Best NJ family fall fun: Pumpkin patches, corn mazes & more

Looking for your own "great pumpkin" in NJ this fall? The Garden State offers lots of festive seasonal fun, with pumpkins patches and weekend family friendly activities. Through Halloween, there are hayrides, corn mazes and petting zoos (not to mention cider doughtnuts for days)!

Just as with apple picking in NJ, there's some tips before heading out. Sites are open, weather permitting. Many spots charge admission on weekends, which allows for use of fall activities & attractions.  It’s also good to have cash on-hand, instead of hoping they take cards.

If I missed a spot or if you want to share your fall fun photos, just tweet me @ProudJersey and at @NJ1015!

Central Jersey pumpkin picking & more:

VonThun Farms (Middlesex County)
519 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction
Call ahead: 973-329-8656
VonThun has a corn maze this year in Monmouth Junction dubbed MARVELous, in tribute to superheroes.  There's also hayrides, farm animals, a bounce obstacle course and other family activities. 

Happy Day Farm (Monmouth County)
97 Daum Road, Manalapan
Call ahead: 732-977-3607
Happy Day Farm has lots to offer- starting with a "100 years of John Deere" themed corn maze. There’s also a viewing zoo with tractor rides, sunflower maze, and other add-on activities like a jump-on pillow, pig races, pony rides and photo friendly spots.

Snyders Farm (Somerset County)
586 South Middlebush Road, Somerset
Call ahead: 732-496-0441
It's a Fall Festival each weekend through October (cash only), with hayrides, pumpkin picking, a corn maze, food and lots of family friendly activities.

Giamarese Farm and Orchards (Middlesex County)
1555 Fresh Ponds Road, East Brunswick
Call ahead: 732-821-9494
Fall festivities are underway starting Sept 22. Apple picking, Pumpkin picking, Hayrides, a new 10-acre Corn Maze, ponies and food vendors. Plus, Pick-Your-Own Indian Corn. 

Cheesequake Farms (Middlesex & Monmouth Counties)
2095 US Highway 9, Old Bridge
Call ahead: (732) 721-5728
191 Rt. 34, Matawan
Call ahead: (732) 583-6780
Cheesequake Farms offers hayrides into the 'patch' at both locations, plus photo ops with an overall fall theme that changes every year.

Etsch Farms (Middlesex County)
556 Buckelew Ave, Monroe Township
Call ahead: 732-794-6785
The 8-acre corn maze honors 100 years of the New Jersey Farm Bureau. There's a crossword puzzle game throughout, or a smaller corn maze for a more condensed experience. Pumpkin picking, a corn train or hayride, and a Bakery Barn for cider donuts, pies and more.

Stults Farm (Middlesex County)
146 Cranbury Neck Road, Plainsboro
Call ahead: 609-799-2523
Pick-your-own pumpkins, while you can load up on lots of Jersey Fresh produce for purchase, grown right on the 200-acre, family-owned farm.

Norz Hill Farm & Market (Somerset County)
116 South Branch Rd., Hillsborough
Call ahead: 908-371-COWS (2697)
Norz offers a corn maze, hayrides and lots of farm animals to visit. There's also a haunted Scare Farm on weekends from late September through Halloween.

Doyle's Unami Farms (Somerset County)
771 Mill Lane, Hillsborough
Call ahead: 908-369-3187

Schaefer Farms (Hunterdon County)
1051 Country Rd. 523, Flemington
Call ahead: 908-782-2705
Schaefer's has hayrides, plus a corn maze, farm animals, cow bounce house, and fall goodies at the farm stand. Schaefer's Frightfest opens this Saturday for weekends through Halloween.

A Casola Farms (Monmouth County)
178 Route 34, Holmdel
Call ahead: 732-332-1533
Casola has pumpkins, pony rides and petting zoo area. On weekends there's also a corn maze, face painting and Wild West Show. October adds Night Time Haunted Hayrides and the 'Texas Chainsaw'-inspired Travis County Junkyard.

Wemrock Orchards (Monmouth County)
100 Wemrock Road, Freehold
Call ahead: 732-431-2668
Wemrock offers hayrides through a 'haunted' orchard, festive but not too scary. There's also Jersey fresh produce & baked goods at the year-round store, plus a tasting room that features NJ wines.

Howell Farm Corn Maze in Hopewell (Mercer County)
17 Valley Road, Hopewell Township
Call ahead (on weekends): (609) 397-2555
Run by the Mercer County park commission, Howell Farm Corn Maze is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through October 28. The 4 acre corn maze is a game in itself, with trivia questions and puzzle pieces to complete a map. There's even a time clock. There are also courtyard activities and games, theme-related exhibits and demonstrations featuring farm animals.

K and S Farms (Mercer County)
831 Windsor-Perrineville Road, East Windsor
Call ahead: 609-758-7817
K and S offers a daytime 'family' corn maze and pumpkin picking. At night, there's the G-rated 'safe' area for a flashlight maze and pumpkins, plus the "Field of Terror", which this year includes a Circus of Terror Paintball attraction.

Argo's Farm (Ocean County)
1250 Lacey Road, Forked River
Call ahead: 609-693-3513
Argo's offers hayrides out to pick pumpkins and a corn maze. This year, the theme is

DeWolf's Farm (Ocean County)
58 West Colliers Mill Rd., New Egypt
Call ahead: 609-758-6288

Hallock's U Pick Farm (Ocean County)
38 Fischer Rd, New Egypt, NJ
Call ahead: 609-758-8847

South Jersey pumpkin picking & more:

Johnson’s Corner Farm (Burlington County)
133 Church Road, Medford
Call ahead: 609-654-8643
Johnson’s Farm is one of the largest pick-your-own farms in South Jersey. The fall means hayrides into their fields for pumpkins (and apples). Weekend fun includes a corn maze, moon bounce, live music, animal farm and Discovery Barnyard.

Springdale Farms (Camden County)
1638 South Springdale Road, Cherry Hill
856-424-8674
There's pumpkin picking hayrides and also a chance for campfire hayrides. You can book a private hayride to your own lakeside campsite campfire.

R & J Farm (Atlantic County)
723 W. Herschel St., Galloway Township
Call ahead: 609-593-6183
R & J offers a corn maze, hayrides to the pumpkin patch, and a new jumping pad. Fall Opening day is September 22; check pricing to plan ahead. (Beginning Sept. 29, the farm offers the Cornfield of Terror).

Sahl's Father Son Farm (Atlantic County)
420 W. Pestalozzi Ave., Egg Harbor City
Call ahead: 609-965-9300
Aside from pumpkins, there's also hayrides, a corn maze, kiddie koral, mini=mazes, pig races, some farm animals, a bounce pit & family games. Fall season starts September 22, check pricing to plan ahead.

Coombs Barnyard (Salem County)
20 Route 77, Elmer
Call ahead: 609- 364-2520
Starting September 28, it's Flashlight Fridays for a corn maze in the dark (not scary). This year's maze theme is 'New Jersey'. Their Barnyard Bash runs on Saturdays in October (6, 13, 20, or 27th) from noon until 4pm, with a hayride, pumpkin picking (from a REAL patch), barrel train rides, Barnyard Animals and the corn maze.

Maugeri farms (Gloucester County)
1991 Oldmans Creek Rd., Swedesboro
Call ahead: 856-249-9900
Maugeri offers lots of 'non-scary' family fun with hayrides, a kiddie hay bale maze, and Tiny Tots Hay Bale Treasure Hunt.

North Jersey pumpkin picking & more:

Stony Hill Farm Market (Morris County)
8 State Route 24 (Rt 513), Chester
Call ahead: 908-879-2908
Stony Hill has a nearby Corn Maze & Fun Park with a 2018 theme of Age of Edison, the inventor and noted NJ native.

Wightman Farms (Morris County)
1111 Mt Kemble Ave, Morristown
Call ahead: 973-425-9819
Since 1922, the Wightman family has been growing and selling fruits and vegetables at their Morris County farm. They do apple picking, hayrides and have a cornmaze, open every weekend through October.

Alstede Farms (Morris County)
1 Alstede Farms Lane, Chester
Call ahead: 908-879-7189
Alstede Farms really is a year-round destination for seasonal fun. Aside from pick-your-own pumpkins & apples, there’s a store, petting zoo area, corn maze & cider mill tours.

Hacklebarney Farms Cider Mill (Morris County)
104 State Park Road, Chester
Call ahead: 908-879-6593
Hacklebarney has plenty of pumpkins and gourds and a corn maze. Plus, maple bacon cider donuts and cider hot dogs, which both sound delicious! 

Ort Farms (Morris County)
25 Bartley Rd., Long Valley
Call ahead: 908-876-3351
Ort Farms celebrated 101 years in business last fall, and they're going strong! There's hayrides and a corn maze, hay pyramid, tractor playset, train, pony rides & farm store. The 2018 Corn Maze will benefit OPERATION CHILLOUT and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Hamilton Farms (Morris County)
130 Old Denville Road, Boonton
Call ahead: 973- 334-6528
Hamilton Farms has hayrides, farm animals, a hay maze and lots of fall goodies for sale.

Secor Farms (Bergen County)
85 Airmont Ave., Mahwah
Call ahead: 201-520-2595
Secor offers hayrides, a corn maze, petting zoo and hay maze. There's also a 'corn box' for the kiddies and photo ops with a “How Tall This Fall” display and other farm 'cut outs'.

Longmeadow Farm (Warren County)
561 Hope Blairstown Rd., Hope
Call ahead: 908-459-5351
Pumpkins is how Longmeadow got into the farm biz, and it's a tradition going strong. There's hayrides and lots of other Jersey fresh produce to bring home, too.

Heaven Hill Farm and Garden Center (Sussex County)
451 State Route 94, Vernon
Call ahead: 973- 764-5144
Heaven Hill offers its own The Great Pumpkin Festival, with pumpkins, hayrides, a corn maze, tractor rides, pedal go carts & farm animals. Plus, wine tasting and a market.

Proud Jersey Girl Erin Vogt’s first reporting gig involved her Fisher Price tape recorder. As a wife and momma of two kiddies, she firmly believes that life’s too short to drink bad coffee.  A fan of the beach, Dave Grohl and karma, in no particular order.

Follow her on Twitter and on Facebook as ProudJersey.

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