Every fall I take my girls to the pumpkin patch, it is an autumn tradition and one of my favorites. I look forward to going every year. The pumpkin patch tradition started 10 years ago when we were in Westlake Village and visited the ever-popular Underwood Family Farms. Now the weather in Southern California is tempermental, so it might be 90-degrees (most of the time in Oct.) or it might be soggy and raining (yes, it was many years ago when that happened).  There were so many activities there that you went home with a pumpkin and ready for a nap.

Then when we moved to Georgia (and just steps from Tennessee), we went to East Tennessee’s Old McDonald Farm, on their homeschool day. I was personally giddy going– after all haven’t we all sung about Old McDonald’s farm since we were in preschool? It was a cool cold fall day with a hay ride that took us to the pumpkin patch surrounded by farmland and foliage. The girls slid down slides from the silo and ran through hay mazes, saw farm animals– the whole shabang.

So this year, with our recent move to Maui, I was filled with happiness to learn about Kula Country Farms’ pumpkin patch. A little trivia for most, but pumpkins grow really well on the slopes of Haleakala. One of the biggest advantages of this patch, since I’m such a professional at them-ha ha, there probably has never been and never will be a pumpkin patch with a better view or a better breeze. (Upcountry, which is where the farm is located, in Kula, is known for the perfect comfort temperature.) We paid $1/per person, received a coupon, and then put the $3 of coupons towards the pumpkins we purchased. So in essence, the entrance is free if you buy something (which you should, because the farm does an excellent job creating fall on Maui.) The pumpkins are very reasonably priced–even for Maui. Besides the bursting-with-pumpkins patch that you walk down a pumpkin-lined path to, there is a children’s garden, horses to look at, a corn maze, sunflowers that tower over you, snacks and food, picnic tables, a farmstand with produce, small gords to buy, and mini golf. The mini golf and corn maze are each $3/person. We went on a rather crowded weekday (I didn’t know the public schools were off), but it was still manageable. There are a few wagons available to use too. So if you are visiting Maui in the fall, and headed to upcountry, make sure to stop by, just for the experience and to educate your friends.  And better yet, if you are living on the island, Kamaʻāina, make this a tradition for your family too! The pumpkin patch is open until Oct. 31st and the Kula website is: http://kulacountryfarmsmaui.com
What about you, any favorite fall traditions for your family?  Let me know if so!

 

Welcome to the farm!

 

The Children’s Garden:

 

How pretty is the view?