Pumpkin season runs through Saturday, October 31, 25 days left. Weekends are the busy days; weekday evenings are the easy ones.
Closest: Del Mar Pumpkin Station
- Where: the east parking lot of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd, next to the driving range. From I-5, exit Via de la Valle west, then left on Jimmy Durante.
- When: daily through October 31. Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 9pm, Sunday 9am to 7pm.
- Cost: free parking and free admission. Pumpkins are priced by size; kids' rides are one $5 ticket each, and an adult riding with a child is free.
- Also: leashed dogs are welcome, plus a Ferris wheel, train ride, swing ride and petting zoo.
Want a corn maze?
Pumpkin Station's farm locations, including Rancho Bernardo, add sunflower fields, a corn maze and tractor rides; the city lots like Del Mar are pumpkins, kids' rides, bounce houses and the petting zoo. Hours and addresses: pumpkinstation.com.
The classic farm: Bates Nut Farm
- Where: 15954 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center, inland.
- When: through October 31. October weekdays 9am to 5:30pm, weekends 8:30am to 6pm; closes early on Halloween.
- Cost: free admission. Parking is free on weekdays and $10 every October weekend, so a weekday visit saves it. Activities (hayride, straw maze, pony rides, petting zoo) use $2.50 tickets.
- Dogs: welcome at the patch, on the hayride and in the straw maze.
Make it a day
Inland runs hot this week; check alerts today and go in the evening at Del Mar (open till 9 Friday and Saturday). Kids 12 and under are free at 70+ museums all month: Kids Free October. More: this weekend · Halloween events · the next 90 days. Hauling pumpkins, or a hand with the kids' day? Text PJ.
Sources: Pumpkin Station · Del Mar Fairgrounds · Bates Nut Farm. Checked October 6, 2026.
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Questions people ask
Is the Del Mar Pumpkin Station free?
Parking and admission are free. Pumpkins are priced by size, and kids' rides are one $5 ticket each.
What are the Del Mar Pumpkin Station hours?
Daily through October 31, 2026: Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 9pm, Sunday 9am to 7pm.
Does Bates Nut Farm charge for parking?
Only on October weekends ($10); weekday parking is free, and admission to the patch is free.
Can I bring my dog to a pumpkin patch?
Yes at both: leashed dogs are welcome at Pumpkin Station, and Bates Nut Farm welcomes dogs at the patch, on the hayride and in the straw maze.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
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