Looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve into a jack-o’-lantern or bake in a pie? If you want to put a little pizzazz into your pumpkin search, we’ve rounded up some top pumpkin patches, festivals and farms with activities the entire family can enjoy.

Pack a picnic or enjoy a stroll through the gardens during the Dallas Arboretum’s 14th annual fall festival. The scenic venue has been recognized as one of “America’s Best Pumpkin Festivals” by Fodor’s Travel and one of Architectural Digest’s “15 Breathtaking Botanical Gardens to Visit This Season.” This year’s Autumn at the Arboretum steps into the world of a beloved comic strip with the theme “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Housing more than 90,000 pumpkins, the internationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village will be home to the Peanuts gang — Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty and friends. Pumpkins are available for purchase, and special events this year include Tricks and Treats Scavenger Hunts, Thursdays through Oct. 31; carving demos on Great Pumpkin Fridays, every Friday through Oct. 25; and Charlie Brown’s birthday party with ice cream, cake and classic lawn games, Oct. 30.

Through Oct. 31, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. dallasarboretum.org.

Of course there are plenty of pumpkins, but it’s the two-acre corn maze that’s the standout attraction on the Hall family farm in the heart of Grapevine. The tallest stalks reach as high as nine feet, and the real challenge comes after dark for those who attempt to make their way by flashlight. Evening hayrides run approximately every 30 minutes from 5 p.m. to close on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Activities best-suited for tiny tykes are the hay-bale maze and the miniature tractor corral, and older kids can crawl around on antique farm equipment and visit the chickens and rabbits. Take your camera for photo ops at this attraction, which features displays of pumpkins ready for purchase and a pie pumpkin patch for those who want to select their own.

Through Oct. 31, Fridays from 3 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays from 1 to 8 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m. (except on Columbus Day, Oct. 14, open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.), at 3420 Hall-Johnson Road, Grapevine. All fees are cash only. hallspumpkinfarm.net.

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

Brute strength — or maybe the help of a little red Radio Flyer wagon — is all you need to hoist these plump specimens from the ripe rows of pre-picked pumpkins that are ready to go at the Double Oak Ranch. On owner Jan Balekian’s front lawn, children delight in posing for photos with their favorite yard-art cartoon characters, hundreds of which Balekian hand-painted. The volunteer staff members keep watchful eyes on the children as they wind their way through the two hay-bale mazes, play on the merry-go-round, burn off energy in bounce houses and glide down the inflatable slide. Kids can also travel by train or by tractor for a good old-fashioned hayride around the grounds.

Through Oct. 31, daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 5100 Cross Timbers Road, Flower Mound. flowermoundpumpkinpatch.com.

See the full list on Dallas News

By Entertainment Staff

4:52 PM on Oct 10, 2019