TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
11 Best Pumpkin Patches & Apple Orchards Near Boston
There is no pumpkin patch in Boston, and any guide that tells you otherwise is describing a restaurant photo op. The real ones start about eighteen miles out and fan into three directions: west along Route 2 and the Pike toward Stow and Northborough, north up 93 and 95 through Danvers and Ipswich, and one good option south in Sharon for families who don't want to cross the city. This guide compares all of them with what their own sites actually say — the hours, the last-entry times that end a visit earlier than the closing time suggests, whether apples are even being picked there this year, and the dog policies, which range from welcoming to a flat no. Where a farm doesn't publish its prices, we say so rather than repeating a number from somewhere else.
11 spots · Updated October 21, 2026 · verified links, refreshed weekly
West of Boston
4 spots
Belkin Family Lookout FarmVisit official site →
The closest real orchard to the city — 18 miles, inside the 495 loop — and the most theme-park of them, which is either the point or the problem depending on your kids.
Dates
- U-pick opens 10am Tue–Sun
- Last entrance 4pm every day
- Tue–Thu the orchard, play areas and corn maze close at 5pm
- Fri–Sun the orchard and barnyard play area close at 5pm, the corn maze and tractor play area at 5:45pm
Tickets
Admission is $39 per person online or $42 at the register, ages 2 and up. It covers a half-peck picking bag, the three play areas, the Great Pumpkin Field, the corn maze and the Busy Bee ride.
Know before you go
- Watch the 4pm last entrance — it comes an hour or more before closing
- No pets and no outside food or drink
Honey Pot Hill OrchardsVisit official site →
The best-known orchard west of Boston, and the one with a famous hedge maze rather than a corn maze.
Dates
- Farm store daily 9am–6pm through Nov 1
- Apple picking 9am–5pm, into early November
- Hayrides at weekends 10am–5pm in September and October
- Open Columbus Day, Oct 12
Tickets
Apple picking is cash only: a $25 peck bag admits up to 3 people to the orchard, a $38 half-bushel bag up to 5. Weekend hayrides are $2 a person over age 3.
Know before you go
- Read the farm's Today's Update page the morning you go, or call 978-562-5666
- The Monster Maze opens only on set weekends; the little hedge maze runs daily 9am–5pm
- No pets; service animals only
- About 25 miles out Route 117 — budget 45 minutes from the city
Shelburne FarmVisit official site →
Honey Pot's quieter neighbour, three miles away, and the easier one with toddlers — the John Deere tractor and gator playgrounds are the draw as much as the trees.
Dates
- Open every day, seven days a week
- Weekdays: orchard 9am–4:45pm, Apple Shop 9am–5pm
- Weekends: orchard 9am–5:45pm, Apple Shop 9am–6pm
- Pumpkin picking through November
Tickets
An apple bag is the admission: $32 a peck (up to 3 people) or $46 a half-bushel (up to 5), covering the orchard, play areas and pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are $0.65/lb, hayrides $3 a person, the bounce house $6.
Know before you go
- Check the farm's picking schedule before you drive
- Cards and Apple Pay only — no cash or checks anywhere on the farm
- No pets
Tougas Family FarmVisit official site →
The one with the longest posted season and the clearest published hours of any farm here.
Dates
- Apple picking 9am–4pm last entry, Fridays to 5:30pm
- Pumpkin patch 9am–5pm, Fridays and Saturdays to 6pm
- Oktoberfest weekend Oct 17–18, 2026, free admission
- Pick-or-Treat Halloween trail Oct 24–25, 2026, timed tickets from 10am, last entrance 3pm
Tickets
Apple picking is $36 for a peck box (up to 2 people) or $50 for a half-bushel box (up to 5), $10 per extra person. Pumpkins are $1.00/lb with a $3 minimum. Pick-or-Treat tickets are $15, non-refundable.
Know before you go
- The farm asks you to check its site or Facebook page before heading out
- No dogs or pets; ADA service dogs welcome
- Parking is free
North of Boston
6 spots
Brooksby FarmVisit official site →
A city-owned orchard 18 miles north, and the closest thing to a free farm morning on this list.
Dates
- Open Tue–Sun 9am–5pm
- Last apple-picking bags sold at 4pm, an hour before the gate closes
Tickets
The play yard is open during business hours at no charge, and the barnyard animals cost nothing to look at.
Know before you go
- No pets
Cider Hill FarmVisit official site →
The furthest north on this list at about 38 miles, and the most toddler-shaped once you get there — a trike yard, a chicken barn and a mini corn maze rather than a full-size one.
Dates
- Farm store open daily 8am–6pm
- Apple picking through mid-October
- Hayrides at weekends
- Pumpkin lettering Fridays Oct 9 and 16, 2026
Tickets
No entrance fee, and parking is free. Apple-picking tickets, required for everyone 3 and up entering the orchard, are $16 a half-peck (up to 2 pickers), $32 a peck (up to 4) or $48 a half-bushel (up to 6). Stand pumpkins run $0.69–$0.89/lb.
Know before you go
- Apple picking ends mid-October, earlier than anywhere else here
- On weekdays the orchards are a 10-minute hilly walk
- No pets
- The farm answers on (978) 388-5525
Connors FarmVisit official site →
The North Shore's corn-maze farm, and the flashlight maze after dark is the reason older kids want to come back.
Dates
- Fall fun Sept 5 – Nov 1, 2026
- Open daily 8am–6pm
- Flashlight maze and haunted fields after dark from Oct 2
Tickets
Weekday admission is $15.99 online or $20.99 at the gate, weekends and holidays $20.99 and $25.99, age 1 and under free. It covers the corn maze, hayrides, the train, jumping pillows and play areas; the flashlight maze is ticketed separately.
Know before you go
- The farm asks you to leave dogs and pets at home, ADA service animals excepted
- Parking is free, but there is no street parking
- No backpacks and no outside food or drink
Parlee FarmsVisit official site →
A 35-mile run up Route 3 to a farm built around its animal barns and a sandbox as much as its trees, and the most decorated one here on paper.
Dates
- Last day of the 2026 season Sunday, Oct 25, closing at 4pm
- Farmstand and animal barns Tue–Sat Oct 20–24 10am–5pm, Sun Oct 25 10am–4pm
- Closed Monday, Oct 19
- Apple and pumpkin picking through Oct 25; weekday picking opens after school tours leave
Tickets
No admission fee, and Annie's Animal Barns and the sandbox are free. Hayrides for apple pickers are $2 at weekends and free on Fridays, and every pumpkin is $20 or less.
Know before you go
- Call the farm-news hotline, 978-649-3854, before you go
- No pets or emotional support animals; service dogs only
- No backpacks or extra bags in the orchard
Russell OrchardsVisit official site →
The one to pair with Crane Beach, a few minutes further down Argilla Road, which is what makes a 30-mile drive worth it in early autumn.
Dates
- Store Tue–Sun 9am–6pm through October, 9am–5pm in November
- Pick-your-own 9am–5pm, closed Mondays
Tickets
At weekends and on Monday holidays apple pickers buy a $28 peck bag, up to five people per bag. Other days it's $5 a person to enter, credited toward the fruit you pick. The hayride to the orchard is $2.50 for ages 4–12 and $3.50 from 13.
Know before you go
- The homepage lists the apple varieties being picked that day
- The strictest dog rule here: no dogs, no emotional support animals, trained service animals welcome
- At weekends the walking trail to the orchard closes at 4:45pm — after that it's the hayride
- No outside food or coolers, and no beach parking
Smolak FarmsVisit official site →
The free gate is the reason to put this one at the top of a budget list — a short visit here is genuinely cheap.
Dates
- Pick-your-own pumpkins 8am–5pm, last entry 4:15pm
- Fall Festival weekends: hayrides, cow train and face painting 10am–3pm
- Spooky Night Rides Oct 8, 9, 15, 23, 24 and 29, 2026
- Farm stand daily 7am–6pm
Tickets
No admission fee. Pumpkins are $0.69/lb. At Fall Festival weekends the hayride is $9 (under 2 free), the cow train $5 and face painting $4, or $25 for a package with one of each plus an animal food bag. Spooky Night Rides are $30 a child and $10 an adult, advance tickets only.
Know before you go
- Pick-your-own apples are over for 2026
- About 25 miles north on I-93
South of Boston
1 spot
Ward's Berry FarmVisit official site →
The one south of the city, 22 miles down 95, and the answer for families in Milton, Quincy and the South Shore who don't want to cross Boston to reach an orchard.
Dates
- Pick-your-own activities run from April through November
- Farm store daily 9am–7pm
- Pick-your-own and corn maze daily 9am–6pm
- Haunted hayride & corn maze Thu–Sat after dark, Oct 8–24 and Oct 29–31
Tickets
The corn maze is $16 a person including the hayride to the field, free for 3 and under, walk-in only. Pick-your-own is paid by the container at the check-in tent.
Know before you go
- This is a pumpkin trip, not an apple one — Ward's advertises pick-your-own pumpkins and lists no apples
- No pets and no outside food
- Call (781) 784-3600 to confirm the day's picking
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On watch for 2026
- Ward's Berry Farm — apples (Sharon, MA) — Ward's is in the list above as a pumpkin farm, and deliberately not as an apple one: its own site advertises pick-your-own pumpkins and a corn maze, and lists no apples. If apples are the point of the trip, go west or north instead — or call (781) 784-3600 first. Check their pick-your-own page →
- Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular (Providence, RI) — The biggest pumpkin event anywhere near New England, and it is not in Massachusetts: it runs October 1 – November 1, 2026 at Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence — about 50 miles and a state line from Boston. October 1 is a members-only preview and November 1 an adults-only night. Nightly 6:00–10:30pm, last entry 10:00pm. Adults $20 and children 2–12 $16 Monday–Thursday, $23 and $19 Friday–Sunday; timed tickets online only, non-refundable. Worth the trip; not a Boston evening. Tickets and dates →
Upcoming pumpkin & apple-harvest events in Greater Boston
6 upcoming pumpkin patch & harvest events across Greater Boston, refreshed daily.
Annual pumpkin patch fundraiser at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church supports the Youth Service Trip and the Wellesley Food Pantry.
WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
Annual pumpkin patch fundraiser at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church supports the Youth Service Trip and the Wellesley Food Pantry.
THURSDAY
29
OCTOBER
Annual pumpkin patch fundraiser at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church supports the Youth Service Trip and the Wellesley Food Pantry.
FRIDAY
30
OCTOBER
Annual pumpkin patch fundraiser at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church supports the Youth Service Trip and the Wellesley Food Pantry.
SATURDAY
31
OCTOBER
Annual pumpkin patch fundraiser at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church supports the Youth Service Trip and the Wellesley Food Pantry.
TUESDAY
10
NOVEMBER
Tiny chefs learn a new salty‑sweet fall snack recipe at Powisset Farm.
View all pumpkin patch & harvest events in Greater Boston this week
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FAQ
Is there a pumpkin patch in Boston itself?
Not a real one. What the city has are pop-ups — a patch outside a Seaport raw bar, a First Fridays patch, a church lot in Wellesley Hills — and they are fine for a photo and a small pumpkin. Every farm in this guide is a drive: 18 miles to Natick or Peabody at the closest, 38 to Amesbury at the furthest. Budget 45 minutes each way for most of them and more on an October Saturday.
Which farm near Boston is cheapest?
Smolak Farms in North Andover charges no admission and prices each activity separately. Brooksby Farm in Peabody is city-owned, and its play yard is free during business hours. Parlee and Cider Hill charge no entrance fee either — you pay for what you pick. Lookout Farm is the priciest, at $39 a person online.
Can we bring the dog?
No. Ten of the eleven farms here say so on their own sites and admit trained service animals only; Russell Orchards and Parlee also bar emotional support animals. Smolak Farms doesn't post a policy, which is not the same as a yes — call first.
When do we need to arrive?
Earlier than the closing time implies, because most of these farms stop selling before they close. Brooksby sells its last apple-picking bags at 4pm and closes at 5. Smolak's last pick-your-own entry is 4:15pm against a 5pm close. Lookout Farm's last entrance is 4pm every day, against a 5pm orchard close. Treat the last-entry time as the real deadline.
Which farms have corn mazes?
Connors Farm in Danvers runs the Happy Halloween Corn Maze and adds a Flashlight Maze from October 2, which is the one older kids ask to go back for. Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon runs a corn maze by day and a haunted hayride and maze on October nights. Lookout Farm in Natick includes its corn maze in the U-Pick Pass wristband, and Cider Hill in Amesbury has a mini maze aimed at much younger children. Honey Pot Hill's famous maze is a hedge maze, not corn — a different and, with small kids, better thing.
Are apples actually being picked this year?
At most of these, yes. Tougas picks into early November, and Russell, Shelburne, Honey Pot and Lookout post each day's varieties. Smolak has finished for 2026, Cider Hill stops in mid-October, Parlee closes for the season on October 25, and Ward's in Sharon lists pumpkins but no apples.