Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm, Wheatland CA
Is this cheating – is a day trip considered “traveling”? It doesn’t really matter though because a trip to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm is 100% worth it if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area. We desperately were looking for “fall festivities” regardless of the fact it was 90 degrees which newsflash to everyone in California – is not fall weather. It took us roughly 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon as we left later than planned. The most traffic we ran into was once we were ~2 miles from the farm because it was busy getting in to park.
I’m sure you’re going to tell us that there are closer places to get pumpkins but I’m sorry, going to the abandoned parking lot to pick up some pumpkins with some bounce houses doesn’t say “fall” to me. We both grew up outside of Buffalo, NY where fall meant falling multicolored leaves, pumpkins for sale in front yards/roadside farm stands, apple cider, apple picking, corn mazes, etc… We needed to find that in California and thanks to one of our favorite youtube channels we found out about Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm! Thanks again to Ally Warren for always making Justin Scarred make the trip – click here to see their vlog. As soon as we realized there was an actual cider mill at this location every other “pumpkin farm” in the area was thrown off the table. We had to make the trek and we are so glad we did!
Admission is free, parking ranges from free – $15 based on the day. There are tons of activities, free and ticket based. When we paid for parking we were given a map & a newsletter outlining all of the fun festivities! When we first arrived we headed straight over to the Porko Arena for some pig races since it was the last one of the day. We were in the yellow section and our pig won during during the second race. If you’ve never experienced a pig race before make sure you check out the schedule for the day because it is a DO NOT miss event!
After the pig races we walked around more and ventured to the “Other Side of the Tracks” which is what I called their “alcohol corral” or the beer garden. I think alcohol corral described the vibe and venue a bit more, but regardless we ordered some Apple Cider Champagne Slushies. They also had local beer and wine but let’s be honest we came for Apple Cider, also did I mention it was almost 90 degrees?
After our delicious slashes we ventured around one of the play areas – the Coyote Bend – which is a recreation of an Old West Town. From there we grabbed some garlic fries and headed over to the Corn Maze, stopping to listen to the live band that was set up by the train on display. After we finished our fries we grabbed some tickets and entered the Corn Maze! We wandered around the corn maze for at least a half hour, stopping and taking in the view from the bridge in the middle. We also watched some of the people zip lining down as well as the hayrides going around. Since we went later in the season the Sunflower Labyrinth, located next to the corn maze, was still open to wander but was lacking any sunflowers. Next year we may have to go earlier in the year to experience the Sunflower Labyrinth and take home one of the sunflowers as a souvenir.
We ended up visiting on a Saturday afternoon/evening so there was a free movie night set up in the back pumpkin patch and families were settling in around sunset with some controlled bonfires going as well. We knew we had a 2 hour drive back home, so we strolled back over to the cider mill to take home some cider and stopped by Mrs. B’s Country Bakery to grab an apple pie and apple dumpling to enjoy at home. All three were worth the trip alone! We regret not bringing a cooler and purchasing a frozen apple pie to bust out for Thanksgiving, definitely will remember for next time. Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm is open until November 4th this year – check their hours and make it out if your schedule allows it or make a note to add it to your fall festivities next year!
Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm • 1415 Pumpkin Ln • Wheatland, CA 95692
Now you know this is captures&cocktails – so I’m not going to leave you without a fall cocktail tip. Take that apple cider and make an old fashioned with it!
Apple Cider Old Fashioned
- 2 oz apple cider
- 2 oz bourbon (or whiskey if you prefer)
- a few dashes angostura bitters
- brown sugar (optional, to taste)
- apple slice (optional, for garnish)
Add apple cider, bourbon, bitters, and brown sugar (optional) to a mixing glass with ice. Stir & pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with apple or just enjoy!
