9 farm festivals around Pittsburgh where you can pick a peck of perfect pumpkins

Above photo courtesy of  Triple B Farms.

Pittsburgh-area farms have entertained families for generations by opening their fields for pumpkin picking. The annual fall festivals let the entire family enjoy fresh-air outings, entertaining activities, hayrides and delicious food. Head to these nine farms where all your pumpkin-picking dreams will come true!

One note as you plan your visits: Many activities are dependent on good weather, so check ahead on the farms’ social media accounts or call before visiting.

1. Triple B Farms Fall Festival

Triple B Farms Fall Festival in Monongahela opens on Sept. 21, running through Oct. 29, with all the picking categories families are looking for – pumpkins, apples and flowers. Pumpkin picking operates on Saturdays and Sundays only. The apple orchards and flower fields are open daily. Those pumpkin picking weekends include a tremendous program of farmyard activities with the purchase of a $17 wristband (kids 2 and younger are free). Stroll through the “Famously Frightening Boo Barn,” race the Scootin’ Scooters and play Grain Bin Basketball. Catch the giggle-inducing Singing Chicken Show, attempt to make your way through the two corn mazes and slide down giant slides. Hayrides to the pumpkin patches are included.

With a full day of activities, families will need nourishment to keep up their energy level. Triple B’s Food Barn offers fall-inspired indulgences like apple cider donuts, apple fries and apple cider slushies, along with loaded fries and hot sandwiches. Visiting food trucks will be on hand for select weekends, too.

2. Soergel Orchards Fall Festival

Soergel Orchards Fall Festival in Wexford is up and running, operating on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29, with free admission for all. Kids love exploring Tiny Town and visiting the animals in the petting zoo. Activities like pumpkin, apple and flower picking are priced separately. Games cost between $2 and $5. Kids can also satisfy their sweet tooth with a stop at Perry’s Scoop, where they can choose from flavors like graham cracker and brownie batter ice cream. Grownups might make a stop at Arsenal Cider for a refreshing pour. Soergel’s Deli also offers a wide range of delicious eats. Visit the bakery for fresh, take-home treats.

As an added feature for a fun family evening out, check out Friday Night Hayrides, opening Sept. 27 with $4 tractor rides. On those nights, the Food Barn offers kid-approved eats like mac and cheese, hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches.

3. Simmons Farm Fall Activities

Hayrides and Fall Activities opened on Sept. 14 with daily pumpkin picking at Simmons Farm in McMurray. Little farmers can hit the orchard and flower beds for apple and flower picking, too. Purchase a wristband for $17 – free for kids measuring less than 33 inches – which includes the hayride or walking the Harvest Trail out to five acres of pumpkin patches.

And a huge lineup of farm-fresh activities is part of the Simmons Farm experience: Visit the petting zoo, race rubber ducks and roll in a human hamster wheel. Then, challenge yourself in the two-acre corn maze or the more extreme four-acre maze. The pedal car drag race and mega slide appeal to kids, too.

4. Trax Farms Farm Festival

Point your car to Finleyville for Trax Farms Farm Festival, which opens on Sept. 28 and operates Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27, plus Columbus Day. Friday Hayrides are planned throughout the afternoon on Oct. 4, 11 and 18. Admission to the festival is free, but some activities require additional costs. Hayrides to the pumpkin patch and access to the three-acre corn maze are $12 online, $14 at the door, free for ages 2 and younger. Catch a train ride for $4, jump in the bounce house for $3 and go crazy on the Bungee Jumper for $8. Experience the Leaps ‘n Bounds, Jump ‘n Slide and Double Jump, each priced at $6 for three rides.

Free fun includes yard games and a visit with farm animals. Dance along to live music from bands like The Bad Joints, Whiskey Business and Local Buzz. You’ll also find great eats from a variety of scheduled food trucks. The Café serves up apple cider slushies and hot cider on cool days. And don’t skip tempting treats like fried Oreos, cinnamon-roasted nuts and freshly popped kettle corn.

5. Pumpkin Festival at Cheeseman Farm

The annual Pumpkin Festival at Cheeseman Farm in Portersville opens Sept. 21 and runs Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27. Admission is free to leap from hay bale to hay bale, and visit the petting zoo. A tractor-pulled hayride to the pumpkin patch is $5, free for ages 2 and younger. You can also stop at the market for all of your autumn home design needs. You’ll find decorative pumpkins and gourds, hay bales, corn stalks and Indian corn.

For families with teens, Cheeseman’s features the super-scary Fright Farm. Expect a frightening haunted hayride populated with actors, a corn maze and walk-through attractions on weekend nights during October. The genuinely jarring mayhem begins at dark and is geared toward teens and adults. Kids 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult to take the haunted hayride. Tickets are $25.

6. Harvest Valley Farms Fall Festival

Harvest Valley Farms Fall Festival celebrates for the 40th season this year. This family farm in Valencia transforms into a fun-filled, pick-your-own pumpkin festival on weekends in October. Admission is free, though there are fees for some activities. In addition to hayrides to the pumpkin patch, kids can have fun in the straw tunnel and cornstalk maze, jump into the corn pit and make four-legged friends among the farm animals. Crafts, face painting and pumpkin carving kits will be available, too. Conny Creek Brewing will offer craft beer to grownups, a relaxing choice while listening to live music.  You’ll find plenty of festival eats, too, like caramel apples, baked goods and selections from Mars Farmhouse Cafe.

7. Shenot’s Farm & Market Pumpkin Patch

Year-round, the Fudge Room beckons us to Shenot’s Farm & Market, where they cook up more than 20 small-batch flavors, along with other sweet treats like fudge-dipped apples and fudge pops. This time of year, the Marshall Township farm has even more appeal with the opening of the Pumpkin Patch, operating daily from Sept. 28-Oct. 27. Hayrides to the pumpkin fields run on Saturdays and Sundays for $3, free for ages 2 and younger. Or take the ½-mile scenic walking trail where strollers and wagons are welcome. The trail is free on weekdays, $5 on weekends for ages 3 and older.

This six-generation family farm offers a market filled with fall decorations, such as corn stalks, straw bales, decorative gourds, lovely “fairy tale” pumpkins and decorative corn. Pick up a jug of award-winning fresh cider and a basket of colorful farm-picked vegetables.

You can also expect a smashing time (literally) on the weekend after Halloween. Shenot’s Pumpkin Smash on Nov. 2 and 3 invites guests to bring their jack-o-lanterns to the farm where they can roll them and wreck them in the fields!

8. Hozak Farms Fall Festival

Hozak Farms Fall Festival in Clinton operates on weekends in October, as well as Columbus Day. Admission is free, with $4 hayrides to the pumpkin patch. If you can, beat the weekend crowds by visiting from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays with free hayrides. Activities for kids include pumpkin painting ($1), jumping in the straw pile and communing with farm animals in the petting zoo. Pony rides are a special feature (weather permitting) for $7.

Weekend eats are available from Highland Homestead Farm-to-Table Food Truck, Bubba’s Kettle Corn, Mudpuddles Coffee Truck, plus French fries and funnel cake. Or bring your own packed cooler and have a homemade lunch at the farm’s picnic tables.

9. Freedom Farms Fall Festival

Freedom Farms Fall Festival is the biggest event of the year for this Valencia farm. Their Fall Festival runs on weekends throughout October, as well as Columbus Day. The $10 admission, free for ages 3 and younger, includes tractor rides, a challenging corn maze, a corn pit, a hay mountain, the graveyard, petting zoo and pick-your-own sunflowers. Additional fees are required for activities like pony rides and face painting. Local artisans and craft vendors will also be on hand. And you will find delicious concessions that will appeal to the whole family.

Special events include Military Appreciation Day on Oct. 26 with free admission for active-duty military, veterans, police officers, fire fighters and EMS workers and their families. On Oct. 27, moms receive their acknowledgment with free admission for mothers. Trunk or Treat is also planned for Oct. 27. Sign up here.

Don’t miss our Big Fall Events Guide and our guide to apple picking in the Pittsburgh region.