From staff reports Close to 50 Fall festivities are ushering in the season across Oklahoma.
Never mind what the temperature outside is saying, the calendar says it’s time for pumpkins and spice and corn mazes.
Oklahoma’s Agritourism, oklahomaagritourism. com, recently released a list of pumpkin patches and other adventures to enjoy as we’re waiting for leaves to start changing to autumn colors – and maybe a little briskness in the air.
Names like Daze in a Maze, Oh My Gourd Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Town, The Country Bumpkin Pumpkin Patch and Boos Pumpkin Patch can be found around the state. The list includes eight destination sites for southwest Oklahoma.
Altus: Sweet Pickens Pumpkin Patch Locally grown pumpkins and gourds for sale. Fall family games, petting zoo, pumpkin wall, photo opportunities, plus many more activities. Look for the pumpkin flag on County Road 205.
Apache: Bigfoot Ranch Pumpkin Patch Varied activities are offered at this location off of Highway 281, south of Apache. There’s a haystack with a tunnel and slide, round bale maze, corn maze, hayride, bounce pad, cornhole, volleyball and farm animals. There’s pumpkins growing on the vine with plenty of options for decorative pumpkins and Bigfoot, of course, and so much more.
Cyril: Jahn’s Pumpkin Hill This farm, located on CS2710, is a working farm that provides a pumpkin picking patch during the month of October. There’s a tractor-pulled farm tour, animals for petting and mazes.
Elk City: Haystack Adventures Located south of Elk City off Highway 152, Haystack Adventures is a family farm offering a variety of interactive inflatables, games and multiple party rooms. The outside area features a large hay maze, a hay stack with a slide, as well as a hay run. There’s also a combat arena available for archery wars or nerf gun battles.
Fletcher: Snider Family Exotics This walk-through exotic animal park is located one mile east of Fletcher off of Highway 17. There’s an opportunity to experience hands-on interactions with a variety of species.
The month of October features a pumpkin patch and, also, a variety of games and photobooth opportunities. Gracemont: The Patch at Spring Creek There are 26 acres of pumpkins, with 48 different varieties of pumpkins in all sizes and colors, which can be picked right out of the field. The Patch also will supply pumpkins to events, businesses and individuals.
Located south of Gracemont off of Highway 281.
Hydro: P Bar Farms Visitors can tour a 12-acre cornfield maze with intricate twists and turns that can take up to an hour to navigate. There’s a pumpkin patch with petting zoos and hayrides. Field trips can be arranged and include a farm education session, story time, lunch, hayride and souvenir. It’s located off of Interstate 40 between Hydro and Weatherford.
Terral: Happy Day Farms Pumpkin Patch Located 2.5 miles east of Highway 81 this working farm grows pumpkins and offers educational presentations for schools and the general public. There are hayrides, a petting zoo, a giant treehouse, pedal carts, pony rides, sand and corn boxes, a jumping pillow, duck races, bungee jumping, ziplining and more. There’s also a Christmas hayride complete with music and a lot of lights. Agritourism is the intersection between agriculture and tourism.
Over the last decade, at least, it has become more common in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma State University Extension. Agritourism includes activities and experiences like wineries, farm stays, farm tours, corn mazes, u-picks and trail rides and brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year.