Everywhere you look, autumn is in the air around the Willamette Valley. Pumpkin patches are dotted with bright, orange gourds; tractors tote hay-covered trailers into fields on harvest tours; kids cackle with delight while trying to navigate corn mazes; and visitors of all ages nosh on apple cider donuts, caramel apples, and other fresh flavors of the season.
Autumn is a beautiful time of year to visit the Willamette Valley—and a number of family-friendly harvest festivals offer an idyllic way to escape the city and enjoy the literal fruits of our labor. Here's a guide to some of our best-loved autumn activities.
Fir Point Farms will hold its annual Harvest Festival Sept. 28-Oct. 27, 2024, in Aurora.
The festival, open Wednesdays through Sundays, will feature a variety of classic autumn activities for visitors of all ages—including a U-pick pumpkin patch, corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin painting, petting zoo, and beer garden.
Between Sept. 20 and Oct. 27, 2024, the Pumpkin Patch at Frog Pond Farm offers a variety of seasonal activities. The fun includes a massive U-Pick pumpkin patch, yard games, a playground, and the chance to meet and feed more than 80 animals—including camels, goats, and llamas.
Bauman's Farm & Garden, meanwhile, hosts the annual Bauman's Harvest Festival—open Sept. 21-Oct. 30, 2024, just outside Woodburn. Each fall, the beloved festival includes a petting zoo (home to goats, alpacas, chickens, and more), a corn maze that measures more than three acres, old-fashion hayrides, a U-pick pumpkin patch, and fresh, seasonal fare (like apple cider donuts). Make sure to swing by the farm's on-site store to pick up home-grown produce and small-batch hard cider.
In nearby Salem, E.Z. Orchards Farm Market HarvestFest transforms the long-standing farm store into a full-blown harvest fest each year. The fun includes a U-pick pumpkin patch, a corn maze, hayrides, farm animals (including adorable pigs), children's games, and more. HarvestFest will run daily Sept. 28-Oct. 30, 2024.
Family fun at Detering Orchards in Harrisburg / Photo by Joni Kabana
Detering Orchards hosts a whole season of fun with its Apple Daze events between Corvallis and Eugene in the heart of the Willamette Valley.
The fun runs on Saturdays and Sundays between September 21 and October 27, 2024. Highlights include wagon rides, a cow train for tiny tykes, a corn maze, caramel apples for purchase, cider canning demonstrations, an apple blaster cannon, U-pick apples and pumpkins, and (on the final weekend of October) trick-or-treating on the farm.
Check out the Detering Orchards events calendar for a full breakdown of what to expect each weekend.
In Albany, Bose Family Farm hosts a creative corn maze—designed in 2024 to resemble a hot air balloon—as part of its annual Harvest Festival. Happening September 27-November 2, 2024, the festival also includes U-pick pumpkins, on-site food trucks, hayrides, and other fun activities.
Thistledown Farm sits just outside Junction City and hosts Lane County's largest pumpkin patch. Every autumn, the farm invites visitors to enjoy a horse-drawn or tractor-drawn wagon ride out to the 400-acre patch to find the perfect pumpkin. Back at the barn, visitors can pick up fresh apples, sip apple cider, nosh on donuts, and more. Activities are happening now until Thistledown Farm closes its market for the season on November 3, 2024.
Fall is a special time in Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory as local farms unveil corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin patches, and other rich traditions. This year, the season is extra special with the Mt. Hood Territory Harvest Trail passport!
By visiting two or more participating farms in October—and completing at least five activities along the way—you can redeem your passport for a Harvest Trail-themed knit scarf.
By redeeming your passport, you'll also provide a Thanksgiving meal to a local family in need through the Sandy Community Action Center, a local nonprofit from the Sandy, Oregon, area.
