The Pumpkin Patch Isn't for Migrainistas

I had it in my head that I wanted to go to a pumpkin patch for the past couple weeks. I thought it would be a fun way to get out and enjoy some fall weather and maybe a great place to pick up some corn stalks and bunches of dried corn on the cob. Certain that pumpkins from the patch would cost more, I had already picked up a couple cheap pumpkins on sale at Lowes.

I had wanted to go last Monday for our anniversary but we were in the middle of a long stretch of cold wet days. But it finally worked out that we had a little time on Saturday afternoon. The weather was ideal and I found a pumpkin patch about 20 miles away that looked promising online.

In my head I pictured a quiet farm where we could walk the field and see the pumpkins. Maybe a couple stands set up where you could pick up some fall stuff like the dried corn on the cob, maybe some fresh fall veggies and, of course, pay for the pumpkins.

That was NOT what this particular pumpkin patch was. It was like going to a county fair. The traffic leading into the farm was horrible, who knew this was such a big deal. We ended up parking quite far and having to walk to the actual farm area, which was packed with kids and costume clad dogs. There was funnel cake and hot dogs, a haunted house and gift shop, rows and rows of overpriced pumpkins laid out by size, hayride and tractor pulls, a live band, a playground for the kids, a maze... It was more fall festival than pumpkin patch.

Obviously, not a good place for this migrainista. We walked around for a few minutes and took a few pictures before making the long walk back to our car. Fun was not had but I learned my lesson.

I don't know if the image I have in my head of a quiet farm experience actually exists but I doubt I will want to pay another visit to a pumpkin patch in the years to come. We would have been better off going for a walk around a nice park - at least then we could have taken our dog, Gypsy, with us. Here are a couple of the pictures we took: