 20 ish minutes long and we had to pay $5.00 per person (including any child over 12 months), Nick’s face once we were in the actual train was priceless. The ride takes you around a small part of the park and gives you a bit of history of the structures nearby. My parents used to take me to this park when I was little so seeing the park brought back memories for me.

The only downside to the day was the getting to the park part. Once you turn onto the road where the park is located, the traffic is very slow. Unfortunately, some people don’t have manners and we were almost crashed into because a car wouldn’t let us merge into the lane, although that’s what was meant to happen. “Hey lady, I hope those pumpkins were worth putting my family’s life in danger.” In order to avoid this, if we go next year, I think we will park at the local college and walk up to the park (a mile walk).

Overall it was a nice experience for us. Nick had fun picking pumpkins and we had fun watching him. The weather was nice so we probably would have stayed a little longer, if only we weren’t all starving. Hopefully next Nick can do more of the activities such as the face painting and the pony rides. Once we got home we were able to decorate some of our pumpkins and then Nick played in the leaves in the front yard for a good hour. Check out my instagram to see how we decorated the pumpkins. Oh and also, thanks hubby! Sorry you almost got into a fight with a soccer mom, lol kidding.

Have you been to the pumpkin patch yet? Do any of you Southern Californians have any recommendations for next year? Also, what type of activities do your little ones enjoy at the patch? I’de love to hear from you all.

XOXO – L.