BALDWIN AND WHITEHALL, PA — Heading out to a patch or field to pick the best or biggest pumpkin isn’t just about finding the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern. It’s a chance to head out with the family in a cherished fall tradition full of fun activities.
Many pumpkin patches and fields offer complementary activities like hayrides, corn mazes and games for the kids. Picking your own pumpkin also is a good way to support the local farmers who grow them.
Whether you plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern or just add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin near Baldwin and Whitehall. Here are a few of our favorites:
Soergel Orchards, Wexford
Fall Festivals will run every Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 27. This year. Soergel will be offering games and activities, tractor rides, pumpkin & apple picking, and food.
Shenot Farm, Wexford
The pumpkin patch is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 27. Hayrides to the pumpkin patch run on Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $5 per person, ages 3 and up; admission does not cover the price of pumpkins.
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Trax Farm, Finleyville
Hayrides will run weekends from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 27. A hayride ticket is required for access to the corn maze and pumpkin patch and pumpkins are not included in the ticket price. The price is $12 per person online and $14 per person on the day of at the red hut hayride booth. Children ages 2 and younger get in free.
Simmons Farm, McMurray
Fall activities every day through November 3rd. The hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Fall Activities or harvest trail plus hayride is $17, with children 33 inches tall and under getting in for free. Tickets for fall activities, harvest trail and any sized pumpkin is $21.
Harvest Valley Farm, Gibsonia
Every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Farm admission is free. Pumpkins are paid for at the pumpkin tent and activities are paid for at the ticket booth.
Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren’t the same. The former are grown in fields to be large, more vibrant in color and relatively hollow. The watery flesh doesn’t have the same flavor as baking pumpkins, which tend to be smaller, have thicker, harder-to-carve walls and sweeter flesh. For those, you’ll probably need to head to the grocery store.
If your pumpkin is destined for a starring role on Halloween night, here are some tips for carving a perfect jack-o’-lantern. Warren Nash on YouTube also shows a step-by-step process to make the perfect carve.
Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.
If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:
Steps