Pumpkin Patch at Aloun Farms

For more up to date information, use this link to read about our 2011 Visit to Aloun Farms.

A pumpkin patch in Hawaii? Yes!! This is what the little stand looks like where you pay for hay rides, pumpkins and other fresh veggies:

And here's a view of the pumpkin patch with Honolulu and Diamond Head in the background:

I had heard the pumpkin patch was hot and dusty but we decided to brave the elements and go see it for ourselves. As we pulled into the parking area we saw a mom slapping at her crying child with a slipper and when we got out of our car the sound of crying and whining children filled our ears as families made their way back to their cars. Oh boy, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...but on we went.

We had coupons for a free hayride (we got them at the Made in Hawaii Festival) and we headed to do that first. The ride took us around the perimeter of the pumpkin patch and we all had a fun time.
Then it was off to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkins. We decided we'd get a small one for each child and a big one to carve.
Our girl had fun walking through the field and got herself quite dirty in no time. She liked the big pumpkins best and thought they made great drums. Our boy enjoyed the pumpkin selecting process. Our criteria was that he had to be able to carry whatever pumpkin he picked. He quickly found his own pumpkin, picked one out for his sister and offered lots of advice on which big pumpkin we should get.

As we wrapped up the pumpkin picking my husband and I realized we had very little cash between the two of us ($2 and some loose change in the car). We asked and found out the pumpkin patch only took cash and the nearest ATM was, well, not near. So we ditched the big pumpkin, paid for the kids' little pumpkins and then stopped at the pumpkin pile for one last photo op, where the kids were much more interested in playing with the pumpkins than posing for a photo.
We made it back to the car with no tantrums, tears or whining even though we'd said 'no' to the bouncy house and had only purchased two pumpkins. Hooray for happy kids and happy parents! I think that getting there after the heat of the day definitely worked in our favor.

Do it yourself:

The patch is open to the public for two more weekends. Go to the Aloun Farms website for all the details.