It’s finally autumn, and the first weekend of October brought the opening days of the annual Schnepf Farms pumpkin patch in Queen Creek. My family enjoyed this event on Saturday, October 7th during the early bird entry time. We haven’t been to this event in 8 years, so it felt like going for the first time.
We arrived at 9:45 a.m. The event starts at 10, but the parking lot was already filling up. There’s plenty of parking, but the later you get there, the further away you park. We really appreciated that the parking is free! We got in line, our tickets were scanned, and the gates opened at 10:01 a.m.
When we walked in, we immediately felt like fall had arrived, despite the temperature topping 100 degrees that day. There was a wall of pumpkins that would be a great photo spot on the left under the entryway tent. To the left past the entrance you will find various food booths with offerings like sausage and hot dogs, funnel cakes, snow cones, coffee, lemonade, and crazy fries. There is a candy store, and a stand selling candied nuts. A small carousel across from the food stands is a cute ride to stop at on the way to the pumpkin patch.
We started off the morning with a train ride around the farm. It was a nice, long ride, and really gave us a great preview of the fun activities on the property, and a good layout of the land. We rode past the sunflower field, the playgrounds, and a bunch of spooky halloween themed decor that lined the tracks. The train ride requires separate tickets, which can be purchased in advance online. Make sure you scan your tickets at the purple rail station building before getting in line for the train, or they will make you get out of line, and go get your tickets scanned. Even tickets bought online must be scanned before getting in line.
After the train, we went right to the pumpkin patch. My kiddos wanted to get there early to find their perfect pumpkins. I definitely recommend bringing a wagon to pull your pumpkins back out to the car. They get heavy fast! We also used our wagon to carry snacks and water bottles and backpacks throughout the rest of the day.
Another reason I recommend getting your pumpkins earlier rather than later is the heat. It was still early and a bit breezy while we were searching through the pumpkin piles, and we hadn’t tired ourselves out yet from walking. If we had waited until we were leaving, we would have been hot and tired and cranky, and picking out pumpkins then would not have been fun.
My hubby paid for the pumpkins, loaded them into our car, then rejoined us as we headed off for some snacks. My kids each got a snow cone at a stand near the front entry, then we walked back towards the main food area. There’s a large tent with several options available. You can order pizza at one booth, succotash at another, and burgers, hot dogs, and pulled pork sandwiches at the third station.
Schnepf Farms Pumpkin Patch in Queen Creek
One thing lacking everywhere were signs. We really couldn’t tell what each place was offering until we asked someone. It wasn’t obvious. When My mom ordered a burger, and asked for coleslaw on the side. They said no because the coleslaw was for the pulled pork. We had no idea they even had pulled pork there. So ask before your order! And we hope the farm puts up signs soon.
After eating, the kids enjoyed a big wooden playground that had the feeling of a ropes course. The kids stayed for a long time at the jumpy pillows, then we slid into some animal fun (literally) down the goat slide into the petting zoo area. The baby goats were the cutest. The kids loved petting and brushing them, and trying to feed them grass. We pet a donkey, and got to see chickens, cows, goats, a pig, and a peacock.
In the ride area, we went on the Giant Slide, Honeybee Adventure, Gravity Roller Coaster (which scared my 7 year old silly), and the Swinging Lady Bugz. My husband and thrill-seeking 10 year old went on the Hyperloop, an upside down swing that reminded me of the teacups at Disneyland, if those launched you into the air and flipped you upside-down while spinning. So a little different.
There is a haunted bus that is an extra $5 charge. We didn’t do that one, but it looked like an attraction that would be more interesting for older kids and teenagers.
We caught the tail end (pun intended) of a pig race, which was hysterical and so cute. Check the times guide on your map to see when the races take place. This is a must see!
There are two corn mazes here. The small one is a 4 acre easy walk through, that nonetheless had us turned around a few times! The headline attraction is a 10 acre tribute to the queen of country music, Reba McEntire. You can take a hayride out to that one. There is a map provided on the pamphlet you receive at the entrance.
In total, we spent 5 hours at the farm, and only left because we were so hot. We didn’t make it to the climbing wall, craft area, meet and greets, hayride, or mini golf. We had so much fun, and got to so many activities and events, and there is still so much more to do. I can see why they offer a season pass.
The lack of signs really became an issue several times. We couldn’t find the entrance to the 4 acre corn maze because there was no sign. My daughter was in line for a zipline that was for older kids because there were no signs with age limits. We didn’t know we had to scan our train tickets at the purple building because there were no signs. And when we got to the purple building, no one was there to scan our tickets and ask for help.
Despite the lack of signs and the heat, we had a really fun day, and I highly recommend the Schnepf Farms pumpkin patch near Queen Creek to everyone. Bring quarters for the shooting range, and save some room after lunch for a piece of pie at the cafe. I’m looking forward to going again next year. Happy Fall, Y’all!
A complete list and map of all pumpkin patches in Arizona – plus other popular fall events! – can be found in our pumpkin patch guide!
Reviews of past Schnepf Farms pumpkin patches can be found here (2019) and here (2021).
