Hunt for the biggest pumpkin at Butler's Orchard.

Best Pumpkin Patches Near DC in Maryland

1. Butler's Orchard — Germantown

Admission to Butler's Orchard's Pumpkin Festival includes a visit to the pick-your-own-pumpkin patch and a slew of other activities, including hayrides, a corn maze, jump pads, farm animals, giant slides, pedal tractors, and more. It is strongly recommended to buy tickets ahead of time online—especially on weekends—to ensure that they are not sold out.

2. FarmAtHome — Poolesville

This quaint fruit and vegetable farm invites families to enjoy a fun fall outing filled with pumpkin picking and painting, photo ops, pedal tractors, pumpkin bowling, tetherball, and other seasonal attractions. Prepaid appointments are required, but the payment can later be applied to the purchase of pumpkins and other items. FarmAtHome is open for pumpkin picking on Saturdays and Sundays.

3. Montpelier Farms — Upper Marlboro

Head over to Montpelier Farms for its annual fall festival, which includes a variety of activities like corn mazes, hayrides, giant slides, pig races, and evening bonfires. Then visit the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin. You can also forgo the festival and visit just the pumpkin patch for free; you'll only have to pay for the pumpkins you pick. If you do want to go to the festival, pre-purchase tickets online.

4. Clark’s Elioak Farm — Ellicott City

This farm is truly magical for young kids, with a fairy garden, an enchanted forest, wagon rides, a petting zoo, and more. Kids can pick a child-sized pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, as well as larger and mini pumpkins and gourds from the farm market. Enjoy Halloween costume parades on the last weekend of October and pumpkin chucking the first weekend of November.

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Plump pumpkins and pretty views make Queen Anne Farm a must-visit pumpkin patch.

5. Queen Anne Farm — Mitchellville

Enjoy a tractor-pulled hayride to the pumpkin patch, where you'll find pumpkins ranging from itty bitty two-ouncers to giant 200-pounders. Young kids will enjoy exploring the adorable Pumpkin House, and don’t forget to browse the country store. If you hate cleaning out pumpkins for carving, you can purchase pre-cleaned gourds, ready to cut, on October 30 and 31. Queen Anne Farm's pumpkin patch is open daily.

6. Gaver Farm — Mount Airy

At the daily Gaver Farm Fall Fun Fest, kids can cruise down giant slides, pet and feed barnyard animals, wind their way through the corn maze, hit the playgrounds, and enjoy roughly 60 other attractions. Festival admission also includes a hayride to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch. If pumpkins are all you are after, you don't have to pay admission—just take a free hayride to the patch.

7. Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch — Middletown

Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch is open daily each fall. Weekday admission is free and includes a large selection of pumpkins and mums, fall shopping, and a petting zoo. Jumbo's charges an admission fee on Saturdays and Sundays, when guests can also enjoy hayrides to the pumpkin patch, multiple play areas, a 15-acre corn maze, and a jumping pillow. A corn cannon, pony rides, and face painting are also available for an additional fee on weekends. 

RELATED: Best Corn Mazes Near DC for Kids and Families

 
Take a peek inside the Pumpkin Hut at Summers Farm.

8. Summers Farm — Middletown

Families can enjoy over 45 fun activities at the Summers Farm Fall Festival, including wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, corn pits, mini golf, a pumpkin train, and lots more. The farm is also known for its interactive corn maze, which includes 2.5 miles of trails and a hidden scenic bridge. 

9. Shlagel Farms — Waldorf

Visit Shlagel Farms on Saturdays and Sundays in the fall to take a fun hayride to the pumpkin patch, where you can pick your own pumpkins. Families can also enjoy corn boxes, a straw maze, a large sand pile with diggers, fun photo ops, and more, all included in the admission fee.

10. Rock Hill Orchard — Mount Airy

Take a hayride to Rock Hill Orchard's pumpkin patch on Saturdays and Sundays in autumn to pick the perfect pumpkin. Families can also tackle a 15-acre corn maze, pick apples, launch pumpkins from a pumpkin blaster, pet calves, and watch cows being milked with a robotic milker. Be sure to reserve a date and time online prior to visiting.

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Pick your pumpkin right off the vine at Great Country Farms' pumpkin patch.

Best Pumpkin Patches Near DC in Virginia

11. Great Country Farms — Bluemont

Head to Great Country Farms any day of the week in October for its Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival. The huge play area includes a corn maze, a ninja warrior course, jumping pillows, slides, and loads of other activities. Don't forget to meet P. Rex, the pumpkin-munching dinosaur. Then take a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins right off the vine. Advance online tickets are recommended for weekend visits. Active-duty military and veterans get free admission on weekdays for up to six family members.

12. Wayside Farm — Berryville

Fall fun at Wayside Farm includes an eight-acre pick-your-own pumpkin patch, a 10-acre corn maze, a pumpkin playhouse, a playground, giant slides, a hayride, games, and lots more. You can also skip the activities and just visit the pumpkin patch, where you'll find pumpkins in every color, shape, and size.

13. Cox Farms — Centreville

The wildly popular Cox Farms Fall Festival includes the farm's famous 20-minute hayride, tons of slides, a goat village, a tractor museum, an interactive nature trail, and lots more. At the end of it all, you can choose your perfect pumpkin from the makeshift pumpkin patch, which includes pumpkins brought in from other farms.

RELATED: Best Harvest and Pumpkin Festivals Near DC

The variety of gourds at Wegmeyer Farms are perfect for fall decorating.

14. Wegmeyer Farms — Hamilton

Wegmeyer Farms grows over 50 varieties of pumpkins, from traditional Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins to unique heirloom varieties. You can visit the pumpkin field to pick your own pumpkins right off the vine, or shop for pre-picked ones. Be sure to reserve your visit ahead of time online.

15. Hollin Farms — Delaplane

For a no-frills pick-your-own pumpkin experience without the crowds or endless activities, head over to this four-generation family farm. In addition to picking pumpkins, families can pick apples and fall greens, and even dig their own peanuts and potatoes. Leashed dogs are allowed on the farm; just not in the pumpkin patch or vegetable gardens.

All photos courtesy of the farms

This post was originally published in 2019 and is updated annually.