Pumpkin Patch Review by Jenny

Becky has been demanding a post about pumpkin patches, and apparently because I have 3 little ones I am an authority on the matter. I thought I’d enlist their help but when asked which places they preferred I got a few shoulder shrugs and an ‘I unno’. After some prodding they offered that they didn’t like the muddy one because their boots got stuck.

Photo credit: SuperNovaK on Flickr

When Alexis was a preschooler we visited a place in Tsawassen, its easy to spot, on the way to the ferry terminal and has pumpkins lining the long fence. All the kids got to plant a flower bulb and go into the field to get a pumpkin and were also given a cookie. It was a bit overcrowded and the pumpkins were pretty slim pickings. The following year we went to Aldor Acres. For those of you that remember Big Bob (r.i.p) from the barn at the PNE, that was his home.

Aldor Acres is located in a lovely country setting (just past Fort Langley), they have apple orchards, Christmas trees, barns full of animals, a big haystack and are very organized (even with the parking in the big field). Everyone gets a hayride into the patch where they hop off and pick their pumpkin, which the kids just love. The pumpkins however are pre-picked and lined up so I found it took away from the whole experience a bit.

The last 2 years the kids went to Richmond Country Farms. Located just after the tunnel (for those of us coming from Surrey/Delta) on Steveston Hwy. This is my personal favourite. You get the whole farm-countryfair-feeling. There was a place to jump in the hay, a live band playing some themed tunes, free apples and a longer hayride out to one of the many pumpkin patches. When you are let off at the pumpkin patch you have small hike to the fields where the pumpkins are there to be actually picked and there are tons to choose from. The kids really enjoyed it and I even treated them to a pony ride on the way out.

One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to experience all the ‘kidstuff’ again (man I love chuck e cheese). Oh, and sidenote to Becky’s post about the holiday trains on metblogs… I mentioned the Halloween train to Alexis and she said ‘nooooooo… but can we go at Christmas AND Easter’!