The 20 best pumpkin patches in Cleveland.

Brunswick

Mapleside Farms

Best for: The big classic festival close to the city

294 Pearl Road, Brunswick. about 18 miles from downtown Cleveland.

Mapleside is the one most Cleveland families already know, and it has earned that. The Eyssen family opened the farm in 1927 on land the Tillotson family had worked since 1815, and the Clement family has run it since 2010. It sits on more than 100 acres of orchard on Pearl Road, with around 4,000 apple trees, a bakery, the Apple Barn market and a set of event barns that book weddings most of the year.

In the fall the whole hillside becomes Pumpkin Village, running through November 1. The headliner is the 311 foot Super Slide, which the farm bills as the longest in America, and there is a 70 foot jumping pillow next to it. This year's 7 acre corn maze is cut as a giant bald eagle with stars and flag paths for America's 250th. There is also a kiddie maze, hayrides out through the orchard rows, the Cow Train and Pig Train, Billy Goat Bluff, Haystack Mountain and a teepee village. New for 2026 is the Valley of the Dinosaurs, a wooded walking path lined with dinosaurs, made for little kids and gentle enough that it will not scare them.

The Super Pass is $18 on Saturdays and Sundays and $15 on Fun Fridays, when the village is open 4 to 9 p.m. Guests 55 and older pay $15, and kids 2 and under are free. Adding the dinosaur walk makes it $23 on weekends and $20 on Fridays. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Every weekend has a theme, and the rest of the season looks like this: the 53rd Johnny Appleseed Festival on October 3 and 4, when you can bag your own Gala, McIntosh, Cortland and Honeycrisp apples; Superhero Weekend October 9 to 11; the Great Pumpkin Fest on October 17 and 18, which is the weekend to go if you want to pick your own pumpkin and see the pumpkin wall; Wild Wild West on October 24 and 25; and Spooky Fest to close the season on Halloween weekend, with costumes welcome.

Food is a real reason to come. Expect apple cider donuts, fresh pressed cider, kettle corn, caramel apples, fritters and ice cream made on the farm. This fall Mapleside also opened The Social House inside the old Apple House and bakery, a year round spot where you order at the bar and they bring out pizza, boards and sandwiches with wine, beer, hard cider and a zero proof list. The adults only Vino the Way hayride and tasting maze is sold out for 2026 except for Halloween afternoon.

The complaint you hear about Mapleside is the crowd. On October Saturdays the lines for wristbands, the Super Slide and the hayride can get long, and parking gets messy by early afternoon. A Friday evening visit is cheaper and gets you the slide in the dark.

Chesterland

Patterson Fruit Farm

Best for: Apple picking and younger kids

Family Fun Fest at 8765 Mulberry Road, Chesterland. Farm Market at 11414 Caves Road. about 19 miles from downtown.

Patterson is the east side's answer to Mapleside, with a smaller footprint and a lot of history. The family line goes back to Solomon and Mary Ferry, early Chester Township settlers, whose daughter Vandora married Augustus Patterson in 1879. The farm counts seven generations now, with David and Bill Patterson running it. Jim and Nancy Patterson bought the Mulberry Road property in 1969 and started both pick your own and the Family Fun Fest in the late 1970s. Apples and peaches are the main crops, with strawberries, tart cherries and maple syrup filling out the year.

The thing to know before you leave the house is that Patterson has two locations a few minutes apart. The Family Fun Fest and the apple orchard are on Mulberry Road. The bakery and year round market are on Caves Road. People end up at the wrong one every weekend.

Family Fun Fest runs through November 1 and is built for preschool and elementary age kids. Admission is $8 Monday through Thursday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last ticket 5:15) and $12 Friday through Sunday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last ticket 4:15). Seniors 65 and up pay $7, and kids 2 and under are free. The ticket covers a giant covered straw pile, the Slide Barn, a 50 foot racing slide in the woods, pedal tractors, tire swings, a corn maze, a corn sandbox, play buildings and a wagon ride. Face painting is $1, pumpkin painting is $5, and pony rides run on weekends. They take cards, Apple Pay and cash, and there is a weather line at 440-729-7144.

Pick your own apples on Mulberry Road runs into early October, and you do not need a Fun Fest ticket just to pick. Right now the rows are mostly McIntosh, Jonathan and Fuji, with some Honeycrisp left. Pumpkins and mums are sold at the Caves Road market.

The Caves Road bakery is where people really lose their money. The cider donuts have a following, and from late September to Thanksgiving they add pumpkin, pumpkin roll and caramel apple donuts. Apple and blueberry fritters are made daily in the fall, and there are roughly 20 kinds of pie. Regulars say the prices have crept up, and a box of fritters plus a pie will run well past $30.

Dogs are not allowed at Fun Fest or in the orchard. Leashed dogs are fine outside the Caves Road market, which is a popular fall photo spot. Strollers are allowed at Fun Fest, though the farm says they may not fit on the wagons. On a clear day you can see Lake Erie from the ridge.

Wooster

Ramseyer Farms

Best for: A full day with the most to do

4000 Ramseyer Lane, Wooster. about 47 miles, roughly an hour from downtown.

Ramseyer is the farm you drive an hour for and stay at until close. Daniel Ramseyer started it in Wayne County in 1880, and the fifth generation runs it now on 720 acres between Wooster and Smithville, just off State Route 585. For most of the last century this was a potato farm. A.C. Ramseyer sold potatoes to grocers in Cleveland, Akron and Canton in the 1920s, and later the farm grew for potato chip makers across Ohio and Pennsylvania until the potato crop ended in 2018. Today it grows pumpkins, corn, popcorn, wheat and soybeans, and it has been running the fall festival since 2000. If an older GPS cannot find Ramseyer Lane, the farm says to use 3488 Akron Road.

The season runs through October 31, Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 7 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are $15 on Wednesday and Thursday and $21 to $23 Friday through Sunday. Seniors are $11 any day and kids 2 and under are free. Saturday and Sunday tickets are sold online only and can sell out, so buy before you get in the car.

The admission list is long, and that is the point of coming. There is the Country Coaster, the Combine Slide, Hide & Slide Hill, Rat Racers, pedal carts, a jump pad, a goat walk, cow milking, horse tail braiding, steer roping, the Bubble Barn, the Conestoga Wagon Train and hayrides, plus Gus the Singing Tractor for the smallest kids. There is also a wheelchair swing, and the farm is set up to be wheelchair and stroller friendly.

The corn mazes are the other half of the day. The 8 acre Mystery Maze gets a new theme every year and plays a game along the way, and for 2026 it celebrates 100 years of Winnie the Pooh. The Ohio Maze is another 8 acres cut in the shape of the state, and the Mini Maze takes 10 or 15 minutes for little legs.

Pumpkins are $7 each or five for $30, with both pick your own and pre picked, including white, pie, Cinderella and fairytale varieties. You do not need an admission ticket to just buy pumpkins, which is useful if you live nearby.

The food lineup is bigger than most county fairs. The farm's own stands do flatbreads (the Maple Jack BBQ is the signature), fresh cut fries, kettle corn and cider slushies, and roasted sweet corn. Visiting vendors include Word of Mouth BBQ, Black Willow Tacos, Lerch's Donuts, Linn's Gyros and Schloneger's ice cream. On Halloween the farm runs Not So Spooky Halloween, with trick or treating for kids 13 and under from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a costume contest at 1, included with admission.

No pets, and that includes emotional support and therapy dogs. Only trained service dogs are allowed. If you want a sit down dinner on the way home, The Barn Restaurant in Smithville is a few minutes away and is known for its salad bar and pie.

Peninsula

Szalay's Farm & Market

Best for: A Cuyahoga Valley stop with roasted corn

4563 Riverview Road, Peninsula. about 22 miles from downtown.

Szalay's is the most Cleveland fall stop on this list because it sits inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park, right on the Towpath Trail between Peninsula and Hunt House. The Szalay family started growing sweet corn here in 1931, and the fourth generation runs it now. It is known for sweet corn first, and in fall the market fills up with pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks, straw bales, apples and fresh pressed cider.

Szalay's is a market farm. You buy your pumpkin already picked, and you can walk in and out without paying anything. The corn maze is the paid part: 3 acres, open every day through October 31 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with wooden pumpkins hidden inside that you track down with a map. It takes about half an hour. The $6 ticket also gets you a turn in the Spinning Barn, and kids 3 and under are free. The market is open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

On Saturdays and Sundays through October the outdoor food stands run from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The roasted corn on the cob is the reason most people come, and there are grilled deli dogs, sausage, turkey burgers, pork loin, fresh fruit sundaes and fresh squeezed lemonade. Weekends also bring live music.

The one thing that catches people off guard is that Szalay's takes cash and checks only. There is an ATM on site, and on a busy weekend it has a line.

The best way to do Szalay's is to make it part of a valley day. Park at Lock 29 in Peninsula and ride or walk the Towpath south about 3 miles to the farm. Winking Lizard and Fisher's Cafe are back in Peninsula village, Sarah's Vineyard is less than 2 miles away, and Heritage Farms is further down the same road.

Amherst

Hillcrest Orchards

Best for: Apples and pumpkins in one trip

50336 Telegraph Road, Amherst. about 33 miles, around 45 minutes from downtown.

Hillcrest is the best pick on the west side when your group wants apples and pumpkins in the same trip. It is a fifth generation Dodd family farm, and the orchard is more serious than most. Bill Dodd was named Apple Grower of the Year in 2015 and helped bring the EverCrisp apple to market through the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, and Hillcrest still keeps a research orchard for new varieties. Diane Dodd, a retired art teacher, paints the signs around the farm.

The Fall Festival runs Saturdays and Sundays through November 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last entry at 5. Admission is $12.95 online or $14.95 at the gate for ages 4 through 72. Kids 3 and under and adults 73 and over get in free. The Family Fun Pack is $99.95 for four admissions and a punch card that covers apple bags and apple cannon ammo. The festival grounds are credit card only. If you only have cash, buy a gift card at the farm market first.

The ticket covers a corn maze, a hayride, goats, chickens and ducks, a giant sandbox, Tractor Tire Mountain, a pedal trike raceway, a straw tunnel, the Slide o Rama, a barrel train and a giant bubble station. The apple cannon costs extra.

Apple picking is weekends only and requires admission. A 10 pound bag is $15.95 and a 20 pound bag is $29.95. Early October brings Scruffy and Rosalee, and the late season apples, EverCrisp, Ludacrisp, Melrose and Sweet Zinger, come on in mid to late October. Pick your own pumpkins come straight off the field at 60 cents a pound.

The cider donuts are the thing people remember, at $7.95 a half dozen. There is also a pizza stand with a gluten free cauliflower crust, a grill doing burgers and pulled pork, kettle corn and caramel apples. Down by the pond, the beer garden pours Hillcrest's own hard cider, IPA and blueberry kolsch, plus cider slushies for $3.95. You can bring your own food and use the picnic pavilion, just not your own alcohol.

Parking is free. Only service animals are allowed. The paths are packed gravel and easy to push a stroller or wheelchair on, though the hayride is not wheelchair accessible. The farm market is open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and does not require admission.

Mantua

Derthick's Farm & Corn Maze

Best for: A serious corn maze, day or night

5182 State Route 82, Mantua. about 28 miles from downtown.

If the corn maze is the main event for your group, Derthick's is the farm. The land has been in the Derthick family since 1806, and MaryEllen Derthick Hamlin, the seventh generation, runs the 186 acre farm in Portage County. The mazes started around 2005 and have grown into one of the largest professionally cut mazes in Northeast Ohio: more than 7 miles of paths across 16 acres, with checkpoints to find, a different design every year and a separate kids maze. Last year the large section alone ran almost 5 miles and took most people close to an hour.

Derthick's also stays open later than anywhere else on this list. Hours are Friday 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday 1 to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m., with the last tickets sold 90 minutes before close, which means you can walk the maze after dark. The season ends October 25.

Admission is $14 for ages 3 to 64, $8 for 65 and older, and free for 2 and under. Paying by card adds $1 a person, up to $3. The ticket includes giant slides, a jump pad, air cannons, archery with marshmallow tipped arrows, a hamster wheel, human foosball, the bouncing cow train, a bubble station and the animals: mini donkeys, goats, a mini cow and the barn cats. Wagon rides are $3 extra, and the 300 foot zip line is $5 a ride or two for $9 (riders 40 to 225 pounds). Food is simple fair fare, with fresh cut fries, sausage sandwiches and lemonade.

Part of every pumpkin purchase goes to the Meghan R. Brant Memorial Scholarship.

Coming up on the calendar: a Sasquatch Weekend on October 10 and 11 with a seek and find through the maze; Dog Day on October 25, the only day dogs are allowed on the grounds; and a bring your own horse Halloween maze ride on October 31 and November 1, costumes encouraged. The rest of the season it is no pets, no alcohol, no smoking, and kids 15 and under need an adult with them.

The Headwaters Trail runs between Mantua and Garrettsville if you want a walk, and Guyette Farms is a few minutes away if the kids still have energy.

Peninsula

Heritage Farms

Best for: A calmer hayride in the valley

6050 Riverview Road, Peninsula. about 19 miles from downtown.

Heritage Farms has been in the same family since 1848, and George "Kim" and Carol Haramis run it now in the Cuyahoga Valley. Over the years the land has been a canal boat building yard, a potato farm, a dairy and a beef farm. Today it calls itself a farm for all seasons: Christmas trees in winter, the Peninsula Flea in summer, and in the fall, Pumpkin Pandemonium.

Pumpkin Pandemonium runs through October 25. Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. are the full experience. Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. you can shop pumpkins and do the maze and scavenger challenge, but there is no hayride or kids zone. On October 9 and October 16 the farm opens at noon. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Parking is free, and so is walking into the pumpkin area and the food vendors. All access wristbands run $10 to $17 depending on age, with adults at $13 and seniors at $10, and kids under 2 are free. If you only want one thing, the hayride, the maze, or the scavenger challenge with the kids zone are $6 each. Cards and cash are both accepted.

The hayride is the highlight, a slow loop out through the Christmas tree fields. There is also a harvest maze, two versions of the scavenger hunt, and a kids zone with pumpkin ball roll, skee ball, bean bag toss and rubber duck races. The Valley Fire District brings a fire truck out, food vendors set up on weekends and musicians play. Pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and straw bales are sold by the barn.

Heritage feels smaller and calmer than the festival farms, which is its appeal. Leave pets at home. Szalay's is up the same road, so the two make an easy afternoon together.

Columbia Station

Red Wagon Farm

Best for: A pumpkin festival with a taproom

16081 East River Road, Columbia Station. about 18 miles from downtown.

Red Wagon is the west side farm that works as well for adults as it does for kids, because it has its own brewery. Richard and Bess Ross started the farm in 1965, and the Ross family has been selling pumpkins off the front porch since 1984. The rest of the year it grows sweet corn, strawberries, melons and vegetables, and it runs a bakery and ice cream stand on site.

The 43rd annual Pumpkin Festival runs Saturdays and Sundays through October 31, plus Friday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online tickets are $13.65 for ages 3 to 64 and $11.37 for seniors, and kids 2 and under are free. The wristband covers unlimited wagon rides through the Land of Scarecrows, a 5 acre corn maze, 9 hole foot golf, cornhole and giant lawn games, and a kids area with a corn pit, straw jump, slides and a straw bale maze. Tickets are nonrefundable, though a weather closure lets you move to another festival date.

The All You Can Carry pumpkin deal is $11.37, and you keep whatever you can carry out in one trip. The farm record is 13 pumpkins. Otherwise pumpkins are sold by the pound.

Red Wagon Brewing opened on the farm in 2023, and it is a big part of why people stay the afternoon. The fall beers are Porch Pumpkin Ale and the All You Can Carry Marshmallow Cream Ale, which is named after the pumpkin deal. There is also Haymaker Nitro Milk Stout, a hazy IPA named for the farm's English bulldog, and Adam's Apple hard cider made with Burnham Orchards apples. The taproom serves pulled pork, flatbreads and stromboli, and it is open Wednesday and Thursday 2 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10, and Sunday noon to 7.

Save room for the bakery. It makes pumpkin, apple and Dutch apple pies, pumpkin cream cheese bread, fritters and caramel apples.

No dogs and no outside food or drink at the festival. The main complaint from families is that food for four adds up fast. Rockin' R Ranch is on the same road if you want to make a double stop.

Hartville

Maize Valley

Best for: Families who want a winery and brewery on site

6193 Edison Street NE, Hartville. about 43 miles from downtown.

Maize Valley is a farm, a winery and a brewery at once, and it is the best all day option for a group of adults who also have kids along. Kay and Donna Vaughan started it as a hog, grain and dairy farm in the 1960s. In the mid 1990s their daughter Michelle and her husband Bill Bakan added a sweet corn stand, a market and a seasonal corn maze. Todd Vaughan started the winery around 2005, and the brewery followed in 2013, growing its own barley. The farm covers about 700 acres today, with about 10 acres of vineyard.

The Fall Harvest runs weekends in September, then Thursday through Monday from noon to 7 p.m. in October, with last admission at 6. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Admission is $15, seniors are $10 and kids under 2 are free. A season pass is $39.99. Online sales close the Friday before each weekend, and tickets are also sold at the gate.

The 8 acre corn maze gets a new design each year and comes with a trivia game sheet. The ticket also covers wagon rides, the Indian Runner duck races, the animal train, jump pads, Frank the combine, Goat a Palooza, straw bale mountain and pumpkin cannon demonstrations, which can send a pumpkin as far as half a mile. The apple blaster, gem mining bags and pumpkins from the patch cost extra. You can also rent a campfire site for the evening if you book 48 hours ahead.

On October 17 and October 24 Maize Valley runs Sunset Sip in the Corn Maze from 7 to 9 p.m.

Inside, there are 16 beers on tap (the flagship is called 44632, after the Hartville zip code), more than 25 wines, homemade pizza, a Boar's Head deli and a bakery. Regulars say the pizza is the best thing on the property. The main complaints are prices and a strict no dogs rule, which applies to the patio too.

Hartville MarketPlace and Flea Market, open since 1939, is a short drive away, and Quail Hollow Park has about 15 miles of trails. Kingsway Pumpkin Farm is in the same town.

Avon

Pickering Hill Farms

Best for: Free pick your own pumpkins on the west side

35669 Detroit Road, Avon. about 17 miles from downtown.

Pickering Hill is the most affordable real pick your own pumpkin trip close to the west side. Jack Pickering came from England in the mid 1800s, his son Frank started selling vegetables to Cleveland's west side and set up the market on this Avon site in the 1930s, and Jay Pickering built the current 6,000 square foot market in 1997. Jason Pickering joined full time in 2022. The Avon property sits on an old Lake Erie beach with sandy soil, and the family also farms land in Grafton Township, growing sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and sour cherries.

The fall festival runs Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. through Halloween, and it is free to get in. A free wagon ride takes you out to the 2 acre pick your own pumpkin patch, and there is a 1 acre corn maze. The market itself is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The market is full of pumpkins from 1 pound to more than 50, already cut if you do not want to go into the field, along with gourds, corn stalks, Indian corn, winter squash, Concord grapes and Halloween decorations. The apples and cider come from Burnham Orchards in Berlin Heights.

One thing to know for 2026: road construction on Detroit Road has blocked the front of the farm for much of the year, and the city expected it to wrap up in early October. Give yourself a few extra minutes getting in.

Chardon

Hornyak Farms

Best for: A Geauga County farm festival

15135 Rock Creek Road, Chardon (Hambden Township). about 32 miles from downtown.

Hornyak is a Geauga County family farm that most people know for its peaches. Matt and Leigh Hornyak started it in 1992, and their kids Kate and Evan work on the farm now. Leigh's family has farmed in Geauga County for generations. In summer the farm runs pick your own peaches from about 1,200 trees, and it grows sweet corn, field corn, soybeans and pumpkins at roughly 1,300 feet of elevation. The fall festival started in 2020.

The remaining 2026 festival dates are October 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $8.25 plus a fee online or $9.50 at the gate, and kids 2 and under are free. A season pass is $45 for one person and covers every date. Cash and cards are accepted around the farm.

Admission covers corn mazes, hayrides, animal activities, pig races and live music. Pick your own pumpkins are sold separately. The homemade donuts are what people talk about, and food vendors set up on festival days. Hornyak also sells cut your own Christmas trees later in the year.

Chardon Square is about 5 miles west if you want lunch in town, and Big Creek Park has hiking trails and gorges.

North Lawrence

Nickajack Farms

Best for: Weekday visits and the flashlight maze

2955 Manchester Avenue NW, North Lawrence. about 47 miles from downtown.

Nickajack started in 2003 with an acre of pumpkins sold by the road, and 2026 is the 22nd year of Pumpkin Days. Joe and Debbie Sebolt own the 200 acre farm in western Stark County, their daughter Amanda Haut manages Pumpkin Days, and the family farms close to 2,000 acres of crops and hay in total. Joe built most of the attractions himself.

Nickajack is open every day through Halloween, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., which makes it one of the few big festival farms you can visit on a Tuesday. Admission is $17, kids 2 and under are free, and there are senior and military discounts at the door. Buying online gets you past the gate line. Pony rides are $6 extra on weekends.

The ticket covers wagon rides, a 7 acre corn maze, barnyard animals, the Chippies Corn Crib full of 10,000 pounds of corn, slides, pedal carts, the Piggly Wiggly pig races, a straw maze and a sunflower field. New this year are a Dinosaur Egg Roll, giant cornhole and new pig racers.

There is also a free area that does not need a ticket, with pumpkin bowling, corn cannons and paintball targets ($5 a bucket), and the pick your own pumpkin wagon. The farm grows dozens of kinds of pumpkins, gourds and squash, and a good share of them are for eating.

The Flashlight Maze is the event to plan around: the corn maze after dark, flashlights only, with a bonfire and s'mores. The farm has it scheduled for early and mid October, so check the dates before you buy. There is also a pumpkin Paint N' Sip on the morning of October 3. On weekends a food truck and donut cart set up and there is live music, and Grandma's Country Store sells local honey, baked goods and cider every day.

Canal Fulton is a short drive north, with the St. Helena III canal boat, the Towpath and a walkable downtown.

Wellington

Brasee's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch

Best for: Cheap maze nights and the haunted hayride

18421 State Route 58, Wellington. about 34 miles from downtown.

Brasee's is the cheapest good corn maze near Cleveland and one of the few you can walk late on a Saturday night. The Brasee family turned 27 acres south of Wellington into a maze and pumpkin patch more than two decades ago, and 2026 is season 23. They start preparing the maze in May.

The season runs through October 31. Hours are Friday 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday through Thursday, with the last tickets sold an hour before close. Admission is $6 for ages 5 and up and $5 for seniors, military, police, fire and EMS with ID. Kids 4 and under are free, up to two per paid adult. You need admission even if you only came for pumpkins.

The main maze covers 7 acres of 12 foot corn with hidden stamps inside that kids can trade for candy. Lou Brasee's advice for families is to let the kids lead. There is also a kids corn maze, a pitch dark straw maze in the barn, a zip line, a slide, a corn pit, the pumpkin train, a petting zoo, a bounce house and fire rings. The regular hayride is $4 on weekends. The pumpkin patch is pick your own, and they hand out free wagons to haul your pumpkins back.

Food is burgers, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, cider slushies and hot chocolate, and new this year is fresh kettle corn from Kettle & Cob.

Brasee's Haunted Hayride is one night only this year, Saturday, October 24, from 7 to 11 p.m. The $15 ticket includes the maze, tickets are sold at the farm only, and the ride goes into the dark woods with live actors, so use your judgment with younger kids. Arrive early to finish the maze before dark. Flashlights are required in the maze after dusk, closed toe shoes are a good idea, and pets are not allowed.

Hartville

Kingsway Pumpkin Farm

Best for: A family farm with nothing scary

1555 Andrews Street NE, Hartville. about 40 miles from downtown.

Kingsway has been growing pumpkins in Hartville since 1990, and it has a look all its own because Mary King hand paints the props and photo displays and designs the corn maze herself every year. The farm keeps its fall strictly family friendly, with nothing scary on the property.

This year's maze is Mount Rushmore, with Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln cut into the field alongside stars and "250 Years" for the country's anniversary.

Kingsway is open daily, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m., with last admission 30 minutes before close. Admission is $12, or $10 Monday through Thursday, and kids 3 and under are free. Cash has no fee, and cards carry a 3 percent surcharge. The ticket covers the wagon ride, the farm animals, the corn maze, an indoor straw tunnel, a corn box and pedal karts. The kids barrel train is $2 a ride for kids 48 inches and under.

Pumpkins are sold by the pound, around 35 cents depending on variety. The wagon ride runs daily from October 1, weather permitting.

Maize Valley is in the same town, and the two pair well: Kingsway in the morning for the kids, Maize Valley in the afternoon for pizza and a flight.

Mantua

Guyette Farms

Best for: Big value in Portage County

10833 Chamberlain Road, Mantua. about 26 miles from downtown.

Guyette is a working Portage County farm with a fall setup that families rave about for the price. W. Arden Guyette bought the land in 1945, his son Jerry farmed alongside him, and today Jerry's son Larry and his wife Kristen run it. The farm sells hay, straw, ear corn, oats, hormone free beef, pork, eggs, honey and maple syrup the rest of the year.

The corn maze season runs Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October, Saturday noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., with the last ticket sold an hour before close. Admission is $10 for ages 3 and up and free for 2 and under. Guyette has been cash only, with no cards or checks, so bring cash.

The corn maze is designed and cut by hand, with checkpoints, maps and two early exits for anyone who wants out partway through. The ticket also covers a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a round bale obstacle course, a small bale maze for little kids, a corn box with a 20 foot slide, separate 40 and 80 foot slides, the Launching Pad gourd launcher, gourd golf and pumpkin bowling. Pumpkins are extra.

Reviews are close to unanimous about the value and about how friendly the staff are. In December the farm switches over to Country Christmas, with Santa and cookie decorating.

Derthick's is a few minutes away, and you can do Guyette in the afternoon and Derthick's maze after dark.

Richfield

Luther Farms

Best for: The closest festival farm to downtown

5150 Alger Road, Richfield. about 16 miles from downtown.

Luther Farms is the closest festival farm to downtown on this list and one of the oldest. Rudolph Luther, who came from Switzerland as a boy, bought 100 acres at a sheriff's auction for $3,600 and started farming here in 1901. Over the years it has been a dairy farm, an egg farm with a 9,000 hen house, and a Black Angus beef operation. The market started in 1993 as a stand in front of the family's house. Last June a 90 year old barn burned along with 8,000 bales of hay, and the community raised close to $80,000 to help the family recover.

The Fall Fest runs Saturdays and Sundays through October 31, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $8 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 4 to 12, and free for 3 and under. The market is free to walk into and is closed on Tuesdays.

The fest includes hayrides, a hay and corn maze, a giant corn slide, a corn pool, a petting farm, face painting, games and crafts. The pumpkin cannon is the farm's signature, and Bob Luther built it himself after seeing one on TV.

The market sells the farm's own Black Angus beef by the quarter, half or whole, along with pork, chicken, sweet corn, pumpkins, mums and corn stalks. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a short drive east if you want to add a hike.

Mogadore

Rufener Hilltop Farms

Best for: A cheap weekday visit

1022 State Route 43, Mogadore. about 38 miles from downtown.

Rufener Hilltop started with Alvin Rufener selling sweet corn off a wagon in the front yard, and it grew into greenhouses, a produce market and Fall On The Farm, which runs through October 25.

Rufener has one of the better weekday deals anywhere. On weekends, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., admission is $14 for adults and $12 for seniors, kids 3 and under are free, and the ticket includes one pumpkin, hayrides out to the corn maze and pumpkin field, barrel train rides, the maze, the animals and yard games. On weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., the farm runs what it calls the Relaxed Farm Experience for $5 ($3 for seniors), which covers the maze, animals, games and farm walks, and pumpkin picking is $5 on top. Extra pumpkins are $5 each, and the pumpkin cannon is $5 for one shot or $12 for three.

The 10 acre corn maze is the main attraction, along with a junior maze, an 80 foot slide, a corn pool, pumpkin bowling, barnyard basketball, rubber duck races and sunflower fields.

Mogadore Reservoir, owned by the City of Akron, is right down State Route 43 if you want a lakeside walk afterward.

Columbia Station

Rockin' R Ranch Old West Pumpkin Fest

Best for: One wristband for everything

19066 East River Road, Columbia Station. about 19 miles from downtown.

Rockin' R Ranch has been running its Old West Pumpkin Fest for more than 20 years, and it is built around a little Old West town that kids can wander through. It is also the simplest farm here to budget for, since a single $15 wristband covers everything for the whole afternoon. Kids 2 and under are free, and a coupon on the ranch's site takes $1 off for groups of up to four.

The fest runs Saturdays and Sundays through November 1, noon to 5 p.m., and tickets are walk up. The wristband covers pony rides (for riders up to 100 pounds), hayrides out to the pumpkin patch, a pumpkin slide, a kids super slide, straw mountain, a petting farm, a mechanical cow you can milk, face painting, pumpkin painting, costume characters, the new Barb and Kenny show, Monster Vision in 3D and a children's haunted house with no live actors. Gem mining, food and pumpkins cost extra.

Cash is preferred on site, though major cards are accepted. The pumpkins from the patch are cash only. The country store sells hot dogs, funnel cakes, corn on the cob, nachos, cider and hot chocolate.

After dark the ranch turns into Spooky Ranch, opening Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $18 for the haunted hayride, the Haunted Barn, Crazy Clowns in 3D and the haunted house, and the actors do not touch guests. Lines are outdoors, so dress warm.

Some visitors in past years have said the ranch felt short staffed on busy days, so going early on a Saturday is the safer bet. Red Wagon Farm's taproom is on the same road.

Berlin Heights

Burnham Orchards

Best for: Orchard, bakery and hard cider

8019 State Route 113, Berlin Heights. about 43 miles from downtown.

Burnham is a big orchard operation with deep roots in Erie County. The Burnham family came to Berlin Heights in 1815, the 1826 farmhouse still stands, and the family calls itself seven generations deep. Today the farm covers more than 1,000 acres, with over 200 acres of apples and about 35 of peaches, and the family says it was among the first to bring Fuji apples to Ohio. If you have had apples or cider at Pickering Hill or Red Wagon, there is a good chance they came from here.

The 2026 fall festival is called Ohio Against the World, a celebration of America's 250th and the family's two centuries on the farm, and it runs on weekends through October 25. It brings hayrides through the orchard, corn mazes, pick your own apples and pumpkins, farm animals and kids activities. Ticket prices are set by the farm each season, so check before you go. There is also a car show on Saturday, October 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a rain date of October 17.

The market, Grandma Bea's Bakery and the Redhead Ciderhouse & Tap Room are open year round, seven days a week. Redhead started in 2014 and makes its hard cider a few hundred feet from the tap room. Grandma Bea's makes donuts, fritters, cookies and pies, including Honeycrisp, black cherry and country apple, with pumpkin pie and pumpkin rolls from October on.

Burnham is not the cheapest orchard around, and some visitors think the pick your own apples run high. Edison Woods MetroPark is a few minutes away with trails and sandstone cliffs, and the Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan and the Vermilion lakefront are close enough to fold into the same trip.

Chesterland

Mulberry Corners Pumpkins

Best for: A free stop for porch pumpkins

11591 Chillicothe Road, Chesterland. about 19 miles from downtown.

Mulberry Corners is the easy, free stop on the east side. The family has run this seasonal pumpkin stand at the corner of Chillicothe and Mulberry roads since 1985, and there is no admission charge.

It is open daily through October 31, weekdays 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it closes in extreme weather. You will find pumpkins and fall decorations, a corn maze, a giant hay stack for kids to climb and goats to pet. They take cards, Apple Pay, cash and checks.

It pairs naturally with Patterson Fruit Farm, which is just up Mulberry Road. Do the Fun Fest or the orchard first, then stop here for your porch pumpkins on the way home.