Iowa Pumpkin Patches

Find “pumpkin patches near me” in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Sioux City on our list of Iowa pumpkin patches. Enjoy a day on the farm with your friends and family, take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, and pick out the perfect pumpkin to carve up. Indulge in the rest of the fall fun offered by your local farmer and end the day with a photograph to remember it forever.
Last Major Update: June 28, 2020

Support your local farm this October and pick your own pumpkins at one of these pumpkin patches.

Iowa Farms

Cedar Rapids

Council Bluffs

Des Moines

Iowa City

Center Grove Orchard - Cambridge, IA
The orchard features pumpkins, apples, hayrides, farm animals, and a corn maze. They are open daily in the fall with live music entertainment on weekends. Their address is 32835 610th Ave., Cambridge, Iowa. It is about 26 miles north of Des Moines.

Ditmars Orchard - Council Bluffs, IA
They keep expanding their pumpkin patch and improving their popular corn maze. They are open daily during the fall. Apple events available in September. On weekends they frequently have special fall events. Their fall festival weekend is October. Their address is 19475 225th Street, Council Bluffs, IA 51503. It is just 8 miles east of Council Bluffs.

Harvest Barn - Osceola, IA
A fun place with a pumpkin patch, corn maze, barnyard, mini golf, duck races, wagon rides on weekends and so much more. It opens Wednesday through Sundays starting around September 1st and lasting through October. Their address is 2721 US Hwy 34, Osceola, Iowa 50213. It is about 55 miles south of Des Moines.

Harvestville Farm - Donnellson, IA
No fee to visit this farm. Open every day beginning September 1st. Visit their working farm just one mile east of Donnellson, Iowa, where they feature over 175 varieties of pumpkins, squash, gourds, and ornamentals at our roadside open air market. Their mission is to provide a fun, safe, educationally based rural fall festival experience for families by offering unique hands-on agricultural related activities, food, and an outdoor market featuring our homegrown pumpkins, squash, gourds, and ornamentals. Some of their attractions include: a 10 acre professionally designed corn maze, horse drawn wagon rides, pick-your-own pumpkin patch, bonfires, educational field trips-tours open to schools, youth groups, boy-girls scouts, and any other group or party interested. Their address is 1977 Highway #2, Donnellson, IA 52625. It is about 75 miles south of Iowa City.

Hawk Valley Garden - Spencer, IA
Thousands of pumpkins, fall decorations, and farm goods available at this unique farm market. It opens the first weekend in September. They are open every day except Mondays. Their address is 2670 Highway 18, Spencer, Iowa. It is about 6 miles east of Spencer.

Heartland Farms - Waterloo, IA
Opening on September 21st. Thousands of pumpkins as they really decorate for Halloween. Enjoy their family friendly Scarecrow’s Haunted Barn, Haunted Cornfield, punkin playland, giant jumping pillow, and more kids activities. They are open for fun from the last weekend in September through October 31st. They are open every day of the week except Monday. They also operate a separate haunted attraction at this location called The Heart of Darkness at night with separate admission and hours. The farms location is at 5111 Osage Road, Waterloo, IA 50703. It is about 14 miles east of Cedar Falls, IA or 49 miles west of Cedar Rapids.

PumpkinLand - Orange City, IA
Pumpkinland is less than an hour from Sioux City and Sioux Falls, Iowa. Truly a family farm since 1911. Features include a petting zoo, children’s free corn maze, adult corn maze, pumpkin patch, retail store, school field trips and on Saturday’s special events every weekend. Pumpkinland is open September 1st – October 31st. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to navigate the approximately one mile of trails through the cornfield. The fall festival has pre-picked and u-pick pumpkins. Their address is 4123 Jackson Ave‎, Orange City, IA 51041. It is about 44 miles northeast of Sioux City.

U-pick Pumpkins & More - Osage, IA
Open weekends with their horse drawn wagon rides, pumpkins, and road side stand. Their address is 2335 Highway 218, Osage, IA 50461.

Find nearby pumpkin patches in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Deal’s Orchard – Jefferson, IA. Apple orchard with fall activities including pumpkin patch and corn maze.

Check out Black Friday ads, Cyber Monday ads, and holiday sale prices from Walmart, Target, and over 100 top retailers this Christmas season.

We have provided a link to the website for these pumpkin patches. Please use it to confirm the hours open, location, cost and attractions available at your local Iowa pumpkin patch. Some pumpkin patches are open limited hours. We don’t want anyone showing up to find that the farm is closed!

As we conducted our nationwide search for fall fun, we compiled a list of activities that are found at farms with pumpkin patches. Your local Iowa pumpkin patch may have some or all of the following attractions:

Farm Animal Petting Zoo, Hayrides, Wagon Rides, Train rides, Pony Rides, Face painting, Live Entertainment, Pick Your Own Apples / Apple Orchards, Playgrounds, Cow Train, Pumpkin Cannon, Corn Cannon, Concession Stands, Corn Mazes, Straw Mazes, Rubber Duck Races, Mining, Slides, Mechanical Bulls, Rope Mazes, Pig races, Make scarecrows, Pumpkin painting, Pedal carts, haunted attractions, Zip line, Corn Box, Campfires / Bonfires

For more information about the activities available at your local pumpkin patch, please visit their website. If you would like to help us compile a list of which farms have which activities, we would be thrilled to have your help.

We welcome feedback and suggestions to improve this page. Don’t be shy. Say hello and tell us what you think and how we can do better.

If your pumpkin patch has been left off this list, leave the information through the comment form below or send it to me via the contact page.

If you have fun at one of these pumpkin patches and don’t want the fun to end, see our list of pumpkin festivals. And after you have found your pumpkin, be sure to check out our pumpkin carving guide and pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin History

Pumpkins were first grown in the New World. They were originally grown by Native American farmers in combination with other crops along river banks. The squash and pumpkins were first grown along with sunflowers and beans. Then they were grown with maize (corn) and beans. The “Three Sisters,” as they are known, aid each other in growth. The squash prevents weeds and preserves moisture in the ground. The corn serves as a trellis for the beans to grow, and their growth helps to stabilize the corn in the wind. The pumpkins looked different than the ones which are turned into jack-o-lanterns today. How about some Jack-o-Lantern History.

The word pumpkin, despite the American origin of the plant, has greek origins. In Greek, Pepon means large melon. As the word and squash gained use in France, England and America, the word pumpkin emerge.

Did you know that October 26th each year is National Pumpkin Day?

What Cities Claim To Be The Pumpkin Capital?

Check out our information on Fall Pumpkin Festivals.

Funtober Guide to Pumpkin Carving Tips and Tricks.

Tips and Ideas for Pumpkin Painting.

Funtober Guide To Pumpkin Carving Patterns

Better Homes and Gardens “Quick and Easy Painted Pumpkins”.

Tatortots & Jello “Dollar Store Crackled Pumpkin Tutorial”.

Martha Stewart “How To Carve A Pumpkin”.

Funtober “Pumpkin Recipes”.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Cocktails and Shots

“The Monster List of 125+ Pumpkin Recipes”.

Funtober Halloween Party Games Using Pumpkins

Pumpkinland In Iowa Opens

Pumpkin Chuckin Festival

Fun Facts About Halloween Pumpkins

Before Columbus, pumpkins were not a native fruit in Europe. Jack O’Lanterns were carved from turnips or gourds. Pumpkins were native to Central America for over 5000 years before being brought back to Europe by the French explorer Jacques Cartier. Pumpkins are a fruit and really a member of the squash family which includes melons, cucumbers, gourds and more. The Irish are credited with bringing pumpkin carving to America. Pumpkin flowers and seeds are edible. It generally takes 80-120 days for a pumpkin to go from seed to grown fruit. Most pumpkins in the United States are ripened and used in October. Funtober has more information on pumpkins here.