Pumpkin patches are seasonal locations that only pop up around Halloween, and attract all types of people due to the multitude of activities available.
Many people go to pumpkin patches with their children to enjoy things such as bounce houses and paintball shooting ranges and, of course, to buy pumpkins.
However, choosing the “perfect pumpkin” can be difficult. Numerous fall-loving decorators around the globe struggle to decide on the best pumpkin to buy.
“A pumpkin that is good for me has a perfect shape that I can see and visualize carving a face into. It also has a good color to it and a healthy stem,” said yearly pumpkin patch visitor Melissa Posek.
It can be challenging if everyone there is looking for the same pumpkin with a perfect circle shape, bright orange color, and upright stem.
“When the pumpkin has the stem laying to the side and the scrapes on them, I remember as a kid I always wanted the pumpkin to just be perfectly round and perfectly orange,” said pumpkin patch visitor Elizabeth Whitney.
However, some people have more broad criteria when picking out a pumpkin to buy.
“We do buy pumpkins. Honestly, we just look at them to see if they have a good blank space where we could carve a face out,” said high school student Aneli Ramirez.
Whether it’s for the fall season in general or for Halloween specifically, many people go to pumpkin patches to buy pumpkins to carve and decorate their homes to reflect the fall aesthetic.
“I do fall decorations. Not so much like Halloween, per se. I have a Halloween welcome mat in front of my house because I don’t do like inside decorations,” Whitney said.
Pumpkin patches have also changed a lot throughout the years, and for many adults, they present a much different experience than they did back in the day. Whitney describes the effect of a pumpkin patch’s other offerings.
“I think it’s more for the kids to do, and you will stay longer because if you come just for pumpkins, you’ll probably just look and get a little bored with doing that for so long. With this stuff, it’ll make us all stay here,” Whitney said.
(Ricardo Cobian Duarte)
The idea that pumpkin patches have changed a lot from the past is reflected in many young adults who also went to pumpkin patches as children.
“Going to a pumpkin patch is more for like the experience now and obviously getting a pumpkin, but since I have younger siblings, we go for the bouncy houses, rides, train ride, sweets, and just to spend time together as a family,” Ramirez said.
Overall, many adults still enjoy Halloween and get nostalgic when visiting pumpkin patches, no matter whether they are buying pumpkins, or spending time with their children.
“I think as adults, we still really enjoy Halloween a lot … even as an adult, you still get that child-like excitement about it,” Posek said.
