Pumpkin-palooza – Searching for the Perfect Pumpkin at Faulkner Farm Pumpkin Patch

As you know, I love Fall. And one of the things I love about Fall is pumpkin patches. Not the one’s that you find in the mall parking lot that have more bounce houses than pumpkins. Oh no. I love the pumpkin patch that is actually at the pumpkin field. Now, you may think it’s impossible to find one of these in SoCal, but it’s actually not. I’ve been to multiple over the years. Some were better than others but last year I finally found my Xanadu. The best pumpkin patch I’ve ever come across. So, last weekend when I happened to be in Ventura, I just knew I had to stop at the Faulkner Farm Pumpkin Patch in Santa Paula.

Where’s Santa Paula? I have to admit, before last year I didn’t even know it existed. It’s a city just east of Ventura. Real easy to get to just of Highway 126. Now don’t scoff and say that’s much too far. It’s really not and it’s well worth a visit.

After you drive a few miles inland from Ventura subdivisions suddenly give way to fields and you realize just how much open land Southern California really has. Just off the highway you’ll see a big red barn and a beautiful Victorian home. That’s your destination.

Admission is $4 with all the money going to charity. Gotta love that. Inside you’ll find a plethora of activities for the whole family – pony rides, games, hayrides, food and drink, corn mazes, crafts, antiques, and on and on and on. And my favorite part – nary a bounce house in site! Yay!

The farm has a love garden in addition to the pumpkin fields.

They grow all sorts of produce as well. It’s all organically grown and they sell whatever they were able to harvest that day. On the day I visited I got two giant heads of lettuce for $1 (!) and 6 ears of corn for another $1.


happy customers at the produce stand

But we all know the true goal of a visit to the farm. Pumpkins! And boy do they deliver. They have pumpkins in every variety. I’ve never seen so many different kinds of gourds. So rather than try to describe them to you, I’m just going to show you.

*Warning* The following photos may cause you to grab your car keys and make a mad dash to the farm.