Pumpkin picking and Halloween with little ones
Updated September 20, 2026 · 19 verified spots
Everywhere we have verified for pumpkins this autumn, from a working farm inside the city to the gardens and zoos that dress up in October, and the pick-your-own farms worth the drive. Start with what is close; save the long ones for a day with nothing else in it.
In the city
No car needed. Gardens, zoos and city events that run pumpkin and Halloween programming.
26 Sep – 1 Nov 2026
Bronx Zoo Boo at the Zoo
Boo at the Zoo is the zoo's daytime Halloween festival, with a hay maze and challenge course, keeper-led animal chats, themed carnival games, costume parades and crafts. It is one of the gentler city Halloween events and is included with zoo admission.
Included with Bronx Zoo admission; free for members. Timed tickets must be booked in advance.
2026 dates not yet announced by the zoo. In 2025 it ran Thursday to Sunday evenings from late September through 31 October.
Bronx Zoo Harvest Glow
Harvest Glow turns the zoo into a nighttime pumpkin trail with carved displays, dinosaurs and seasonal performances. It is gentler than a haunted house but still dark.
2025 posted adult admission was $34.95 and child admission $24.95; 2026 dates and pricing are not yet published.
24 Oct 2026
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Fall Harvest Festival (Ghouls & Gourds)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden's autumn festival — long known as Ghouls & Gourds — fills the grounds with live music, nature crafts and an afternoon costume parade. It runs for one Saturday only, so put it in the diary early.
Included with Garden admission; 2026 pricing not yet published.
31 Oct 2026
Halloween at the Garden — Queens Botanical Garden
Queens Botanical Garden hosts a family Halloween day with a trick-or-treat trail, costume showcases, crafts and live performances. Adults get a seasonal drinks garden and vendor fair while the children work the trail.
Ticketed, advance booking recommended; 2026 price not yet published.
A farm inside New York City
Real fields, animals and a corn maze without leaving the five boroughs.
Corn maze and pumpkin picking run roughly late September through October.
Queens County Farm Museum
A working 47-acre farm inside New York City, with barn animals, fields and a planted orchard. It is the closest pumpkin patch and corn maze to Manhattan and free to walk in on ordinary days.
Grounds free; corn maze and hayrides are ticketed in autumn.
Pick-your-own farms within a drive
Hudson Valley, Westchester, Long Island and New Jersey farms. Go early — car parks fill by late morning on October weekends.
Pick-your-own runs June through October; the autumn festival peaks in October.
Alstede Farms
A large New Jersey farm with pick-your-own fields running from strawberries in June to pumpkins in October. A shuttle wagon carries families out to the fields, which helps with short legs.
Admission roughly $10 to $20 per person in peak autumn; picking priced separately.
Pumpkin and maze season runs late September through early November.
F&W Schmitt's Family Farm
A Long Island family farm known for its seven-acre corn maze and a large autumn festival. The pumpkin patch, animals and hay play areas are all within an easy walk of the parking field.
Festival admission roughly $15 to $25 per person in autumn; pumpkins priced separately.
Peach picking in summer; apples and pumpkins September through October.
Fishkill Farms
A Hudson Valley orchard with organic pick-your-own fruit and a large autumn weekend programme. The hill above the orchard has views and space for children to run.
Autumn weekend admission about $10 per adult; picking priced separately.
Fall Festival runs through October; Christmas displays follow in November.
Hicks Nurseries Fall Festival
A long-running Westbury garden centre that turns its grounds into a small autumn fair each October. It is a gentler, tidier option than a working farm and is easy with a stroller.
Entry free; individual rides and activities charged per ticket.
Apple picking from September; pumpkins through October.
Outhouse Orchards
A North Salem orchard that families can reach from Metro-North, which makes it a rare car-free apple and pumpkin trip. The farm keeps a cider donut stand and open picking fields near the entrance.
Picking by the bag; no admission fee on most days.
Apple and pumpkin picking from September through October.
Stuart's Farm
A quiet 200-year-old family farm in Granite Springs with pick-your-own fruit and pumpkins. It is far smaller and calmer than the festival farms, which suits toddlers who find crowds hard.
Picking priced by weight or bag; no admission fee.
Apple picking from September; pumpkins through October; trees from late November.
Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm
A Westchester orchard where families pick apples in September and pumpkins through October. The farm keeps a picnic orchard, a cider donut window and a Christmas tree field for later in the year.
Picking priced by the bag; parking free.
Bigger day trips
Further afield and worth planning around. Some are long enough to be an overnight.
2 Sep – 18 Oct 2026
LuminoCity Dino Safari
LuminoCity Dino Safari fills nearly three acres at Walt Whitman Shops with more than 70 life-size animatronic and illuminated dinosaurs, some up to 45 feet tall. This year's additions include inflatables, a train ride, a dino speedway, fossil digs and after-dark lighting that makes the whole trail glow.
Timed tickets required; the Instagram partner code KIDS saves 15%. Prices vary by date.
2026 dates not yet announced by the garden. In recent years it has run from late September through late October.
NYBG Fall-O-Ween
The New York Botanical Garden turns into the city's pumpkin headquarters each autumn, with giant pumpkin displays, master carvers at work and fall flower installations across the grounds. Daytime programming is family-friendly, while the separately ticketed Spooky Garden Nights skew older.
Included with All-Garden admission; evening Spooky Garden Nights are ticketed separately.
Stuart’s Fruit Farm Pumpkin Patch
This family-run Westchester farm combines a pumpkin patch with apples, weekend hayrides, cider doughnuts and a relaxed farm stand. It is a good choice for families who want a slower harvest day without a festival scale. Bring cash, since cards are not accepted.
No orchard fee; produce and pumpkins are pay-as-you-go. Farm is cash or check only.
18 Sep – 8 Nov 2026
The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze
A walking trail of more than 7,000 hand-carved, illuminated jack o'lanterns through the 18th-century grounds of Historic Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. It runs select evenings from 18 September to 8 November 2026 by timed ticket only, with free parking on site.
Timed entry from about $24; advance tickets only, none sold at the gate.
Autumn season only.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Old Bethpage Village Restoration
The Long Island edition historically used the living-history village as a pumpkin-lit trail. Do not plan around it yet: no current 2026 edition is published.
No 2026 edition or pricing is currently published.
Fall season opens late August and runs daily through Halloween.
Tim's Pumpkin Patch
A 40-year-old family farm outside Syracuse with a corn maze, wagon rides, farm and baby animals, a hay fort and grain play area, jump pads, a pumpkin paint station and a bakery. Admission covers most activities, with produce, food, apple cannons and crafts priced separately.
$9 adults, $8 ages 12 and under, free under 2. Tickets at the door, but buying online ahead is recommended.
Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm Pumpkin Picking
Wilkens is a full harvest-day farm with pumpkins, apples, a corn maze, bakery and choose-and-cut trees. It is about an hour north of the city in light traffic, so the outing works best as a whole morning rather than a quick stop. Bring layers and expect muddy field edges after rain.
Pumpkins and pick-your-own produce are pay-by-item; exact 2026 pumpkin pricing is not posted.
Details can change. Please confirm dates, availability, age requirements, pricing and other important information directly with the provider before attending or booking.