Pumpkin Patches in Paso Robles

The pumpkin patch at My Granny's Garden

by Scott Brennan

The days will be cooling off soon as Paso Robles ushers in the fall.  For our family, that means its time to visit the local pumpkin patches to pick out our favorite Jack-O-Lanterns, pumpkins for baking, decorative squash, gourds and Indian corn.

Lucky for our children, the local pumpkin farms offer so much more than produce. They have lots of fun things to do.

One of our favorite Central Coast pumpkin

It's pumpkin season in Paso Robles

patches is right here in North County. Three years ago, Carolyn Davis opened My Granny's Garden at San Marcos Ranch. It's a wonderful family playground filled with fresh produce and lots of attractions. The farm is her year-round passion and she opens it up to the public for just one month. So be sure to visit her in October.

The farm is filled with more than 135 varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds ripening on the vine. It's a picturesque farm with a scenic lake, cornfields, pumpkin patch, farm animals and more. She has a full-grown corn maze that takes about a half hour to navigate. It's cleverly

Jack Creek Farms

decorated on the inside with cartoon characters. The kids really loved running through it.

In the spirit of Halloween, Davis built a "Haunted Lost Dutchman's Mine." It's filled with spooky surprises, but still kid friendly. This year they stepped it up a notch and added several new, haunted scenes.

The kids loved picking their own pumpkins, playing a pumpkin toss game, driving little cars in a straw-bale race, climbing up into a huge tree house and seeing an assortment of farm animals.

5th-generation family-owned Jack Creek Farms

The farm has a donkey, miniature horses, an emu, a sheep, a swan and others. It's a great place to bring a picnic and spend the afternoon enjoying the attractions.

Entrance into the pumpkin patch is free. The extra attractions were a few dollars extra, but well worth it for the afternoon of fun. Granny’s Gardens at San Marco Ranch is located 7 miles north of downtown Paso Robles and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 through Oct. 31. Take Highway 101 north to the San Marcos Road exit, then drive 1 mile west to 775 San Marcos Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446. 

Favorite local pumpkin patches

My Granny’s Gardens at San Marco Ranch
Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
775 San Marcos Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 467-3315 

Jack Creek Farms
Open Thurs.-Mon. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
5000 California 46
Templeton, CA 93465
(805) 239-1915

River K Pumpkin Patch
Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
7325 River Rd
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 467-3737 

Blue Sky Gardens
Open daily 9 a.m. to dusk 
19505 Walnut Ave.
Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 610-6330

Scott Brennan is the owner of Access Publishing, editor and publisher of the San Luis Obispo County Visitors Guide, Central Coast Active and the Paso Robles Daily News.