Pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay
Written September 2026
Half Moon Bay calls itself the pumpkin capital of the world and mostly means it. Here's which patch fits which kid, and what to do with the rest of the day.
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Picture it: a field of orange as far as a three-year-old can see, a hay bale to climb on, and a fog bank rolling in off the Pacific right on cue. That's a fall Saturday in Half Moon Bay, which has called itself the Pumpkin Capital of the World since it beat Circleville, Ohio in a pumpkin-weighing contest back in 1974, and throws an Art and Pumpkin Festival every October to defend the title.
The catch is that "pumpkin patch" means wildly different things twenty minutes apart. Some of these are working farms where you pick your own in the dirt. Others have added pony rides, a hay maze and a petting zoo until the pumpkins are almost beside the point. We picked four, sorted by which kid each one actually suits, and rounded up where to eat afterward and where to stay if the drive back doesn't sound appealing.
You'll want to book online for the bigger patches. They sell timed tickets now, and a walk-up family can get turned away on the busiest weekends.
Side by side
10 places. Tap a chip to narrow them down.
Paid entry
Free entry
Free entry
Kids' menu
Kids' menu
Kids' menu
Indoor heated pool
See pricesPool
See pricesPool
See prices
How we picked
Facts in the table come from each farm's own site, its ticket page or Visit Half Moon Bay's own listing. We left out a couple of well-known patches for now: one's pumpkin-season page was still showing last year's dates as of this pass, and we couldn't confirm an exact pin for the other. Both are worth a look once they've updated.
The patches worth the drive
All four are open daily through October. Go on a weekday morning if you can: the fog is still around, the crowds aren't yet, and nobody's queued for the hay ride.
Lemos Farm
Highway 92
The easiest one, and the right call for a kid under six. Lemos does pony rides, a little train, a hay ride and a petting zoo, all inside one fenced farm just off Highway 92, so you're not chasing a toddler across a parking lot between activities.
It's also the most popular, which is exactly why you buy tickets ahead of time online rather than showing up and hoping. A sold-out Saturday really does turn people away at the gate.
Buy tickets online before you drive out. Walk-ins aren't guaranteed a spot on a busy day.
- Free entry
- No
Arata's Pumpkin Farm
Verde Road
Arata's has been doing this since 1932, and it's the pick for a kid who wants a real adventure: a two-acre hay maze nicknamed the Minotaur's Labyrinth, a six-acre cornfield and a haunted barn that's genuinely a little scary. Good for school-age kids and up. A three-year-old is going to want the smaller kids' maze instead, which the farm also has.
There's a train, guided pony rides and a petting zoo too, so a mixed-age group isn't stuck choosing just one farm.
One heads-up: farm websites are the last thing anyone updates before the season starts. Call ahead or check current dates before you build a day around it.
- Free entry
- Yes
Farmer John's Pumpkin Farm
Cabrillo Highway
No rides, no maze, no line. Farmer John's is a straightforward pumpkin field on Highway 1, with rows of every variety from little gourds to Atlantic Giants that top out around 250 pounds, a hay ride out to the field, and a vintage tractor that's basically a free photo booth.
This is the patch for a kid who's happiest just wandering a field, and for parents who'd rather skip the crowds altogether. Dogs are welcome, which is not something you can say about the farms with petting zoos.
- Free entry
- Yes
Andreotti Family Farms
Cabrillo Highway North
A working farm on the bluffs above the ocean, and the one to pick if you actually want to pick. The pumpkins are u-pick, right next to what's said to be the only u-pick sunflower field in Northern California, and there's a corn maze cut fresh into the field every fall.
It's less polished than Lemos or Arata's on purpose. Wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy, and expect this one to feel more like a farm and less like an amusement park.
This one leans working-farm rather than festival. Boots over sneakers if it's rained recently.
Where to eat after
All three are a short drive from any of the four patches, and all three have a kids' menu, so nobody has to negotiate over a plate of pumpkin farm dirt.
Dad's Luncheonette
Shoreline Station
Lunch out of an actual hundred-year-old red train caboose, with picnic tables outside for the kids who need to run around between bites. Mac and cheese is the safe order, and there's plenty of room to eat outside if the weather cooperates.
It only opens a few days a week, so check before you build a whole afternoon around it.
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Noise
- Lively
Sam's Chowder House
Miramar
The sit-down option, on the bluffs with an ocean view from the deck. The lobster roll is the reason people drive out for it, and the kids' menu means you're not the only table with a picky eater.
It gets busy at dinner, especially on a weekend, so an early table or a call ahead helps.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Princeton-by-the-Sea
A brewpub right on Pillar Point Harbor, with a big patio and fire pits where the kids can watch fishing boats come in while the grown-ups get an actual beer. There's a kids' menu, and the harbor view does a lot of the entertaining for you.
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
- Booster seats
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- For the kids
- Outdoor space
Where to stay if you make a night of it
Half Moon Bay is close enough to the Bay Area that most people do this as a day trip. If you'd rather not drive back with an overtired kid, here's where to stay instead.
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
South of town
The splurge, on the bluffs a few minutes south of downtown. There's a heated pool, free cribs on request, and Ritz Kids, a supervised program for ages 5 to 12 that runs into a Saturday night date for the adults.
It's priced like the resort it is. Book it for the one night that's actually a celebration, not every trip out here.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor, heated
- Kids' activities
- Yes
Beach House Half Moon Bay
Miramar
All-suite, a short walk from Pillar Point Harbor, and every junior suite has a sleeper sofa plus a microwave and fridge, which matters when someone needs a snack before the rest of the family is awake.
There's a heated pool too, for whoever's done with pumpkins by the second day.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
- Kids' activities
- No
Oceano Hotel & Spa
Princeton-by-the-Sea
Right on the harbor in Princeton, with suites and two-story villas that mostly come with a separate living area and a sofa bed. Ask for one of those: it means a nap schedule doesn't have to end everyone else's evening.
It's an easy walk to Half Moon Bay Brewing Company from here, so dinner doesn't require getting back in the car.
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Buy tickets ahead for the busy ones
Lemos Farm and Arata's Pumpkin Farm both sell timed tickets online now, and both can sell out on an October weekend. Farmer John's and Andreotti's don't need advance tickets: they're simpler farms without the same crowds.
Dress for fog, not for a costume party
Half Moon Bay sits right on the coast, and the marine layer doesn't care what the rest of the Bay Area is doing. Bring a layer even on a warm-looking morning, and boots if you're heading to a working farm like Andreotti's after any rain.
Questions
Which Half Moon Bay pumpkin patch is best for toddlers?
Lemos Farm. Pony rides, a train, a hay ride and a petting zoo all sit inside one fenced farm off Highway 92, so a toddler isn't crossing a parking lot between activities. Book tickets online ahead of a weekend visit.
Is there a corn maze at a Half Moon Bay pumpkin patch?
Two. Arata's Pumpkin Farm has a two-acre hay maze for bigger kids and a smaller one for little ones, and Andreotti Family Farms cuts a fresh corn maze into its field every fall, next to its u-pick sunflowers.
Do I need to buy pumpkin patch tickets in advance in Half Moon Bay?
For Lemos Farm and Arata's Pumpkin Farm, yes, especially on an October weekend: both sell timed tickets online and can sell out. Farmer John's Pumpkin Farm and Andreotti Family Farms are simpler u-pick farms and don't need advance booking.
Can you make a weekend of pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay?
Easily. The four patches, plus lunch at Dad's Luncheonette or Sam's Chowder House and dinner at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, fill a full day on their own. Stay over at Beach House Half Moon Bay or Oceano Hotel & Spa, both a short walk from Pillar Point Harbor, or the Ritz-Carlton if it's a bigger occasion.
Photos
Lemos Farm: JR Conlin (CC BY 2.0) · Arata's Pumpkin Farm: Sharon Mollerus (CC BY 2.0) · Farmer John's Pumpkin Farm: Rob.Bertholf (CC BY 2.0) · Andreotti Family Farms: Nathan Forget (CC BY 2.0) · Dad's Luncheonette: dadsluncheonette.com (Business website) · Sam's Chowder House: Ixfd64, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Half Moon Bay Brewing Company: FASTILY (CC BY-SA 4.0) · The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay: Leijurv, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Beach House Half Moon Bay: beach-house.com (Business website) · Oceano Hotel & Spa: oceanohalfmoonbay.com (Business website)
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