The Ultimate Pumpkin Patch Guide

At a Glance: Favorite Pumpkin Patches Near Charlottesville

Your quick quide to find family-favorite pumpkin patches in Central Virginia

10-30 minute drive from Charlottesville:

• Carter Mountain Orchard

• Chiles Peach Orchard

30-60 minute drive from Charlottesville:

• Blue Ridge Mountain Maze
• Endless View Farms
• Fruit Hill Orchard
• Mulberry Hills Farm

• Middle River Farms
• Round Hill Farm
• Sarah’s Pumpkin Patch
• Seamans’ Orchard

60+ minute drive from Charlottesville:

• Back Home on the Farm
• Belvedere Plantation

• Graves Mountain Farm

Charlottesville Area Pumpkin Patch Guide

Autumn is in full swing Central Virginia, and it’s time for fall fun galore!  We’ve rounded up the top local pumpkin patches and fall farm outings for families.

Lots of area farms offering pumpkins also have other experiences. You’ll find fresh made cider, food trucks, petting zoos, and country festival activities. Find places near you to pick the perfect pumpkins, and learn from a local expert how to best preserve your pumpkins throughout the season.

Many would say it’s not fall until you pick the perfect pumpkin. Luckily, this area of Virginia has plenty of local pumpkin patches to choose from! Many of then host special events and festivals during the harvest season as well.

Pumpkin Patches & Farms Near Charlottesville

🎃 Carter Mountain Orchard (Charlottesville)

• Location: 1435 Carers Mountain Trail, Charlottesville, VA 22902
• Drive from Charlottesville: 10 minutes
• Open: Open year-round; ticketed entry only on weekends from September 13–November 9, 2026.
• Hours: daily from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Note:

Want to pick out your pumpkin and pick your own apples? Carter Mountain Orchard is Charlottesville’s staple fall destination! Top off the day with a hayride around the orchard. If you see a line for the delicious apple cider donuts, they’re worth the wait. You’ll also find a country store, photo props, wine tastings, and more.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Entry tickets are required on select fall weekends.
• No ticket needed if you’re just using the drive-thru for apples and fall favorites.

🎃 Chiles Peach Orchard (Albemarle County)

• Location: 1351 Greenwood Road, Crozet, VA 22932
• Drive from Charlottesville: 25 minutes
• Open: Open year-round; ticketed entry only on weekends from October 4 to November 3, 2026.
• Hours: daily 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Note: Patch of Fun open weekends and school holidays September 19–November 3

The Patch of Fun at Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet is a brand new festive fall experience for the whole family! Step into the pumpkin patch for pick-your-own and photo ops. Take a hayride out to the apple cannon to try launching fruit at targets. Stay and play in the outdoor play area, and try seasonal sips and treats from the drink stand.

The Patch of Fun is open weekends and school holidays through November 3, and passes can be reserved online. The orchard also has pick-your-own apples and a plethora of fall treats to enjoy.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• No passes required to visit the Farm Market, Wine Shop, patio, or pavilion.
• Passes do not include apples or pumpkins.
• Pre-pay for pick-your-own at the Information Booth.
• Children under 3 do not need a pass but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

🎃 Fruit Hill Orchard (Fluvanna County)

• Location: 2745 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra, VA 22963
• Drive from Charlottesville: 30 minutes
• Open: mid-late July to early November; fall activities beginning September 13.
• Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Your certain to find your perfect pumpkin in one of the two patches at Fruit Hill Orchard. The orchard also offers pick-your-open apples. As a bonus, visitors can paint their own pumpkins or run their Apple Dash Obstacle Course!

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• By mid-September, enjoy pumpkin patches, games, and an orchard obstacle course.
• Apple varieties change often; check Facebook or Instagram for daily updates.
• No reservations or fees.
• Admission and pick-your-own are always free!

🎃 Sarah’s Pumpkin Patch (Madison County)

• Location: Caves Ford Lane, Madison, VA 22727
• Drive from Charlottesville: 40 minutes
• Open: September 27–October 26, 2026
• Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays, 3:30–6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sundays, 12–5 p.m.

Sarah’s Pumpkin Patch is a true you-pick experience, where visitors clip the pumpkins from the vine. You’ll find over 20 different varieties of pumpkins, from traditional orange carving pumpkins to pink, blue, white, and striped. When you visit the patch, you can also make your way through the 4-acre corn maze. And don’t forget to visit the fields planted with nearly 10,000 sunflowers!

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Apple and Google Maps recognize “Sarah’s Pumpkin Patch”; for best results, search Caves Ford Lane, Madison VA.
• Private hayrides are available, perfect for families or small groups.
• Credit cards are accepted, but you can save $5 on wagon and wheelbarrow rentals when paying with cash.

Shenandoah Valley Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes

🎃 Blue Ridge Mountain Maze (Nelson County)

• Location: 462 Winery Lane, Roseland, VA 22967
• Drive from Charlottesville: 45 minutes
• Open: September 10–November 9, 2026
• Hours: Fridays, 12–6 p.m. (beginning in October); Saturdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Note: Open Columbus Day, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

What to Expect / Attractions

This top-ranked corn maze is back in the mountains of central Virginia this year! The Blue Ridge Mountain Maze is hosting their Virginia Corn Maze Fall Festival. The festival will feature a huge pumpkin patch, farm animals, and an obstacle course. And of course, there will be a giant Virginia corn maze.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Best times to visit are off-peak weekends in September and November.
• Jogging strollers work best on bumpy paths; small-wheeled strollers and pull wagons are difficult.
• The area is wheelchair accessible but terrain is uneven.
• Follow Blue Ridge Mountain Maze on Facebook for news, tips, and insider deals.

🎃 Graves Mountain Farm (Madison County)

• Location: 205 Graves Mountain Lane, Syria, VA 22743
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Open: first three weekends in October 2026
• Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

In 2026, The Apple Harvest Festival at Graves Mountain Farm will take place the first three weekends in October. Visitors can enjoy love music, hay rides, animals, fresh fall foods. And of course, you can choose from their many there are many pumpkins and gourds!

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Admission is $5, with extra charges for select activities.
• Parking is in the field, with disabled/accessible spots located closer to the entrance.

The History of the Jack-o’-Lantern

Fun fact: originally turnips, not pumpkins, were used as jack-o’-lanterns!

According to Irish legend, a man called Stingy Jack trapped the Devil multiple times and let him go with the agreement that Jack would never go to Hell. But Jack discovered after his death that Heaven didn’t accept his soul either. He was forced to wander the Earth as a ghost. The Devil gave Jack a blazing lump of coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way.

Locals carved frightening faces into their own turnips to ward off evil spirits. And eventually, we ended up with the carved pumpkins we know today!

🎃 Middle River Farms (Greene County)

• Location: 1744 Weyers Cave Road, Grottoes, Virginia 24441
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Open: September 10, 2026 until pumpkins are gone.
• Hours: daily from sun up to sun down.

Make family memories year after year! Located in the scenic Shenandoah Valley, Middle River Farms is a family-run farm. It features 13 acres with more than 30 varieties of pumpkins and gourds. You can also find straw bales, corn shocks, and mums for fall decorating.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Take advantage of the $40 wagon deal — it’s the best value for pumpkin lovers!
• Arrive early in the season for the best selection
• Bring help to load your wagon if you plan to stock up.

🎃 Endless View Farms (Augusta County)

• Location: 2513 Rockfish Road, Crimora, VA 24431
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Opening / Season / Hours
• Open: Fall Festival is September 19–November 1, 2026
• Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Make a full day of fall fun at Endless View Farms! Families can pick pumpkins from more than five acres of fields. You can also enjoy more than 25 activities with admission, including a five-acre corn maze, hayrides, a 150-foot mega slide, jump pillow, barrel train, barnyard animals, giant games, and photo opportunities. Pumpkins, animal feed and apple-cannon shots are additional costs.

Tickets are $16 online or $18 at the gate. Children 3 and under are free. Pumpkins are $0.59 per pound or $50 per wagon.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Strollers and wagons are welcome.
• Leashed dogs are permitted.
• Outside food and coolers are allowed.
• The farm has ADA-accessible indoor restrooms and free parking.
• Glow Nights are October 10 and 17, and a Halloween Trunk-or-Treat is scheduled for October 31.

🎃 Seamans’ Orchard (Nelson County)

• Location: 5529 Crabtree Falls Highway, Tyro, VA 22976
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Open: October 2026
• Hours: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed Sunday.

Nestled at the foot of the mountains, Seamans’ Orchard is a favorite destination for families west of Charlottesville. The farm is in its fourth generation! The pumpkin patch and corn maze are open for all of October.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• Pumpkins are grown using a no-till system with rye mulch, keeping them clean, conserving water, and preventing weeds.
• Picking conditions can change quickly.
• Please call or check the farm’s Facebook page before your visit.

🎃 Round Hill Farm (Culpeper County)

• Location: 6347 Everona Road, Culpeper VA 22701
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Open: September 20–November 2, 2026
• Hours: Friday (October), 3–6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (in September and November); and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (in October)
• Note: open Columbus Day, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

Round Hill Farm is a great place for families with tweens and teens. Celebrate fall with hayrides to the pumpkin patch, a zip line, a super slide, farm animals and much more!

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• The farm is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
• Free gravel parking is available on-site.
• Check Facebook or call ahead on rainy days to confirm the farm is open.

🎃 Mulberry Hills Farm (Rockingham County)

• Location: 6442 Cross Keys Road, Mount Crawford, VA 22841
• Drive from Charlottesville: 60 minutes
• Open: September 13 – October 31, 2026
• Hours: daily from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Located just up I-81 from Staunton, Mulberry Hills Farm is a family run farm. You’ll find pick-your-own pumpkins, gourds, mums, straw bales, corn shocks, and a new corn maze. Visit their farm animals and take a free hayride on the weekends. Plus, enjoy plenty of cute picture boards for creating fall family memories.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• The new corn maze adventure is fun for the whole family.
• Some activities are only available on Saturdays and Sundays, so plan accordingly.

🎃 Back Home on the Farm (Rockingham County)

• Location: 2915 Willow Run Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802
• Drive from Charlottesville: 1.5 hours
• Open: August 30–November 9, 2026
• Hours: Tuesdays–Fridays, 3–7 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Sundays, 12–6 p.m.

Celebrate the fall harvest with a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and even attend an old-fashioned country tea at Back Home on the Farm. There are also climbing walls and obstacle courses for the kids to enjoy. Plus, kids will love riding the carousel, meeting friendly farm animals, and exploring the butterfly house.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• The hayride and most activities are wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, though the farm has hills and uneven ground.
• Portable toilets with hand-wash stations are available throughout the property, and permanent facilities can be found in the main building.
• For everyone’s comfort and safety, pets aren’t allowed.

Pumpkin picking is just one of many fall activities that Charlottesville locals love! Find 10 must-do family adventures in our Ultimate Fall Bucket List.

Pumpkin Patches Near Richmond

🎃 Belvedere Plantation (Fredericksburg)

• Location: 1410 Belvedere Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22408
• Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Open: September 13–November 1, 2026
• Hours: Thursdays–Fridays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; Friday evenings, 6–10 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Note: Open Columbus Day, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

At the Fall Harvest Festival at Belvedere Plantation, guests can enjoy the Maize Maze, the pumpkin patch and 30+ other activities. You are sure to find the perfect pumpkin for creating a jack-o-lantern. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Accessibility / Experience Tips

• No outside food is allowed beyond the parking lot. However, picnic tables are available beside the market.
• The farm is cashless past admissions, so plan to use cards or mobile pay.
• Dogs are welcome with a canine companion ticket, but pets must stay leashed.

How to Preserve Pumpkins and Jack-o’-Lanterns

Wondering how to make your pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns last all month? We asked Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulture expert Ashley Edwards to share her tips. Edwards is part of a team at Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension. She is working on a grant-funded project comparing pumpkin varieties and exploring options for extending shelf life post-harvest.

“Pumpkins are very sensitive to temps below 45° Fahrenheit,” said Edwards. “If your pumpkins are outdoors, take them inside if a hard frost is expected, as this will decrease their shelf life.” You should also display them in a way that allows for air circulation.

Edwards also recommends being careful when you pick pumpkins, as healthy ones will last the longest. Look for:

• Healthy stems that haven’t dried out
• No bruises or nicks
• No early signs of rot

What to Do With Pumpkins After Halloween

Uncarved pumpkins, depending on the variety, can last one to six months. After that, you have a few options for what to do with them.

“To prevent waste this fall, consider composting your pumpkins,” Edwards suggests. “This year’s pumpkins can be incorporated into a compost pile or garden that can be used to help grow next year’s pumpkins.”

“Pumpkin seeds can also be saved to use in your garden for next year. However, since the pumpkin might have been cross-pollinated, the resulting pumpkins from those saved seeds could be a variety of colors, shapes, or sizes,” Edwards said. “It can be fun to see what you get the next year. Only save seeds from healthy pumpkins.”

Looking for more fall family fun? Check out our tips for safe trick-or-treating, find local corn mazes, and even make a fun Halloween boo bag craft! Visit RoanokeFamily and VirginiaSummerCamp.com for even more great regional resources.

Keep up with local events on our calendar, or sign up for our Out & About newsletter to have them come straight to your inbox. And don’t forget to meet the local partners who help make so much Charlottesville fun possible!

SUZANNAH SPAAR is the editor of CharlottesvilleFamily Magazine, an accomplished poet, beloved teacher, and mom to two adventurous readers.

A very special thank you to our Halloween content sponsors: Charlottesville Orthodontics, Pediatric Associates of Charlottesville, and Tucker Griffin Barnes Law.