Pumpkin Patches: Portland Edition

FamilyFun

Mar 11

Alright, it's official. We have finally entered into my favorite time of the year again!

Fall is such a wonderland blend of warm colors, cool temperatures and decadent tastes.

My mouth is watering now just thinking about sipping some piping hot apple cider, while cozied up in a blanket and listening to the crackling fire in my fireplace. Ahhh, the dream.

The holidays have always been a cherished time of the year for me. A time when I always seem to have a little extra spring in my step. I am extremely blessed to have a husband who not only matches my love for holiday cheer, but also sometimes tops it!

We both agree that Christmas is our favorite holiday per se, but our favorite season is by far Autumn.

And what better way to get in the cozy Fall spirit than by going to a pumpkin patch?!

Since I was a child living in Austin, my family always went to the Sweet Berry Farms Pumpkin Patch in Marble Falls. It has been a tradition that I enjoyed so much growing up that I had to introduce it to my awesome little family too! Jake and I had a grand time in 2019 enjoying all the fun that cozy family farm had to offer.

However, we aren't in Texas anymore. So the traditional Texas pumpkin patch was out!

As soon as the leaves started to turn brilliant colors like amber and auburn, I immediately began to question Portlandians around me, hoping to find the best pumpkin patch in Portland!

Our marriage group leaders, our neighbors and even our Mannahouse Pastors all said the same thing.

"You have to go to Sauvie Island!"

So that settled it. Off we set on an adventure to pick us a large pumpkin!

What is Sauvie Island?

Sauvie Island is a paradise for nature lovers.

This 24,000 acre island is roughly the size of Manhattan and known as one of the largest river islands in the entire country! This beautiful piece of land sits on both the Columbia and Willamette River, and is filled to the brim with different activities for adventure lovers.

From beaches, bicycling, kayaking and bird watching to organic fruit picking and pumpkin patches. There is a little bit of everything on the island. Not to mention, Sauvie Island also houses the two most popular pumkpin patches in all of Portland.

Just 10 miles northwest of funky downtown Portland, if you haven't been, Sauvie Island needs to be at the top of your to-do list!

The Original Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch is super cozy. There are red barn-like buildings everywhere that host many different entertainments such as a farmers market, an adorable gift shop, animal enclosure and a vast array of food areas!

The animal enclosure is filled with an abundance of furry friends that you can get up close and personal with! Each animal also has a billboard with some fun facts attached to its cage.

Did you know that bunnies can purr just like cats?! How cool!

The farmer's market area is filled with a bunch of delicious goodies. Including some wonderful canned items and organic vegetables. Jake and I left with a huge spaghetti squash, a stalk of brussel sprouts as big as my body and a freshly canned jar of pumpkin butter!

There is a free wagon ride that will take you out into the pumpkin field, and then later pick you back up after you have found the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve.

There is an enormous corn maze. The maze is also open at night, so with our marriage church group we all decided to go on a dark night. The maze was a lot harder than I had anticipated, but it was such a great time!

There are also private areas inside the corn maze that can be rented out that include picnic tables, lights and a fire pit that the staff will light for you. We had a blast roasting smores and drinking hot chocolate under the spooky full moon, completely enclosed in our own private corn maze area.

Bella's Organic

Although very crowded, this pumpkin patch was awesome.

There was a very cozy area to eat food and relax. There were many different picnic tables that were warmed by the fire pits located throughout the designated eating area. Since it hosts a large array of fire pits and live music, this a great date night spot!

The food situation was pretty great. The food was mostly carnival-type fare, but there were at least some options for the vegetarian and vegan crowd. They had vegan cheddar kettle corn, which I was all over. I happily paid the $10 for a large bag of goodness and proceeded to eat almost the entire bag with Jake in the span of a few minutes.

They also had veggie burgers at the burger stand and vegetarian falafels at the Mediterranean stand. There was even roasted corn! The Texan in me had to get it elote-style.

So although not a huge array of options for those with dietary restrictions, there were still treats to snack on while enjoying the rest of the pumpkin patch fun.

There was also a huge haunted corn maze. And although not my jam, many people told me that it was indeed very spooky!

The farm store was a little smaller than the previous pumpkin patch, but still had a lot of yummy items to purchase and bring home.

As well, they too had a hay ride that would take you into the pumpkin field. However, the field of pumpkins was a lot closer of a location than the previous pumpkin patch so we just opted to walk there this time. And it proved to be a great workout each carrying our huge pumpkins on the way back, because we forgot to bring one of the free wheelbarrows out with us!

Which Pumpkin Patch is Better?

You know, I really thought I was going to be able to answer that one for you. But after visiting both, and enjoying ourselves immensely at each different pumpkin patch, I really don't think I could choose.

Yes, The Original Pumpkin Patch felt a little more authentic. They have been hosting these family-friendly experiences the longest, and there was just an air of tradition that surrounded the whole farm. It made me reminisce on my childhood memories of the Marble Falls Pumpkin Patch, so that was special.

I enjoyed how kind and warm the patrons at that pumpkin patch were. While in the gift shop (legit the coziest shop I've ever been in) we even had a lovely conversation with the woman checking us out about God and how blessed we were to even be able to have a wonderful day like today. I knew, at The Original Pumpkin Patch that I was in the midst of good company.

However, Bella's Organics was also very fun! Because Bella's is the first pumpkin patch that your vehicle will pass on the single road that goes throughout this area of Sauvie Island, I bet many people think this is the only pumpkin patch on the island. Thus, this pumpkin patch was definitely more crowded and dare I say more hectic.

I might even dare to say that the Original Pumpkin Patch is where I would bring my kiddos but Bella's Organic is where I would go on a date with Jake. I hope this helps you decide which pumpkin patch is best for you. Or you can just take a page out of the Pankos playbook, and just do both!

Why not, Autumn only comes around once a year!

Jake and I decided not to discriminate and we purchased huge pumpkins from both pumpkin patches. Now we might just have to have a friendly pumpkin carving contest on our hands!