Joan’s Farm & Pumpkin Patch

Fantastic pumpkin patch! Great to bring the family and/​or significant other to hunt for pumpkins. I saw many dads pushing their minions around in wheel barrels. The kids took joy in hugging pumpkins that were life-​size relative to their little-​person statures.
The price was cheap too. Three big pumpkins for $ 20! Happy Halloween indeed.
Only negative aspect is the food. It was marked up Costco food. But honestly, that’s minor complaint considering the main purpose of being present is to acquire pumpkins to gut and repeatedly stab with a knife :)

My almost 2 year old daughter loves this place, I only wish I could have discovered it sooner. We have visited 3 times since Sunday. She loves to feed the animals, pull the wagons, organize the pumpkins, run through fort maze, play in the barn and of course reek havoc in the play area. It’s so much fun for young toddlers if you don’t mind a little dust. On the weekends there more to do, however there are bigger crowds. I wish this place was open year round, even if just for the animals and play area.

Not really sure why other people have rated this place so highly in the past, I found it to be quite average or below average. I’ve gone to a couple different pumpkin patches this season and this one is by far the worst of all of them. It was so dusty, the parking lot seemed like a big dust bowl. The pumpkin selection was OK, but I just felt like for driving all the way out here, as far away as it was from the freeway, it wasn’t the best experience I’ve had. Maybe if they had more grass rather than just dirt and dead trees everywhere, it would have seemed a little more enjoyable. We left after about 25 minutes and I will not be going back.

I liked this pumpkin patch. I went the first weekend they opened 10÷03÷15 and picked out a wagon full of pumpkins. The prices are average if not a tad bit lower than other farms. It was dusty and hot as any farm would be but that’s what a person should expect going to a farm. I also walked over to see the animals. They’re farm animals, they live outside, so I wasn’t expecting a goat that looked like it was going to a pet show. I also had wipes for my hands because I wasn’t expecting them to give me everything. Some pumpkins were precut and set under large trees which seems very considerate for those who can’t take too much sun. I’ll come back next year.

It was my sons second Halloween and we saw a post of her farm on Facebook. We went and let me just say he loved it. He was so excited he didn’t kno were to go first he loved the animals and the fake horses. Overall a great experience and thinking of going next year ! And he also found his perfect pumpkin.

FREE
Fun
Exploring
This weeks pumpkin fun was a spur of the moment trip to Joan’s Pumpkin Patch. We had no knowledge of this patch or what to expect. IT WAS PERFECT FOR MY TODDLER AND FREE! If you have a toddler who likes to explore and/​or don’t want to spend a lot of money this is the place to go. Looks like they have a few more larger activities on the weekend (pony ride, hay ride, cow train ride), but during the week it was the perfect laid back fun location to go and just let her run around and explore. They have a machine that takes quarters to feed the goats and sheep, a snack shack and pumpkins to pay for, otherwise everything else during the week is free. We bought 2 nice pumpkins. Play areas, animals, lots of fun cutouts to stick your face in and take photos.

Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch — long a Livermore favorite — is a secret no more, with bus loads of pumpkin hunters from all over the Bay Area (and beyond) coming to pick over the enormous pumpkin selection and take part in the many activities on offer — from pony and hay-​cart rides to face painting and gem mining to a maze and several carnival games for kids.
Joan’s is open every day in October from 9 to 6; we went earlier this afternoon, taking advantage of the cool 70s weather and light breeze (it can get quite dusty out here in the far East Bay). There is ample parking, including an overflow parking lot.
Joan’s has food available and lots of activities for kids — some free, like the maze, others paid, like pony rides. The pumpkins are arranged by size, and wheelbarrows are thoughtfully made available for your carting pleasure. But many folks prefer to just carry their pumpkins — much more fun that way! You pay for pumpkins by size at the «register» out front on your way out — the large ones cost more than $ 10, the small ones are $ 4.
Couple of other tips:
— park in the overflow lot rather than hunting for gaps in the main parking lot — it’s not much further from the entrance and it is much easier to get to your car later when you’re hauling a load of pumpkins.
— there is a photo op area right near the entrance — just a couple of hay bales with a few pumpkins strategically placed, but great for a family portrait!
— there is a small field right opposite the cash register with the littlest pumpkins scattered about. These are free (!) so be sure to let each of your kids pick one out on their way home — it’s the perfect ending to a lovely day at Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch.

Not too commercial and lots of free stuff for those on a budget. I appreciate that. For those that can or choose to you can purchase tickets for games, a maze, jewel panning and a pony ride (we did this and it was super fun for my son). We went home with a little pumpkin and we could of got a big one. We really had a lovely day here with some friends.

Very non commercial. No admittance fees, no pushy «helpers». The pumpkins are twice what you can buy them for in a store, but the stores don’t have petting zoos (just sheep and goats, but it’s enough for toddlers), or pony rides (only on weekends).

The Halloween Party for the F.U.N. Mom’s Club was held here. We had a nice covered area with several picnic tables near some of the farm animals. The pumpkin patch has a lot of pumpkins to choose from. They also have pony rides, face painting, feeding the farm animals, small play area, hay rides, etc. One thing I wanted to point out is that the ponies looked exhausted. They’re not chained up but it looked like the ponies could have used a break. Bathrooms are porta potties. I wish they had a hand washing station. The venue is great located amid the various wineries. Just keep in mind about the bathrooms and wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty and dusty.

Adorably anachronistic, refreshingly non-​commercial. Sweet, simple place run by a lovely bunch of people. And bonus: tons of wine tasting nearby for the parents. Wear closed toe shoes.

Fun experience for the whole family! Hay rides, pony rides, mazes, snack shop and much much more. Large selection of pumpkins at great prices. Great treat for the whole family.

Hats off to Joan for putting this fun pumpkin farm together year after year. We have made it a tradition for 10 seasons now, and have never been disappointed until today. They «opened» Oct 1 but they are not at all completely set up and ready to give visitors the full experience. Today, the Sweet Shop was in the very beginning stages of being set up, there was no menu at the snack shack, the snow cones were not available when we purchased our lunch, hot dogs and nacho cheese was lukewarm, there was no food to feed the animals (we were told as we departed that food was being sold at the pumpkin checkout but the pet feeding area is quite removed from there and there were no signs to explain that), no hand sanitizer to use after either coming in contact with animals or using the porta –potties, (some of which at noon were not supplied with toilet paper.) All in all it was a big let-​down after our many years of fun & positive experiences. I’d highly recommend waiting for at least another week to make the trip over there to allow them to get better organized. Better safe than sorry.

This is a great place for kids; lots of friendly staff and all kids are happy (except for those that were crying because they didn’t want to leave). Unlike some typical places, this one has a country museum, and a small «old town» that resembled the western country life.
Their corn maze was made up of orange nets (no fault of theirs as we’re going through a drought) but it was big and fun.
They have some nice picnic areas, and also a snack shop; but everything is cash only (don’t worry if you didn’t bring cash; they have an ATM).
The kids were able to pick their own pumpkin and they have lots of them; the elementary kids can get a small pumpkin or a gord.
They have a few animals there and you can feed them, but watch your step as you will more than likely step on something that’s brown, smelly and mushy…

Fun and festive for little kids! (May be boring for older kids) A traditional pumpkin patch with pony rides, hayrides, small animal petting area, games and a lot of fantastic photo opportunities among the pumpkins throughout. Free parking and free entrance.

Joan’s Farm & Pumpkin Patch is a fun experience for the whole family!
Activities include:
— Pumpkin patch for smaller pumpkins — great for the little ones to get a hold of and run through the pumpkins
— Play area with slides, see-​saws and other play equipment
— Pumpkin patch for the big kahuna pumpkins — this area is massive and a favorite for those family photo shots, so bring your cameras!
— Tons of photo cutouts to stick your head in for some memorable photo ops
— Maze — not a corn maze, but a nice little maze to navigate through
— Animals! There are donkeys, sheep, goats, and llamas! They are a bit removed from the main area, so just note that they are at the far end of the property.
— Tractor /​hay rides and small train ride for the kids — additional fee for both of these rides, but a novelty the kids will enjoy.
— Snack shack — haven’t personally been there but they serve your basic fare from what I’ve seen, including snow cones for those hot Livermore days
This farm is further into the Livermore Valley, near a lot of the wineries, but most definitely worth a visit. Pumpkins are reasonably priced, there are enough activities to tire the kids out, and it’s a great photo opportunity for the parents and families. It can get really hot, so I’d advise sunscreen, hat, and plenty of fluids. Wagons are available to borrow to lug around your pumpkins, but you may want to bring a blanket for your little one to sit on.

I had high hopes for this place after seeing all the great reviews, and after having a great time at G&M Farms a couple of weeks prior to visiting here. However, as another reviewer said — «Eh…»
Compared to G&M Farms, Joan’s takes longer to get to since it’s deep in Livermore. Activities are spread out so it takes a while to get a toddler to walk from one activity to another. The placement of pumpkins is also not as pretty or dramatic as at G&M. My son LOVED the giant pumpkin he was able to runic and out of and the play area — although I did not like that the play area was basically Little Tikes (or similar) equipment place onto of VERY dry and dusty dirt.
I do like that you do not need to pay to get in, pumpkins are reasonably priced, and kids can feed the animals as long as parents remember to bring quarters for the food pellets. The absolute best part for my son was the endless line of wagons he got to pick from at the parking lot. When we left, I appreciated the pumpkin check-​out area, where I made my two year old figure out what size pumpkin he had based on their size/​cost system, and how much he had to pay them.
Overall this farm is a bit too rustic for my tastes, and especially because it’s much further away from me. I’ll likely go to G&M instead.

I went as part of a moms club group. My daughter is still too young to enjoy most of the activities there, but it was nice to walk around, take pictures in the pumpkin patch, buy some fresh farm products. We got a little pumpkin to take home, and a bag of beet chips, which were delicious. There’s a lot to do and it’s not too widely spaced for little kids to walk and be comfortable. There are shaded areas and seating. Everybody looked like they were having a great time. It is very dusty, I wish I had worn closed toe shoes, and I also wish I had brought the Baby Bjorn or Moby instead of the stroller. The ground is very rocky and rough and really not stroller appropriate. It’s a great location and we had a good time. Will be back next year. As a sidenote, we kept hearing «pow pow» the entire time we were there, I think it’s next to a firing range.

Eh…
It’s ok. Definitely boring for adults. Even a bit boring for my 7 year old. My toddler did have a blast.
We forgot to bring quarters and the 7 year old was pretty disappointed he couldn’t feed the goats, sheep, and chickens. The 2 year old had no idea and didn’t care.
The animals were pretty cute. There were some impressive bulls/​steers driving in and a very cute calf. There are pony rides (we didn’t do this), a corn maze (7 year old and dad did this and liked it), a tractor train ride (2 year old did this and loved it), hay rides, a small fort maze, and of course lots and lots of pumpkins of various sizes.
We were done in an hour, but that’s fine. The nice thing about this place is no entrance fee. Go and get tickets for what you want. Pay for what you want and leave. Cash or check only. Pumpkins are pretty reasonably priced.

This was such a fun, festive, enjoyable visit. Joan’s is adoarbly and thoughtfully decorated to immerse you in the spirit of Halloween. There are pumpkins in all shapes and sizes, funky looking gourds, a maze for the kiddos, a food and beverage booth, hay rides, and– best of all– lots of farm animals. Who doesn’t love llamas and chickens and hens and goats? They were really quite adorable.
We left with a HUGE pumpkin for $ 25. Completely worth the price, especially if it means helping out the farm. They have wheelbarrows and wagons to carry pumpkins to your vehicle.
Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeen!