Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes in Stanislaus County: The 2026 Guide
Last updated: September 11, 2026
Pumpkin season is already open in Stanislaus County. SONS Farm Fresh in Oakdale opened September 10 and runs through October 31. R.A.M. Farms in Turlock opens Friday, September 25. Fantozzi Farms in Patterson and Chester's Pumpkin Pasture in Oakdale both open September 26. Dutch Hollow Farms in Modesto opens October 2.
That's eight places to pick a pumpkin in this county alone, plus one more worth the drive. Some are free to walk into. Some will run a family of five past $150. Some are a working farm with a wagon and a good pumpkin, and some are closer to a small amusement park.
One piece of advice before the list: go earlier than you think. The last two weekends before Halloween are genuinely packed at the big farms, the parking fields turn to mud if we've had rain, and the good carving pumpkins get picked over. The last week of September and the first two weekends of October are the sweet spot.
Quick comparison: every pumpkin patch in Stanislaus County
| Farm | City | 2026 Dates | Cost to get in | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SONS Farm Fresh | Oakdale | Sept 10 – Oct 31 | Free entry; attractions $5–$8 | Pay-for-what-you-use, animals, night visits |
| R.A.M. Farms | Turlock | Sept 25 – Oct 31 | Free entry; corn maze ticketed | Turlock families, serious pumpkin selection |
| Fantozzi Farms | Patterson | Sept 26 – Nov 1 | $15 weekday / $16 weekend | A full day out, best all-in value |
| Chester's Pumpkin Pasture | Oakdale | Sept 26 – Nov 1 | $15 weekday / $20 weekend* | Ranch feel, pony rides, adults too |
| Dutch Hollow Farms | Modesto | Oct 2 – Halloween | 2026 pricing not yet posted | Photos, petting zoo, younger kids |
| Resendiz Family Fruit Barn | Hughson | Dates TBD | Free entry | Little kids, pie, no crowds |
| Bloomingcamp Ranch | Oakdale | Open Wed–Sun | Free | Apples and pie, a low-key stop |
| Rodin Farms | Modesto | Fall season | Free | A fast pumpkin run |
| Dell'Osso Family Farm | Lathrop (~40 min) | Oct 2 – Oct 31 | $24.95 – $34.95 | The big day out, teenagers |
*2025 rates — Chester's had not posted 2026 pricing when this went up.
When do pumpkin patches open in Stanislaus County in 2026?
They open across a three-week window, from September 10 through October 2, and almost all of them close on or just after Halloween.
SONS Farm Fresh in Oakdale opened first, on September 10. Then R.A.M. Farms in Turlock on September 25, Fantozzi Farms in Patterson and Chester's Pumpkin Pasture in Oakdale on September 26, and Dutch Hollow Farms in Modesto on October 2.
Corn mazes generally lag the patches by a week or so, because the corn has to be cut and the paths cleared. R.A.M.'s maze opens October 2, a week after its patch.
SONS Farm Fresh: Oakdale
1936 E. F St., Oakdale September 10 – October 31, 2026 · Free entry
This is the one most people outside Oakdale don't know about, and it's the best-designed pricing model of any patch in the county: you walk in free and pay only for what you actually do.
The haunted maze is $5. The petting zoo and reptile house together are $8. Gem mining is $8. Kids under two are free. Everything else, the corn pits, the hay maze, the pumpkin house, the pumpkin pond, the photo setups, costs nothing. If you have one kid who only wants to see the goats, you're out $8 instead of $60.
The petting zoo is a big draw: goats, bunnies, ponies and tortoises, plus a reptile house with snakes, lizards, frogs and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. It's consistently their most popular attraction, and parents keep describing it as the part the kids actually remember.
The thing that makes SONS different, though, is Light the Night where they light up the pumpkin house, pumpkin pond and petting zoo after dark through October. Hours run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, so an evening visit is genuinely on the table.
Weekends bring dessert vendors, face painting and pumpkin painting from Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. And on October 31 they run free trick-or-treating from 5 to 9 p.m., candy throughout the grounds, no admission.
R.A.M. Farms: Turlock
716 N. Daubenberger Rd., Turlock, CA 95380 · (209) 668-2425 Patch: September 25 – October 31 · Corn maze opens October 2
My default for Turlock families, and the reason is simple: no entrance fee, no parking fee. Pull in, let the kids loose on the tractor tires and the sandbox, take your fall photos, buy a pumpkin, leave. The kids' activities are free with a pumpkin purchase.
The corn maze is the one ticketed piece. R.A.M. still hadn't posted 2026 maze pricing when this went up - their online ticketing was set to go live sometime this month. Call before you plan around it. They also run Freaky Flashlight Nites on Friday and Saturday evenings, which is the maze after dark with a flashlight, and Farmer Ron's Scary Shed, free to walk through and roughly as scary as a six-year-old can handle.
Where R.A.M. separates itself is the pumpkins. This is a working farm that grows wholesale, so the selection is deep in a way the ticketed attractions aren't: Fairytale and Cinderella heirlooms, Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Sugar Pie and Kabocha for baking, birdhouse gourds, and the Pink Porcelain Doll. If you care what your porch looks like, or you're making pie from actual pumpkin, this is the stop.
Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch: Patterson
2665 Sperry Ave., Patterson · (209) 690-7739 September 26 – November 1, 2026 Mon–Thu 4–7 p.m. · Fri 4–10 p.m. · Sat 10 a.m.–10 p.m. · Sun 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
If R.A.M. is the quick free stop, Fantozzi is the block-out-the-afternoon one , and it's the best all-in value in the county.
Admission is $16 Friday through Sunday, $15 Monday through Thursday. Seniors 65+ and active military pay $15 and $14. Kids two and under are free. That single ticket covers all three corn mazes, the pumpkin patch, the hayride, the corn seed pit, pipe slides, hay pyramid, pedal kart raceways, archery, the petting zoo and the obstacle courses. Set that against what you'll pay in Lathrop and the math makes itself.
The three mazes are actually built for different ages. The Kiddie Maze is a "Farm Scene Tracks" game for ages 2–8: follow animal tracks, figure out who stole Farmer Joe's pie. The Mid-Size Maze is a "Farm Scene Investigation," six hidden scenes, collect clues, name the suspect. The Full Maze has twelve checkpoints to find and punch on a map, and it will take you a while.
Friday and Saturday nights in October they run a Haunted Maze, 7 to 10 p.m., $5 extra. Corn cannons, zombie paintball and cow train rides cost extra and only run weekends.
Chester's Pumpkin Pasture: Oakdale
Oakdale Rodeo Grounds, 1624 E. F St., Oakdale · (209) 614-9355 September 26 – November 1, 2026 · Daily 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
Chester's is the newest of the bunch and the most Oakdale thing on this list - a pumpkin patch built, in their words, on the roots of Oakdale's farming and ranching community, staged at the rodeo grounds. Enter from D Street on the north side.
The layout leans agricultural rather than carnival: pumpkin patch, hay mazes, corn pits, pony rides, barnyard animals, cattle truck play areas, and a kids rodeo corral. Pumpkin varieties include Jack-O-Lantern, Munchkin, Atlantic Giant, Cinderella, Lumina and Knuckle Head.
The part that sets it apart is that there's something here for the adults. Friday through Sunday evenings, Dying Breed Brewery runs a beer garden with food trucks, and Saturday evenings have live music from 4 to 6 p.m.
On pricing: in 2025 they ran $15 per person Monday through Thursday and $20 Friday through Sunday, with kids under two free. They hadn't posted 2026 rates when this went up, so treat those as a guide and call ahead.
Dutch Hollow Farms: Modesto
2500 Santa Fe Ave., Modesto, CA 95357 · (209) 287-6010 Opens October 2, 2026 · Runs through Halloween
Dutch Hollow is the photo farm. If the goal for the day is a picture you'll actually use on the Christmas card, go here.
They grow more than 45 pumpkin varieties, and the whole place is laid out to look good - flower plantings, painted backdrops, concrete paths so you're not wrestling a stroller through a dirt field. There's a tractor-themed corn maze, tractor rides, a zip line, games, and a petting zoo with cows, chickens, goats and pigs. They also do marigold picking that carries past Halloween into Día de los Muertos, which no one else around here offers.
Two notes. Their Fall Craft Fair is Saturday, September 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — free admission and parking, though the animals and attractions are closed for it. And 2026 admission pricing still wasn't posted when this went up. Dutch Hollow announces on their Facebook page and lets the website lag, so check there before you drive out. Field trips run October 2–30 and they book up.
Resendiz Family Fruit Barn: Hughson
4342 Geer Rd., Hughson, CA 95326 · (209) 883-0100 Fall dates TBD · Free entry
Resendiz has been on Geer Road for more than 25 years, and it's the sleeper pick on this list - a fruit barn and from-scratch bakery that turns into a pumpkin patch every fall.
What they put together is aimed squarely at little kids: a hay maze built from roughly 2,000 bales, a tricycle track with real road signs, pony rides, and pumpkins. Owner Francisco Resendiz has said the activities are deliberately built for children, and it shows.
The other reason to go is the bakery. Everything is made in house and they have delicious fruit pies in a rotating set of flavors, hand-decorated cookies, smoothies. It's a genuinely good stop whether or not you're buying a pumpkin, and it's fifteen minutes from most of Turlock.
They hadn't announced 2026 fall dates when this went up. Historically they open in October. Call before you drive out.
Two more worth knowing about
Bloomingcamp Ranch: Oakdale 10528 State Highway 120, Oakdale, CA 95361 · (209) 840-8957 · Wed–Sun, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Not a corn maze operation. This is a from-scratch bakery and farm stand. Free to walk in, no ticket, no crowds. They've historically run an October Harvest Festival with music and crafts, but 2026 dates weren't posted yet. You can also catch them Saturday mornings at the Modesto, Oakdale and Turlock farmers markets.
Rodin Farms: Modesto 5000 Oakdale Rd., Modesto · (209) 551-6701
A fruit stand, not an attraction. Pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, nuts, fall décor. No admission, no line, no negotiating with a toddler about whether we're doing the zip line. Every October there's a weekend where this is exactly what you need.
Worth the drive: Dell'Osso Family Farm: Lathrop
501 S. Manthey Rd., Lathrop, CA 95330 October 2 – October 31, 2026 · Mon–Fri from noon, Sat–Sun from 10 a.m., last entry 7 p.m.
Dell'Osso is the biggest fall operation within reasonable range (about 40 minutes from Modesto) and it's genuinely impressive. It's also, by a wide margin, the most expensive.
Admission runs $24.95 Monday–Thursday, $29.95 Friday, and $34.95 Saturday and Sunday, per person, kids under two free. There's an $85 annual pass if you're going more than twice. Every guest signs a waiver, they take cash or card but not Apple Pay, and attractions close in bad weather.
My honest read: if you have teenagers, or this is the one big fall outing of the year, Dell'Osso earns it. If you have a four-year-old whose favorite part is going to pet animals, you'll get the same afternoon at Fantozzi for less than half the price, or at SONS for a fraction.
Which one should you actually pick?
Toddlers and preschoolers → Resendiz in Hughson or R.A.M. in Turlock. Small, free, everything at their scale, nothing overwhelming.
Elementary-age kids → Fantozzi. Three mazes sorted by age, and the pedal karts alone buy you an hour.
Teenagers → Dell'Osso for the scale, or Fantozzi's haunted maze on a Friday night for a fraction of the cost.
Animal-obsessed kids → SONS Farm Fresh. The reptile house is the thing they'll still be talking about in November.
The Christmas card photo → Dutch Hollow, no contest.
Doing it on a budget → SONS and R.A.M. Between them you can have a genuinely good fall Saturday for the price of a couple of pumpkins and one $8 wristband.
Going without kids → Chester's on a Friday or Saturday evening. Beer garden, food trucks, live music, and you can still walk through a pumpkin patch at dusk.
What to know before you go
It's still hot. We routinely sit in the high 80s and low 90s through the first week of October. The farms that open at 10 a.m. are miserable at 2 p.m. and lovely at 5. Go early, go late, or go to SONS after dark.
Wear closed shoes you don't love. Every one of these is a dirt field. After rain, it's a mud field.
Check ahead on hours and pricing. Several of these farms post their real schedule on Facebook and Instagram. If it has been raining, check to make sure they’re open that day.
Frequently asked questions
When do pumpkin patches open in Stanislaus County? They open between September 10 and October 2 in 2026. SONS Farm Fresh in Oakdale opened September 10, R.A.M. Farms in Turlock opens September 25, Fantozzi Farms in Patterson and Chester's Pumpkin Pasture in Oakdale open September 26, and Dutch Hollow Farms in Modesto opens October 2. Most close on or just after Halloween.
Is there a free pumpkin patch in Stanislaus County? Yes, several. SONS Farm Fresh in Oakdale and R.A.M. Farms in Turlock both have free entry and free parking — SONS charges $5 to $8 only for specific attractions, and R.A.M. only for the corn maze. Resendiz Family Fruit Barn in Hughson, Rodin Farms in Modesto and Bloomingcamp Ranch in Oakdale are also free to visit.
What's the best corn maze near Modesto? Fantozzi Farms in Patterson, for value and variety — three separate mazes sized for different ages plus the full attraction lineup for $15 to $16. R.A.M. Farms in Turlock runs a ticketed maze with Freaky Flashlight Nites on Friday and Saturday evenings. For the largest operation in the region, Dell'Osso Family Farm in Lathrop, at $24.95 to $34.95.
How much does a pumpkin patch cost in the Modesto area in 2026? Anywhere from free to about $35 per person. SONS Farm Fresh, R.A.M. Farms, Resendiz, Rodin Farms and Bloomingcamp Ranch charge nothing to enter. Fantozzi Farms is $15 on weekdays and $16 on weekends. Chester's Pumpkin Pasture ran $15 to $20 in 2025. Dell'Osso runs $24.95 to $34.95 depending on the day.
Which pumpkin patches are open at night? SONS Farm Fresh runs Light the Night through October, open until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Chester's Pumpkin Pasture is open until 8 p.m. daily, with a beer garden and food trucks Friday through Sunday evenings. Fantozzi Farms is open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and R.A.M. Farms runs Freaky Flashlight Nites on weekend evenings.
Are there haunted attractions at local pumpkin patches? Yes, and all of them are mild. Fantozzi Farms runs a Haunted Maze Friday and Saturday nights in October, 7 to 10 p.m., $5 extra. SONS Farm Fresh has a haunted maze for $5. R.A.M. Farms hosts Freaky Flashlight Nites plus Farmer Ron's Scary Shed, which is free and gentle enough for young kids.
What's the best weekend to go? The last weekend of September or the first two weekends of October. The weather has usually broken, pumpkin selection is still full, and you avoid the crush that hits the last two weekends before Halloween.
Alex Sousa, REALTOR® Atlantic Realty · DRE #02222493 2100 Geer Rd, Suite B, Turlock, CA 95382 · (209) 678-4118 Serving Turlock, Modesto, Ceres, Oakdale and Stanislaus County Zillow profile · Instagram
Sources
Dates and pricing verified September 11, 2026 against each farm's own website and local reporting. Farms change hours seasonally and often announce on social media before the website — always call ahead.