Visiting Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch In The Fall (2024)
Looking to visit Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch this Fall?
Tanaka Farms is home to the most popular pumpkin patch in all of Orange County.
It’s even been featured in shows like The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Starting on September 14th, they’ll have all kinds of fun activities for kids and families.
New this year: Pumpkin Patch Nights on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October, the pumpkin patch will be lit up!
You can see our full experience here in this video on our YouTube Channel!
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Visiting Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch In The Fall
Last year we were invited to attend the opening weekend of the pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms.
There are some activities that are available daily, while others are only available on the weekends.
Let’s start with the daily activities.
1. Wagon Rides
Wagon rides run approximately every 10 minutes throughout the day.
The last wagon ride departs 30 minutes prior to closing, so be sure to prioritize this when you plan your visit to Tanaka Farms.
Your admission includes unlimited wagon rides!
2. Barnyard Educational Exhibit
The Barnyard Educational Exhibit has animals like goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, horses, and mini cows.
On weekends you can feed the animals, but an adult is required to accompany any child 10 years old or under.
Don’t worry, there are hand washing stations available after you’re done feeding and visiting with the animals!
3. U-Pick Veggie Patch
Picking your own veggies to use in delicious Fall recipes later at home is a great part of visiting Tanaka Farms.
They have veggies like carrots, cilantro, radishes, Japanese turnips, and green onions.
Feel free to use your own re-usable bag when picking your veggies, or a plastic bag will be provided for you.
You can use your activity tickets to pick veggies here.
4. Corn Maze
Growing up in Ohio, corn mazes were a major Fall activity.
Then I moved to Southern California and found that they are not common here, for obvious reasons.
But, since Tanaka Farms is real farm land, they have corn mazes for your enjoyment!
5. U-Pick Pumpkin Fields
If you’d like to take home a pumpkin, they are not included in admission, but you can purchase any pumpkin you’d like for $1.39 per pound.
They have pumpkins of all kinds of sizes, colors, and varieties.
You can find the classic orange pumpkin as well as colors like white, green, pink, and even speckled pumpkins.
I never knew that there were so many varieties of pumpkins, but Tanaka Farms has varieties like Cinderella, Fairytale, Porcelain Doll, Jarrahdale, Polar Bear, and more.
If you need help carrying out your pumpkins, there are free wheelbarrows to help you out.
This next set of activities are only available on weekends.
These activities will be available starting at 12 pm on Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Activity tickets are $6 each or you can get 6 for $30, which is like getting one free.
These tickets can be used for activities like games, arts & crafts, mini ATVs, face painting, the Veggie Patch, shooting the Pumpkin Cannon, riding the Bee Train, Farmer Golf, Big Digger, Duck Race, and Scarecrow Basketball.
Keep in mind that they stop selling activity tickets 1 hour prior to closing to make sure you have enough time to use your activity tickets before they close each night.
6. Arts & Crafts
In addition to the kid friendly arts and crafts, they also offer face painting.
7. Festival Games
Kids will have a great time trying their hand at a variety of carnival type games like Farmer Golf, Big Digger, the Duck Race, and Scarecrow Basketball.
8. The Famous Pumpkin Cannon
At the back of the pumpkin patch, each time the wagon rides come through this portion of the farm, the pumpkin cannon is launched.
You can use one of your activity tickets to launch the cannon yourself if you’d like.
Fall Food and Drinks at Tanaka Farms
There are a couple different food options when you visit Tanaka Farms.
First, there’s the Produce Market Stand that is open daily from 9 am – 6 pm.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the Produce Market Stand will stay open until 9 pm.
Selections include farm-fresh produce and snacks.
Additionally, they also sell pumpkin accessories, fall decor, mini pumpkins, Wee Be Little’s, Lil Tigers, organic Pie Pumpkins, decorative corn, gourds, dried corn stalks, and more at the Produce Market Stand.
Another dining option is The Tanaka Grill, which serves farm favorites with a twist.
However it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the grill is open from 11 am – 4 pm with a limited menu and on Saturdays and Sundays the grill is open from 10 am – 5 pm.
Those weekend nights in October where Tanaka Farms stays open late, the grill will also stay open late until 8 pm.
Wednesday through Friday the grill has limited menu items that also include snacks and drinks.
Admission To Tanaka Farms
Prices vary for admission depending on the time and date you visit and by age.
If you’re visiting Monday through Friday morning, admission is $20 for anyone 3 years old and older.
Starting at 12 pm Friday and through the rest of the weekend, admission is $22 for anyone 3 years old and older.
However, for active military personnel, veterans, and retirees, admission is FREE.
A valid ID is required at check-in and the discount is not valid for friends and family of the service member.
Children 2 and under are always free as well.
Your admission ticket includes your entry, unlimited wagon rides, the barnyard educational exhibit, the corn maze, and access to the U-Pick Pumpkin Field.
Like I mentioned earlier, pumpkins are not included and you can pay a small fee to take one home.
Click Here To Book Your Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch Visit Today!
✅ Tanaka Farms Hours
Beginning September 14th, the Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch will be open daily from 9 am – 6 pm.
Then, in October they will be open from 9 am – 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
On Halloween they will close at 3 pm.
The parking lot will open at 8:30 am though so you can be at the entry gate and ready to go at 9 am if you’d like.
At the end of each day, the entry gates close 90 minutes prior to the scheduled pumpkin patch closing time, so be sure to arrive before then if you’re wanting to make a short visit at the end of the day.
One thing to keep in mind when visiting is that pets are not allowed.
There are a variety of reasons for this, so unless they are an ADA companion, leave your pets at home.
Click Here To Book Your Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch Visit Today!
✅ Parking at Tanaka Farms
Now let’s talk about parking.
Beginning at 12 pm on Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays, a $10 parking pass is required to visit.
The fee is per vehicle.
Parking is limited and you are not permitted to park in the surrounding neighborhood or at neighboring businesses, so this is very important to plan ahead for.
You’re not allowed to just walk in either unless you have proof of local residency or can show a bus pass.
Additionally, there is a designated drop off location if you’re using a rideshare service or if you just have a friend of family member dropping you off.
When you purchase your parking pass you’ll have to select a timeframe for arrival.
You’re able to stay as long as you’d like after that.
You can purchase admission and activity tickets at the gate, you just have to purchase your weekend parking pass in advance.
Click Here To Book Your Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch Visit Today!
More Fun Halloween Events In The Area
If you’re looking for even more events to fill up your free time in the Fall and Halloween season, we’ve got you covered with our top recommendations.
- Best Things To Do In Anaheim in September
- Fun Things To Do In Orange County in September
- Fun Things To Do In Anaheim in October
- Fun Things To Do In Orange County in October
Here are some more events throughout Southern California that we love.
🎃 Nights Of The Jack Halloween Event In Calabasas
Nights of the Jack is a family friendly event with a pumpkin trail, “Spookeasy”, food vendors, photo ops, and even psychic readings.
It’s popular with the celebrities and their families that live locally too!
🎃 Carved At Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens is most known for their Christmas lights, but did you know they have a Halloween event now too?
In the evenings this Fall, enjoy a night time stroll through a variety of themed sections of the gardens complete with all things Fall and Halloween.
🎃 Roger’s Gardens Halloween Boutique in Corona Del Mar
Roger’s Gardens is the most popular plant nursery in all of Southern California.
Each Fall, they transform their boutique shop into a new Halloween theme.
Recent themes have been Malice in Wonderland, Nightmare (as in Nightmare Before Christmas), and The Witching Hour.
🎃 Fearplex Presents LIGHTS OUT At Pomona Fairplex
This all new event is located at the LA County Fairgrounds and is for anyone 13+ years old.
There’s haunted mazes, zombie paintball, scare zones, food, drinks, and more.
🎃 The Best Things To Do In Southern California This Fall
For even more ideas, check out our list of all the best things to do in Southern California this Fall.
We’ve got events, festivals, Oktoberfests, Fall foliage towns, and more.
Conclusion: Visiting Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch In The Fall
Visiting Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch in the Fall is such a fun activity for family outings, couples date nights, or just getting together with friends.
There is a little something for everybody and plenty of souvenirs to take home, including your own pumpkin.
If you have any questions, be sure check out their FAQ page.
