Baldwin Farms Pumpkin Patch

There are a lot of great orchards in the area that have pumpkin picking. And, a lot of them have fantastic play areas. But, sometimes you just want the simpler pumpkin picking experience. And, sometimes, you just don't want to spend a fortune getting your pumpkins.

Then, Baldwin Farms in Richmond is the farm for you. We decided to head out there today on a less-than-wonderful fall weather day. And, I am so very glad we tried it out. Being from up north, this is totally a throw-back to the pumpkin farms we used to go to. Free admission, a few things to play at around the farm, animals to feed and check out and a large field to run up to and pick pumpkins. It took us about 30 minutes to get there from Nicholasville Road. The address is 1113 Tates Creek Road and their Facebook page is here. You will start to see pumpkin signs when you get close. The road up there is a one-lane dirt road, so be careful about other cars coming the other way. During the busier times, they do have people directing traffic to help with this. Their hours are 11am to 7pm everyday and again admission is FREE.

Now, this farm does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the other places around town, but it had plenty to keep my 2.5 year old happy! Below is a quick picture they had showing what types of things they have.

They have goats to feed ($0.25 for a handful), chickens, rabbits, cows, pony rides and horse rides on the weekends (not sure on the prices on these), large hamster wheels the kids can climb in or push along, a dirt mound to climb, tunnels, a hay maze for smaller kids, hay to climb on and walk along, and tires to climb on. They also have a large corn maze for $3.00 per person per trip, with kids 3 and under being free. There is also plenty of room to just roam around and let your kids run out some energy. Personally, I liked not having to ride in a hayride to get to the pumpkins because you never know when your kiddo decides hayrides are the worst and you still have to get back to your car carrying a giant pumpkin and a toddler.

I was really impressed with the amount, quality and price of the pumpkins they had. There were pumpkins for days and not one I saw was rotten at all or had bad spots. They had your normal orange pumpkins, warty-pumpkins, red pumpkins (never saw these before). and those flatter pumpkins. I know these are not the technical terms, but you get my drift. And, they were reasonably priced at $0.40 per pound. And, you have plenty of money to get that extra special pumpkin because you didn't have to pay and admission fee. They also had pie pumpkins and gourds.

The only bathrooms are porta-potties but they do have a separate hand washing station by the hay maze and smaller chicken coop. If you go, make sure your kids are in clothes that can get dirty because they will get a bit muddy playing if they are anything like my son. Also, take some quarters for goat food and some extra cash for apple cider, apple cider doughnuts (both of these were from Evans Orchard), jams, jellies and honey. And, if you have a wagon, I would suggest taking your own because they were in short supply when we went.

So, if you want to take a slower-pace to pumpkin picking, this is a great option for you. My son had a total blast and we will definitely be back this season because it being free, it is a great choice on those days you just cannot figure out how to fill a morning. And, you can never have enough awesome pumpkins. Hope you enjoy!