GETTING OUT: Central MA’s Best Pumpkin Patches

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

There are few things identified with Autumn more than pumpkins. For some, pumpkins represent the celebration of the harvest season. For many children, pumpkins represent the coming of one of America's favorite holidays, Halloween, and its most endearing symbol, the Jack O'Lantern. For others, pumpkins represent a tasty treat that can be a baker's best friend.

For the entire family, finding the right pumpkin can be half the fun. Many farms and orchards develop a carnival-like atmosphere during October and provide an ideal day out to have a good time. Here are just a few places in Central Mass we recommend to find your pumpkins and have a terrific time while doing so.

Berlin Orchards
310 Lower Sawyer Hill Road, Berlin

Berlin Orchards is so much more than just a pumpkin patch and apple orchard. Take your whole family and watch your kids ride on a pony, and paint their face or very own pumpkin after picking. You can also see barnyard animals and enjoy some locally grown food in the red apple barn. Take a hay wagon ride out into the fields to find your pumpkin and let your bad thoughts drift away in the tranquil and relaxing Autumn atmosphere. There are still plenty of apples in the orchard as well.

Westward Orchards
178 Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard

For the next three weekends, from 11 am to 4 pm, free wagon rides will be offered up to the pumpkin patch nestled on top of a hill. The staff at Westward Orchards are particularly excited about this year's crop of pumpkins. Apples are still available for picking as well but they are running out fast. Also try some delicious, freshly made apple cider donuts, caramel apples or fruit pies. Get some breakfast on the weekends and lunch any day.

Wojcik's Farm
65 Milk Street, Blackstone

Wojcik's Farm's website wants you to know they have "tons of pumpkins!" available for picking; they also have a number of different types of pumpkins depending on your specific needs. Sugar Pumpkins, Jack O' Lantern Pumpkins, winter squash, and corn stalks are all available for picking and purchase. Also, check out the haunted corn maze (open Friday and Saturday night) and take a wagon ride through the pumpkin patch. Visit the ice cream stand (perhaps the only one I know of still open) and purchase some sweet corn or produce from the bakery.

George Hill Orchards
582 George Hill Road, Lancaster

Enjoy hay rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, and fresh produce from the bakery before and after your visit to the pumpkin patch at George Hill Orchards. Find sugar pumpkins, field pumpkins, and gourds, whether you want an orange or white pumpkin, a mini-pumpkin (2-5 pounds) or a large pumpkin (15-30 pounds). Also enjoy some lunch from the Farm House Grille if your stomach begins to rumble. The homemade ice cream sandwiches sound good to me! There is also live music from time to time.

Bolton Spring Farm
159 Main Street, Bolton

The large pumpkin patches at the Bolton Spring Farm yield 30 different varieties of pumpkin available for public picking. Come with the family and take a hay ride to search for the perfect one. As a bonus, the Farm is nestled in a beautiful location from where you can catch a terrific view of surrounding towns and woods. Apples are also there ripe for picking. In addition, eat some fresh food at the bakery or buy produce at the Country Store inside an old-fashioned barn.

Breezy Gardens
6 McNeil Highway, Leicester

October means Pumpkin Festival time at Breezy Gardens in Leicester. Families are invited to spend a day to relax outside in the crisp Fall air on the weekends. Wander through the pumpkin patch on foot or take a fifteen-minute hay ride and enjoy the beautiful view on your way to pick out your pumpkins. On select weekends, the kids can get their face painted, and I believe this is the only pumpkin patch I've heard of with a bounce house and mega slide. Don't forget about the corn maze.