Below is the typical pumpkin patch season for every state, grouped by region. Use it to plan your trip, then confirm with the specific farm before you go. Individual patches open and close a week or two on either side of these windows, and a late or early frost can move the whole calendar.
Every window assumes a normal weather year. For the reasoning behind these dates, see our guide on when pumpkin patches open and close.
How to read this
“Opens” is when most patches in the region are stocked and ready. “Peak” is when selection and weather are best. “Closes” is when the majority shut down for the season.
Northeast and New England
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.
Opens: mid to late September. Peak: late September through mid-October. Closes: October 31.
Cooler nights color pumpkins early here, so this region has one of the longer effective seasons. Frost risk climbs through October, especially inland and at elevation.
Upper Midwest
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota.
Opens: mid to late September. Peak: early to mid-October. Closes: October 31.
Watch the frost forecast in the second half of October. A hard freeze ends the field quickly this far north.
Central Midwest and Great Lakes
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska.
Opens: last week of September. Peak: mid-October. Closes: October 31.
This is the classic Midwest pumpkin belt. Big agritainment farms here often restock, so selection holds up later than in small fields.
Mid-Atlantic and Upper South
Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina.
Opens: late September to early October. Peak: mid to late October. Closes: October 31, with a few running into early November.
Warmer falls give this region a slightly later peak than the Northeast.
Mountain West
Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho.
Opens: mid to late September. Peak: early to mid-October. Closes: October 31.
Elevation matters more than latitude here. High-altitude patches see frost early and often open and close sooner than valley farms in the same state.
Pacific Northwest
Opens: late September. Peak: October, often the full month. Closes: October 31, sometimes early November.
Cool, dry October weather makes this one of the best picking regions in the country. Rain, not frost, is the main scheduling factor.
South and Southeast
Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Arkansas.
Opens: early October. Peak: mid to late October. Closes: late October into mid-November.
No hard frost means patches here can extend past Halloween. Many open later to line up with cooler weather and the Halloween market.
Southwest and Southern California
Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Southern California.
Opens: early October. Peak: mid to late October. Closes: late October into November.
The warmest patches in the country. Expect the latest and longest seasons, with some farms selling well into November.
The outliers
Earliest to open: the Upper Midwest and Northeast, where cool nights bring pumpkins on by mid-September.
Latest to close: the Southwest, South, and Southern California, where warm weather stretches the season past Halloween.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the longest pumpkin season? Warm states like Texas, Florida, and California, where the lack of frost lets some patches run from early October into November.
Do corn maze dates match pumpkin dates? Usually, since most farms run both together. Corn mazes sometimes open a week earlier and a subset stay open later into the fall.
Browse fall day trips or see what is in season now in pumpkins.