Smith Family Farm is so much more than just a pumpkin patch. There are rows and rows of beautiful pumpkins, farm animals, live music, a ton of the cutest scarecrows around, corndogs, and a fruit stand you can’t pass up. Plus, it is only a little over an hour’s drive from the East Bay Area.
Read our guide below to find out why you should add a trip to Smith Family Farm to your fall activity list.
We acknowledge the Native Miwok and Yokut people who have been stewarding this land for thousands of years.
Before you go:
- Bring cash – they only take cash or check.
- Plan ahead by checking the entertainment schedule.
- The patch is open from 9am-5pm daily. Expect to spend about 3 hours here.
What we packed:
- Cash
- Bagged lunch or lunch money
- Sunscreen and hats
- Wagon
- Baby carrier
- Layers for cool and warmer weather
- Closed toed shoes for walking in dirt
BASE COST
- $15 general admission. Cost includes a pumpkin.
- Free parking
ADD-ONS
- $10+ locally produced honey
- $5+ corndogs, water, etc.
Tips to get the most out of your Trip to Smith Family Farm
1. Make sure you get there early.
The pumpkin patch opens the first weekend of fall (usually late September) until the end of the season. The closer you get to Halloween, the more crowded it gets.
Also, the weather is warmer in Brentwood, CA. Arrive earlier in the day to beat the heat and the crowds.
2. Dress for warm weather and dirt.
Even though it is fall, the weather out in deep East Contra Costa County gets H-O-T. Dress in layers. Be prepared for a slight chill in the morning hours and a very hot afternoon.
I brought matching long-sleeved Halloween dresses for our girls and by the end of the day they were too warm.
3. Bring a wagon.
The walk from the parking lot to the pumpkin patch is long and dusty. Bring your wagon to carry your kids in and your pumpkins out! You don’t want to drop your prized pumpkin while balancing a toddler on your hip, chasing a preschooler, and carrying a diaper bag.
We also carried a cooler in the wagon on the way in. See tip #5.
4. Get your pumpkins first!
My kiddos have the most energy at the beginning of any adventure, no matter what time we start. I recommend going straight to pick out a pumpkin when you arrive so your kids are at their prime and excited to walk the long, dirt path until they find the perfect squash.
Pro tip: Put the pumpkins in your wagon, send your kids with one adult to do some of the fun kid-friendly activities (see tip #8) at the farm while another adult takes the pumpkins back to your car and returns with an empty wagon.
5. Bring your own lunch.
Smith Family Farm offers a food stand with corn dogs, sandwiches, and other fried goodies. The corn dogs are yummy, but the line to order can be long. If you’re lucky, a food truck may be there as well.
I recommend that you bring a cooler with a picnic lunch so you know you will have the kind of food your family will enjoy and no one has to wait in line. We brought food to make sandwiches and enjoyed a delicious watermelon cake for dessert.
There are shaded picnic tables all around the gazebo. Drop off your cooler at a table before you go pick up your pumpkins so you’re not lugging it around the farm while chasing your kids.
While enjoying our picnic lunch, many families stopped by us and said “What a great idea! Next time we’ll bring our own lunch too. I’ve been waiting forever for a sandwich!”
6. Dance at the gazebo to live music.
Our family loves music. My daughter will dance to any tune, especially if there is a live performance.
My preschooler heard someone playing the banjo shortly after we entered the farm, and insisted we go straight to the gazebo instead of feeding the animals and exploring.
Good thing we picked our pumpkins first (see tip #4). I have a feeling my kiddo could have spent her whole day in front of that bandstand.
7. Wander the Autumn Trail.
Next to the entrance to the pumpkin patch is the Autumn Trail – a fun corn maze for all ages.
Along the trail you’ll see signs that say “look out for the coyote!” with a few animal facts. Your family can engage in a fun I-spy game as you hunt the corn fields for the featured creature.
Upon reading the “look out for the…” sign I might have panicked a bit. Was there really a coyote around?
Thankfully, I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the cute and surprisingly lifelike statues hidden in the corn field near the sign.
When you’re ready, there are a lot of exits along the trail that take you straight to the pumpkin patch.
8. Save time to find your favorite scarecrow.
Near the animals, you’ll find many scarecrow displays. There are scarecrows of all ages, sizes, abilities, but not much variety in scarecrow sack color…
Even though I wanted to send a little note to Smith Family Farm to diversify their sack selection for next year’s scarecrow display, my preschooler didn’t seem to mind. She spent most of the day deciding which scarecrow was her, which was mama, and which was her little sister.
9. Budget time for a walk through the farm.
There are a variety of farm animals to visit on the west side of the farm, such as goats, cows, chickens, peacocks, and bunnies. Don’t forget to visit the corn grinder stand to get a cupful of ground corn to feed the chickens. Although, as you will probably notice by the piles of ground corn on the floor, the chickens may not want to eat it.
Just past the farm animals you’ll find an area focused on bees and bugs with a few activities for kids and a bee keeper presentation.
We also got a few basil plant seedlings for free from the herb stand.
I love the fall season.
I also love everything pumpkin – pumpkin ice cream, drinks candies, tempura, pasta, curry, pie.
But pumpkin carving? I’m not a fan.
Maybe I’m just one of those people that can’t stand the mess, which may explain why my daughter is always asking to wash her hands or change her clothing when she finds a speck of dirt. Our kids are little mirrors, aren’t they?
I get so frustrated while carving a pumpkin because I can never get those stringy bits off the inside of my pumpkin no matter how much I carve. Then my poorly scraped out pumpkin never seems to survive the hot month of October in the East Bay Area.
So, after our annual visit to the pumpkin patch at Smith Family Farm, we paint our pumpkins instead of carving them.
What are some of your family’s unique fall traditions? Leave a comment below.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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