The Best Pumpkin Patch in Northern California
It's official, there's a new Sheriff in this Pumpkin Town and his name is Bishop. Bishop's Pumpkin Farm is the best pumpkin patch I have EVER been to! And let me tell you, this Halloween and all around Fall admirer has seen her fair share of pumpkin patches but none of them can even compare to my new friends at Bishop's.
For the last four or five years I have visited Tanaka Farms in Southern California to pick out my pumpkins. You may have heard of Tanaka by its popularized identity as "the Hello Kitty pumpkin patch," which is, I'll admit, how I even heard of it in the first place. This family owned farm is absolutely exquisite. It is a bit of a drive outside of Los Angeles but my boyfriend and I always make a day of it, waking up early to beat the crowds and stopping for lunch at one of our favorite spots, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, on the way home.
Tanaka is a big, beautiful, expansive farm with a wide variety of pumpkins and games for the kids as well. If you're lucky, you may even visit on a day when Hello Kitty herself makes a surprise appearance. You can learn more about my Tanaka experience by reading my blog post here.
However, this post is not about Tanaka, it's about Bishop's. I will say I was extremely sad to not be making the annual visit to Tanaka this year due to my temporary relocation to Sacramento, but I'm happy to report that Bishop's made up for it and then some.
Started in 1973 by the Bishop family, believe it or not Bishop's is the largest u-pick pumpkin field in the entire world! Need I say more to convince you to go?!?
My mom and I woke up early one Saturday morning a few weekends ago to get ready for the trek out to Wheatland. Bishop's opened at 9am on that Saturday morning and knowing that it was not only a 45 minute drive for us but bound to be extremely popular on a weekend, we hit the road early.
One thing to make note of is you will need cash for parking (it was $10 on the day we visited), so make sure you come prepared!
We arrived about 15 minutes after it opened and believe it or not, it was already busy! We joined the hundreds of people already milling about the farm and both of our jaws dropped in pure awe. From the moment you enter the farm you're greeted by a plethora of pre-picked pumpkins. Never in my life have I seen such a variety of shapes, sizes and colors of pumpkin. I was immediately excited to dive in to the incredible offering!
My attention was pulled in another direction however as I realized the vast array of activities Bishop's Farm had to offer. From pony rides, games and even a zipline for the kids to coffee and food for adults and children alike, I told my mom "this is like Disneyland." And it truly is! Bishop's Farm is the Disneyland of pumpkin patches.
My mom and I ventured toward the back of the farm where we both saw some of the biggest pumpkins either of us has laid eyes on. At one point in time, roaming through the pumpkin fields, I stopped and stared in complete and utter shock. Never in my life have I seen so many pumpkins.
It was a hot October day and the crowd only continued to grow as we walked around the farm. While families arrived, ready for a day at the farm, my mom and I spent some time picking out the pumpkins we were ready to take home and call our own and then headed back to the car, pumpkins in tow.
If you live in the Sacramento area, I'm urging you right now, GO to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. Go pick out your pumpkins to display in your home before Halloween or go spend the whole day with the family. Whatever you decide to do, I guarantee you will not want to miss this once in a lifetime experience at Bishop's and if you're anything like me, it will quickly become your annual family tradition.
