11 Farms Near Charlotte, NC Worth Visiting
There’s just something about a pumpkin patch that officially makes it feel like fall. Whether you’re looking for a simple place to pick out the perfect pumpkin, a real pick-your-own pumpkin patch near Charlotte, NC, or an entire afternoon of corn mazes, hayrides, farm animals, and fall treats, there are plenty of options within an easy drive of the Queen City.
And they’re definitely not all the same.
Some of these farms are perfect when you have younger kids who want to run, climb, and play for hours. Others are better for families with older kids and teens who need a little more than a cute photo backdrop to keep them entertained. And a few are ideal when you really just want to wander through a field and pick an actual pumpkin off the vine.
Here are some of the best pumpkin patches within two hours of Charlotte, NC for fall 2026.
- Hodges Family Farm & Pumpkin Patch – Charlotte, NC
- The Hunter Farm – Weddington, NC
- Wise Acres Organic Farm – Indian Trail, NC
- Carrigan Farms – Mooresville, NC
- Patterson Farm Market & Tours – Mount Ulla, NC
- Sweetwater Farms – Huntersville, NC
- Riverbend Farm – Midland, NC
- Outlaw Acres – Monroe, NC
- Red Wolf Farm – Maiden, NC
- Bush-N-Vine Farm – York, SC
- Thomas Family Corn Maze – Albemarle, NC
- Which Charlotte Pumpkin Patch Should You Choose?
- Tips for Visiting Pumpkin Patches Near Charlotte, NC
Quick Guide to the Best Pumpkin Patches Near Charlotte
| Pumpkin Patch | Location | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hodges Family Farm | Charlotte | Classic, affordable pumpkin patch |
| The Hunter Farm | Weddington | Animals + wagon rides |
| Wise Acres Organic Farm | Indian Trail | Pumpkins + pizza + relaxed farm day |
| Carrigan Farms | Mooresville | Picking pumpkins straight from the vine |
| Patterson Farm | Mount Ulla | Full day of activities |
| Sweetwater Farms | Huntersville | Younger kids |
| Riverbend Farm | Midland | Old-school farm fun |
| Outlaw Acres | Monroe | Older kids + Wild West theme |
| Red Wolf Farm | Maiden | Lots included for one admission |
| Bush-N-Vine Farm | York, SC | No-frills U-pick pumpkins |
| Thomas Family Corn Maze | Albemarle | Corn maze + active kids |
1. Hodges Family Farm & Pumpkin Patch – Charlotte, NC
Best For: A classic pumpkin patch without leaving Charlotte
2026 Season: September 26–October 31
Admission: Free; weekend parking is $5 per vehicle
Address: 3780 Rocky River Road East, Charlotte, NC 28215
If you’re searching for a pumpkin patch in Charlotte, NC and don’t necessarily want to turn it into an all-day road trip, Hodges Family Farm should be near the top of your list. This longtime Charlotte farm keeps the experience relatively simple. You’ll find pumpkins in all shapes and sizes, hay bales for climbing, barnyard animals, picnic areas, and plenty of places to grab those obligatory fall family photos.
Admission to the farm itself is free. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is a $5 parking fee, and hayrides are available for $5 per person, with children two and younger riding free. Weekend visitors can also grab seasonal treats including kettle corn, drinks, apple cider doughnuts, coffee, and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Memory Maker
Let the kids pick their own pumpkin and then grab apple cider doughnuts before heading home.
Local Tip
Visit during the week if pumpkins and photos are your main goal. You’ll avoid the weekend parking fee and typically find a quieter experience.
Why It’s Worth the Drive
You technically don’t even have to leave Charlotte, making Hodges one of the easiest and most affordable fall traditions on this list.
2. The Hunter Farm – Weddington, NC
Best For: Families who want animals with their pumpkin patch
2026 Season: September 25–November 1
Address: 13624 Providence Road, Weddington, NC 28104
The Hunter Farm feels like a step up from simply stopping somewhere to buy a pumpkin. You can browse a selection of North Carolina-grown carving pumpkins, decorative pumpkins, gourds, and ornamental varieties, but the signature experience here is the wagon ride to the interactive petting barn.
Guests who reserve the wagon ride can feed, pet, and interact with the farm animals, and each paid rider receives a small pie pumpkin to take home. Reservations are required for access to the petting barn. The Hunter Farm
Hunter Farm is also hosting select Farm Fridays during the 2026 season with music, food trucks, adult beverages, and pumpkin-patch access.
Don’t Miss
The covered wagon ride to the animal barn.
Best For
Families whose kids would be much more excited about goats and farm animals than spending 20 minutes comparing pumpkins.
Local Tip
If the wagon reservations appear full online, the farm says limited walk-in availability may still be offered.
3. Wise Acres Organic Farm – Indian Trail, NC
Best For: A slower fall afternoon with pumpkins, food, and activities
Address: 4701 Hartis Road, Indian Trail, NC
Wise Acres is one of those places where you can easily turn a pumpkin-picking trip into a relaxed afternoon on the farm.
Their fall reservations include access to the pumpkin and flower fields along with playgrounds, farm animals, a small sunn hemp maze, scavenger hunt, and shaded picnic area. Optional activities include wagon rides, a barrel train, and corn pit.
But what makes Wise Acres different from many pumpkin patches near Charlotte is the food.
You can book one of their packages that includes wood-fired Wise Pie pizza or choose a less-expensive farm reservation without pizza. For 2026, basic fall farm access starts at just $3 per person ages three and older, while the pizza package starts with two pizzas plus a per-person farm fee. Wise Acres Organic Farm
Don’t Miss
Wood-fired pizza after exploring the farm.
Local Tip
Reservations are required to access Wise Acres Farm, and popular October weekends can fill quickly. October reservations opened September 29 for the 2026 season. Wise Acres Organic Farm
Memory Maker
Pick pumpkins, let the kids play, order pizza, and stay awhile instead of rushing through the patch.
4. Carrigan Farms – Mooresville, NC
Best For: A REAL pick-your-own pumpkin experience
Approximately: 40 minutes from Uptown Charlotte
2026 Pumpkin Picking: Begins October 3
Address: 1261 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC 28115
If your mental picture of pumpkin picking involves walking into a field and finding a pumpkin that’s still attached to the vine, Carrigan Farms is the one you want.
Carrigan Farms grows more than 20 acres of jack-o’-lantern pumpkins every fall. Guests take a tractor-drawn hayride into the fields and then choose their own pumpkin right off the vine.
This is much different from farms where pumpkins have been pre-picked and placed around a grassy area.
Don’t Miss
Finding a pumpkin that’s still growing on the vine and cutting it yourself.
Local Tip
Bring closed-toe shoes and consider gardening gloves. Pumpkin vines can be prickly, and Carrigan specifically recommends sturdy footwear.
Know Before You Go
Advanced reservations are required, and Carrigan warns that weekend sessions often sell out. They also recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before your scheduled hayride. Carrigan Farms
Why It’s Worth the Drive
If your main goal is the actual experience of pumpkin picking near Charlotte, rather than a fall festival that happens to sell pumpkins, Carrigan is hard to beat.
5. Patterson Farm Market & Tours – Mount Ulla, NC
Best For: Turning pumpkin day into a full family outing
2026 Fall Season: September 14–November 21
Address: 10390 Caldwell Road, Mount Ulla, NC 28125
Patterson Farm is less of a quick pumpkin-patch stop and more of a fall attraction that can easily fill half a day. Their Fall Fun on the Farm experience features more than 40 attractions, including the corn maze, barnyard, wagon ride, PawPaw Carl’s Playground, Tractor Track, and agricultural play areas.
Pumpkins are available separately unless you purchase a package that specifically includes one, so make sure you read the ticket details before booking.
And don’t leave without checking the market. You’ll find pumpkins, gourds, seasonal produce, jams, sauces, and other goodies, while the Ice Cream Shop serves seasonal treats including apple cinnamon doughnuts.
Best For
Families with younger kids who need more entertainment than simply wandering through a pumpkin patch.
Don’t Miss
The corn maze and wagon ride.
Local Tip
Patterson recommends arriving at least two hours before closing if you want time to enjoy the full experience. Patterson Farm
6. Sweetwater Farms – Huntersville, NC
Best For: Toddlers and younger elementary-age kids
2026 Pumpkin Patch: September 23–November 1
Address: 14412 Beatties Ford Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Sweetwater Farms is a particularly good choice if your kids are still at the age where playing on the farm is more exciting than actually choosing the pumpkin.
Their pumpkin area includes orange, white, mini, and ghost pumpkins along with decorative gourds. Better yet, you can enter the pumpkin patch itself for free if you’re simply shopping for pumpkins or gourds.
If you want to stay and play, regular farm admission gives you access to Sweetwater’s outdoor play spaces, farm animals, climbing areas, garden, sandy “beach,” and other nature-based activities. General admission for 2026 is listed at $6 online or $7 at the entrance, with children younger than two free.
What to Order
Pumpkin spice coffee or one of their handheld apple pies. Sweetwater Farms
Best For
Families who want a low-key pumpkin outing rather than a packed fall festival.
7. Riverbend Farm – Midland, NC
Best For: Affordable, old-fashioned farm fun
Address: 12150 McManus Road, Midland, NC 28107
Riverbend Farm feels a little more like the pumpkin patches many of us remember visiting as kids.
Instead of trying to turn the farm into a massive festival, Riverbend focuses on classic fall activities: a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch, farm animals, play areas, large farm-themed slides, picnic areas, and plenty of room for kids to burn off some energy.
For the current season, admission is listed at $6 for ages two and older, with pumpkins sold separately by weight. Reservations aren’t required.
Don’t Miss
The wagon ride out to the pumpkin field.
Local Tip
This is a working outdoor farm experience, so wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty… especially after rain.
Why It’s Worth the Drive
Riverbend is a nice middle ground between simply buying a pumpkin and paying for a large-scale fall festival.
8. Outlaw Acres – Monroe, NC
Best For: Older kids who might think they’re “too old” for the pumpkin patch
2026 Season: September 19–November 1
Admission: $16; ages 3 and younger free
Address: 4601 Griffith Road, Monroe, NC 28112
Formerly known as Aw Shucks Farms, Outlaw Acres puts a completely different spin on the traditional pumpkin-patch outing. This Monroe attraction combines fall fun with an Old West town, complete with live western-themed performances.
Admission includes the corn maze, farm animals, Old West Town, play areas, a huge tube slide, and live entertainment. Pumpkins, food, and a children’s shooting-range activity cost extra.
Their pumpkin area features pumpkins and gourds in a variety of shapes and sizes, and pumpkins generally range from about $3 to $25 depending on size. Outlaw Acres
Best For
Families with a mix of younger children and teens who need more than a cute photo backdrop.
Don’t Miss
The Old West performances and new-for-2026 Super Mega Slide.
The Takeaway
If you’ve heard your kids say, “We’re too old for pumpkin patches,” this is the kind of place that may change their minds.
9. Red Wolf Farm – Maiden, NC
Best For: Getting a lot of activities for one admission price
2026 Public Dates: October 3–4, 10–11, 17–18, 24–25 and 31
Admission: $10; children 2 and younger free
Address: 1900 H W Farm Road, Maiden, NC 28650
Red Wolf Farm is located on approximately 100 acres in the foothills north of Charlotte, and this is another destination where the pumpkin patch is only part of the experience.
Your admission includes unlimited hayrides, a large professionally designed corn maze, kids’ corn maze, inflatables, pedal tractors, farm animals, giant corn house, pumpkin bowling, farm games, play structures, and photo opportunities. Pumpkins are purchased separately.
Memory Maker
Challenge your kids to a corn-maze race and then head out on the hayride.
Local Tip
Red Wolf Farm is only open to the general public on select October weekends. Weekdays are reserved for field trips.
Why It’s Worth the Drive
At $10 per person with most activities included, this is one of the more straightforward fall-farm admissions on the list.
10. Bush-N-Vine Farm – York, SC
Best For: Families who mainly want to pick pumpkins
2026 Pumpkin Season: September 26–October 31
Address: 1650 Filbert Highway, York, SC 29745
Don’t let the state line scare you away. York, South Carolina is an easy fall day trip from much of the Charlotte area, and Bush-N-Vine offers one of the more straightforward U-pick pumpkin experiences near Charlotte.
You can walk directly into the patch and choose your own pumpkins. No reservation is required, and wagons are available to help haul your pumpkins back from the field. For 2026, standard jack-o’-lantern pumpkins weighing five pounds or more are listed at 69 cents per pound, with specialty pumpkins, minis, gourds, and other varieties priced differently.
There’s also a farm café serving treats such as doughnuts, ice cream, hot dogs, and slushies. Bush-N-Vine Farm
Local Tip
Go early in the season if picking your own pumpkin is important to you. Availability naturally changes as more people visit throughout October.
Best For
Families who want to actually shop and pick pumpkins without paying admission to a giant amusement-style fall festival.
11. Thomas Family Corn Maze – Albemarle, NC
Best For: Kids who want activities with their pumpkin stop
2026 Season: September 26–November 1, weather permitting
Admission: $15 plus tax; ages 2 and younger free
Address: 20935 NC-73, Albemarle, NC 28001
For families east of Charlotte or anyone looking for a reason to take a fall drive toward Albemarle, the Thomas Family Corn Maze is another option worth adding to the list. The attraction centers around its corn maze and family play areas, with pumpkins and mums available for your fall decorating needs.
It’s open Friday through Sunday during its 2026 season, with weekday closures.
Best For
Families who view the pumpkin as the souvenir at the end of the adventure rather than the entire reason for going.
Which Charlotte Pumpkin Patch Should You Choose?
There really isn’t one pumpkin patch that’s perfect for every family. If you want an authentic pumpkin-picking experience, I’d start with Carrigan Farms or Bush-N-Vine Farm, where choosing your pumpkin is more central to the visit.
For families with younger kids who want a lot to do, Patterson Farm, Sweetwater Farms, and Riverbend Farm offer plenty of opportunities to play. If you’re bringing older kids or teens, Outlaw Acres and Red Wolf Farm give them corn mazes, slides, games, and other activities that make the trip about much more than taking a picture with a pumpkin.
And if you want something easy and close to home, it’s hard to beat Hodges Family Farm, where admission is free and you’re still right inside Charlotte.
Tips for Visiting Pumpkin Patches Near Charlotte, NC
October weekends can get incredibly busy, particularly once temperatures finally start cooling down. Whenever possible, visit early in the season or choose a Friday, Sunday afternoon, or weekday farm visit.
Remember that these are real farms. Wear closed-toe shoes that can get dirty, check the weather before leaving home, and don’t expect fields to stay perfectly dry after a rainy week.
Most importantly, check the farm’s website or social media before driving out. Pumpkin availability, picking conditions, hours, and activities can all change because of weather and crop conditions.
Make a Full Fall Day of It
Pumpkin picking is only the beginning of fall fun around Charlotte. From corn mazes and apple orchards to fall festivals, hayrides, farm animals, and seasonal treats, there are dozens of ways to enjoy fall within a short drive of the city.
Looking for even more ideas? Check out my complete guide to 20 Farms for Fall Fun Near Charlotte, NC for even more places worth adding to your fall bucket list.
And if you’re willing to drive a little farther into the North Carolina mountains, don’t miss my guide to the 50+ Fall Things to Do Near Charlotte NC in October
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