Paso Robles v Santa Barbara: Who Has The Best Pumpkin Patch?

Autumn is one of the best seasons for many reasons: the leaves changing colors, the weather getting colder, pumpkin is used in everything, the color palette is incomparable, and the state of coziness is mandatory every day. However, visiting pumpkin patches and picking out pumpkins to take home, buying local honey, walking through trippy corn mazes, and seeing the farm animals are the top-tier things about autumn. You get dolled up and buy an iced dirty chai to walk around endless rows of pumpkins and take thousands of pictures. What could be better than that? Nothing. 

While strolling around pumpkin patches is a classic fall activity, some owners go all out with their patches, while others give the bare minimum. Last month, we wrote an article on Central Coast pumpkin patches to visit if you haven’t already. They caught our eye because we’ve never been to them either until now, and we’re giving you the full inside scoop on them for you to decide if you’d like to add them to your autumnal activity list. The pumpkin patch list included Jack Creek Farms in Templeton and Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch in Santa Barbara. 

The first pumpkin patch we visited was Lane Farms in Santa Barbara, and being there, you feel a rollercoaster of emotions. The address is very deceiving. It leads you to Lane Farms Market, a tiny space with limited parking. You think you end up at the wrong spot, but then you drive just around a small corner and you’re welcomed with a large patch. As soon as you walk through the steel gate, you’re hit with a smell of goats, pigs, and donkeys. The goats had their fun play-fighting in the corner while the donkeys basked in the pets from bystanders. 

Children ran around the patch and throughout the tricky corn maze. You think you’re going in the right direction only to be led to a dead-end. The real fun begins outside the maze–walking through the pumpkins and picking out which ones you’re going to take home. They have squash blossoms growing alongside them. If you’re not feeling pumpkins, Lane Farms has a truckload of gourds to pick through. They make delicious meals and perfect decorations. You can take a ride on a tractor around the patch for free and sit on a few tractors for a spooky photoshoot. 

The good things about Lane Farms are that they don’t charge to go through the maze or get on the tractor ride. Additionally, they have a wide selection of pumpkins. The downside is that they don’t have more activities, such as picking fruit, to spend more time at the farm. You can be in and out in about 15 minutes due to its size. 

Next up, we visited Jack Creek Farms, just 10 minutes off the 101 freeway. One of the more decorative pumpkin patches of the two, Jack Creek Farms has pumpkins covering every sightseeing area. The Barlogio family and farm owners grow over 120 varieties of pumpkins yearly. They’re overflowing in bins, trunks, and shelving units. From teeny tiny 2-pound pumpkins to over 20-pound pumpkins, there is a pumpkin for every corner of your home. They range in prices, which are marked on the pumpkins. You can also purchase decorations for your home’s exterior, like metal sunflowers, autumn-themed flags, and wind chimes. 

The marketplace was quaint and full of knick-knacks for the kitchen. Their shelves held seasonings, honey, and jelly to enjoy at home. The owners also offer a honey tasting for $6, and they send you home with a few samples to enjoy. 

The best part about the marketplace was its sweet treat area. They had a case full of chocolate treats, from chocolate-covered nuts to truffles to honeycomb. It was difficult to pick which ones to try without taking every single one. Their pumpkin chocolate truffle was the best flavor. The most impressive area of Jack Creeks was their multiple photo areas. You will definitely get the best Instagram photos on this farm. Sit on a hay-made horse, haystacks, or one of their many benches with backgrounds full of pumpkins. 

You truly can’t go wrong with visiting either or both of these pumpkin patches during autumn.