Looking for pumpkin patches in SLO County? Here are 7 fun, family-friendly spots
Fall has finally arrived in San Luis Obispo County, bringing earlier sunsets, cooler weather and coffee shops filled with pumpkin-spiced drinks.
It’s the perfect time of year to visit one of the area’s many pumpkin patches.
SLO County has several spots where you can hand-pick your own pumpkins for pies and jack-o’-lanterns, while enjoying fun, family-friendly activities ranging from hay rides to corn mazes and apple picking.
Here’s a guide to a few of our favorite local haunts to hit up ahead of Halloween. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Avila Valley Barn has pumpkins, pony rides
Avila Valley Barn has a full slate of fall offerings for kids and adults. The popular farm off Highway 101 has more than 45 varieties of gourds and pumpkins, plus u-pick apples. Visitors can also hop on a hay ride, wander through a haystack maze and take a pony ride on the weekends.
If you get hungry while picking pumpkins, Avila Valley Barn has a caramel apple and cider stand, plus fresh-roasted corn, pumpkin pies, a chicken shack and an array of fresh produce.
- Where: 560 Avila Beach Drive, San Luis Obispo
- When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m daily; hay maze is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
- Info: 805-595-2816 or avilavalleybarn.com
Brookshire Farms in SLO offers hay rides, corn maze
This pumpkin patch offers loads of family-friendly fall activities including corn hole, hay rides, a “Sesame Street”-themed corn maze, a playground and, of course, pumpkins. The farm sells dozens of different kinds of gourds, including minature, striped and wart-covered pumpkins.
Admission costs $16 Tuesday through Friday and $23 on weekends. Children ages 2 and under get in free.
- Where: 4747 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo
- When: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for pumpkin picking; corn maze and farm activities are open 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Info: 805-549-8733 or brookshirefarms.com
Pick out pumpkins at Chesebrough Farm in Templeton
This old-fashioned roadside stand has more than 60 varieties of pumpkins and winter squash available for cooking, carving and decorating.
Open throughout the whole month of October, the Templeton stand offers visitors a “historical farm experience” with several sites for fall photo opportunities, the farm said on its website.
- Where: 790 Moss Lane, Templeton
- When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Info: 805-434-0843 or chesebroughpumpkins.com
Kid-friendly fall activities at Jack Creek Farms
Jack Creek Farms, a small farm near Paso Robles, has been run by the Barlogio family for six generations. The family touts more than a century of farming experience and claims it has the “oldest pumpkin farm in the region,” according to its website.
The farm grows more than 120 different varieties of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash. Kid-friendly activities at the farm’s Happy Acres include a garden maze, a tractor tire garden and a farm animal pupper theater. Entrance to the family activity area costs $15 per person.
- Where: 5000 West Highway 46, Templeton
- When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends
- Info: 805-239-1915 or jackcreek.com
Pick fall flowers, gourds at The Pumpkin Patch in SLO
Situated in San Luis Obispo’s Enda Valley, the family-owned and operated farm, the Pumpkin Patch, sells more than 70 varieties of locally grown gourds.
Visitors can wander the fields for their favorite pumpkins, get lost in a four-acre corn maze or pick their own fall-colored flowers. The site also has fresh produce for sale at its farmstand.
- Where: 2315 Biddle Ranch Road, San Luis Obispo
- When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
- Info: instagram.com/thepumpkinpatchslo or facebook.com/thepumpkinpatchslo
Nipomo Pumpkin Patch has u-pick options
This patch in Nipomo offers a variety of u-pick pumpkins in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colors — from tiny gourds to giant pumpkins that can weigh several hundred pounds. The local farm also sells succulent gardens that grow out of gourds.
- Where: 668 Eucalyptus Road, Nipomo
- When: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Info: info@NipomoPumpkinPatch.com or nipomopumpkinpatch.com
Visit River ‘K’ Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze
This fourth-generation family-owned farm has been planting crops in SLO County since 1969. Here, visitors can pick from 36 varieties of pumpkins, buy decorative gourds, explore a five-acre corn maze or enjoy snacks at a covered picnic area.
- Where: 5670 North River Road, Paso Robles
- When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Info: 805-441-8250 or facebook.com/riverkpumpkins
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
