Things to Do

The Ultimate Guide to Pandemic-Era Pumpkin Patches Around DC

Everything you need to know about hayrides, reservations, masks, and more.

Image via iStock.

Maryland

Baugher’s Orchards and Farms
1015 Baugher Rd., Westminster 

Offerings: Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins ($.49 per pound) with hayrides.
Distance from DC: 65 miles.
Mask policy: Required whenever you can’t social-distance.
Need a reservation?: No—tickets are sold on site starting at 9 AM.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
What else to know: There’s a restaurant and market. Hayrides to the fields are mandatory.

Butler’s Orchard
22222 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown

Offerings: A pick-your-own pumpkin patch ($3 per person plus $.69 per pound for each pumpkin) with wheelbarrows. Weekends are fall festival days that offer boozy cider, kids’ games, and other activities.
Distance from DC: 33 miles.
Mask policy: Required.
Need a reservation?: Yes—book online.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9:15 AM to 4:45 PM, through November 1.
What else to know: There’s an on-site market with produce, jam, and cider. Weekend mornings can be quieter than afternoons. 

Clark’s Elioak Farm
10500 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City

Offerings: A Howard County pumpkin patch, petting farm, and an “enchanted forest” with fairy tale characters and a maze.
Distance from DC: 38 miles.
Mask policy: Required for everyone over age 6.
Need a reservation?: Yes—tickets are $8.
Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, but hours vary; check the site.
What else to know: Food is available on weekends, and there’s a picnic area. Train rides through the farm cost extra.

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Gaver Farm
5501 Detrick Rd., Mount Airy

Offerings: A pick-your-own pumpkin patch ($.59 per pound) with hayrides. There’s also a separate ticketed fall festival that runs every day.
Distance from DC: 46 miles.
Mask policy: Required when social distancing isn’t possible.
Need a reservation?: Only for the fall festival, not for the market or pick-your-own fields.
Hours: Daily from 10 AM to 6 PM through November 3.
What else to know: There’s a market filled with produce. Apple picking is now closed for the season.  

Homestead Farm
15604 Sugarland Rd., Poolesville

Offerings: Pick-your-own pumpkins.
Distance from DC: 26 miles.
Mask policy: Required in the market and enclosed areas.
Need a reservation?: No, but admission is $2 per person and pumpkins are sold separately.
Hours: Daily from 9 AM to 5 PM.
What else to know: You can visit farm animals, and there’s a refreshment stand on weekends. The fields are open no matter what the weather is like.

Larriland Farm
2415 Woodbine Rd., Woodbine 

Offerings: Pick-your-own pumpkins, flowers, and, on some days, apples and vegetables.
Distance from DC: 42 miles.
Mask policy: Required at all times.
Need a reservation?: No.
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM; weekends, 9 AM to 5 PM.
What else to know: There’s a market selling local dairy, produce, and the farm’s apple cider. Paid group hayrides are available.

Montpelier Farms
1720 Crain Hwy. N., Upper Marlboro

Offerings: A pumpkin patch ($.60 per pound), plus kid-friendly activities (especially on weekends), gem mining, and a corn maze.
Distance from DC: 23 miles.
Mask policy: Required, but there is a designated “no mask zone” in an open field if you need a break.
Need a reservation?: Yes.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 AM to 7 PM; Friday, 5 PM to 11 PM; Saturday, 9 AM to 11 PM; Sunday, 9 AM to 7 PM.
What else to know: If you’re into late-night pumpkin picking, this is your place. Outside food is allowed, and there are snacks like cider doughnuts and kettle corn. 

Queen Anne Farm
18102 Central Ave., Mitchellville 

Offerings: If you’re looking for just a pumpkin patch without the fall-festival frills, check out the one here. It holds six different heirloom varieties in a range of sizes and colors. There’s also a pumpkin-shaped house for kids.
Distance from DC: 20 miles.
Mask policy: Required at all times.
Need a reservation? Yes. The $10 ticket charge goes towards the pumpkins you buy.
Hours: Weekdays and Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
What else to know: A market sells pumpkin-carving kits, scarecrows, mums, and other fall decorations. 

Rock Hill Orchard
28600 Ridge Rd., Mount Airy

Offerings: It’s mostly an apple farm, but they offer pick-your-own pumpkins, plus two corn mazes. No hayrides this year.
Distance from DC: 41 miles.
Mask policy: Required for age 5 and up.
Need a reservation?: Yes.
Hours: Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 PM; Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, Sunday, noon to 5 PM.
What else to know: The working farm—which has nearly 30 varieties of apples—also lets you watch cows being milked. The market sells A2 milk from the farm’s cows, homemade ice cream, and their own grassfed beef.

Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
4003 Jennings Chapel Rd., Woodbine

Offerings: A pumpkin patch, and educational tours that include animal feeding and, on some days, hayrides.
Distance from DC: 40 miles.
Mask policy: Required.
Need a reservation?: Yes—$8 per person.
Hours: Weekdays, 10 AM to 4 PM; weekends, 10 AM to 5 PM.
What else to know: Outside food is allowed, and the farm is dog-friendly. It has an educational bent and tours are geared for ages 2 to 10.

Summers Farm
5620 Butterfly Ln., Frederick

Offerings: A pumpkin patch and daily fall festival with a corn maze, train ride, and other kid-friendly activities.
Distance from DC: 53 miles.
Mask policy: Required when social distancing isn’t possible.
Need a reservation?: Yes. Tickets are $10.50 on weekdays, $15.50 on Friday nights and weekends.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 1 to 7 PM; Friday, 1 PM to 9:30 PM, Saturday, 10 AM to 9:30 PM, Sunday, 10 AM to 7 PM.The pumpkin patch opens at 2 PM on weekdays and 10 AM on weekends.
What else to know: They grow a few different varieties of pumpkins, plus gourds and squash. There are fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights.

Virginia

Great Country Farms
18780 Foggy Bottom Rd., Bluemont 

Offerings: Pick-your-own pumpkins ($.59 per pound) and sunflowers, plus hayrides, a corn maze, and other fall festivities.
Distance from DC: 58 miles.
Mask policy: Required inside buildings.
Need a reservation?: Yes, but only for weekends. Tickets are $10-$12.
Hours: Weekdays, 9 AM to 5 PM: weekends, 9 AM to 6 PM.
What else to know: Apple picking is closed for the season, but on weekends there are cider-pressing demos. You can pre-order items in the market for curbside pickup.

Hollin Farms
1524 Snowden Rd., Delaplane

Offerings: Pick-your-own pumpkins ($.75 per pound), fall greens, squash, and apples. Dig your own peanuts and potatoes.
Distance from DC: 61 miles.
Mask policy: Required.
Need a reservation?: No.
Hours: They vary; check the site.
What else to know: There’s no fall festival for kids, but the views at this orchard in the Blue Ridge Mountains are lovely. Dogs are welcome, but not in the patches.

Nalls Produce
7310 Beulah St., Alexandria

Offerings: There’s not a pumpkin patch, but there is a “pumpkin hill” which you can climb and choose your favorite. If you don’t want to stray far from DC, haven’t made a reservation anywhere, but still want an experience, this is a good option.
Distance from DC:  15 miles.
Mask policy: Required.
Need a reservation?: No.
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 AM to 6 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM.
What else to know: There’s a market and garden center, too.

Wayside Farm
5273 Harry Byrd Hwy., Berryville 

Offerings: An eight acre pumpkin patch that sells only $20 tickets (for an individual or family/group); the charge goes towards any pumpkins you pick. Other activities (a jumping pad, corn maze) come with a separate ticket ($12 per person).
Distance from DC: 62 miles.
Mask policy: Not required.
Need a reservation?: Yes.
Hours: Friday through Monday, 10 AM to 6 PM.
What else to know: A good one for animal lovers: there are pig races, farm animals, and a “goat walk,” which involves a plank 20 feet in the air.

White Hall Farms
12523 Popes Head Rd., Clifton

Offerings: Fall open house days include a pumpkin patch, wagon rides, and lawn games.
Distance from DC: 27 miles.
Mask policy: Required.
Need a reservation?: Yes.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
What else to know: There are nature trails, farm animals, and picnic tables. A big selection of local products—organic produce, dairy and cheese, vinegars and hot sauces, pies, wine—is available for pre-order at the market.

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Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.