Pumpkin Picking on the South Shore 2026: Farms Close to Home and Worth the Drive

The mornings have turned. Somewhere between Babylon and Patchogue the first cool nights have settled in, the farm stands have swapped tomatoes for gourds, and the question starts making the rounds again: where are we taking the kids for pumpkins this year. This page is our answer, and it runs from now through the last weekend in October.

We split it into two lists. The close-to-home farms sit right in our own backyard, a short drive at most, good for a weekday afternoon or a quick weekend run. The worth-the-drive farms ask more of your day but give more back, whether that is a bigger festival, a real apple orchard, or animals the kids will talk about all week. Prices and hours change through the season, so every farm here links back to its own page. Read it before you head out.

If you only go once

If you have room for exactly one trip, let the kind of day you want make the call.

For families who want the close, easy version, Brightwaters Farms in Bay Shore is the reliable pick. It is free to walk in on a weekday, weekend admission covers unlimited hayrides, and you are home before the afternoon falls apart. For the full day, the kind you build a Saturday around, White Post Farms in Melville is worth the extra miles for its animal farm, the shows, and enough to keep everyone busy until the gates close. And if you want a single afternoon that feels like the whole season at once, the Islip Apple Festival lands on one Saturday, October 24, with rides, food, and a scarecrow contest at the Grange.

Close to home

Brightwaters Farms Fall Harvest, Bay Shore

This is the one a lot of local families default to, and for good reason. The weekday walk-in is free, the weekends turn into a full harvest fair with inflatables and magic shows, and the whole thing sits close enough that a short visit stays short.

• Dates: September 21 through October 30, 2026
• Hours: weekdays 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; weekends 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
• Admission: weekdays free; weekends $29.95 per person, under 2 free
• Pumpkins: $0.75 per pound
• Good to know: weekend admission covers unlimited hayrides (on weekdays they are $5 a person), the Farmers Playland inflatables, face painting, animal feeding, and a country store; admission is non-refundable with no rainchecks; they take cash and all major cards.

Organics Today Farm, East Islip

East Islip's low-key option, open every day rather than just weekends, which makes it easy to slip in after school. In October the farm opens the field on Saturday nights for moonlight picking, flashlights in hand, and keeps it gentle enough for the little ones.

• Dates: every day, September 26 to Halloween
• Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Good to know: hayrides run daily 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM in October, $5.00 per person, no reservations; moonlight pumpkin picking is every Saturday night in October, bring flashlights, and the farm keeps it un-scary for young kids; set times are posted on the farm's Facebook page.

Glover Farms, Brookhaven (just past Bellport)

A smaller, working-farm feel just past Bellport, more field than festival. Glover's U-pick pumpkins and the rest of its fall setup are open for the season.

• Dates: open now for pumpkin season, per the farm's own site; no closing date posted
• Pumpkins: U-pick pumpkins in the field
• Good to know: a corn maze plus room for field trips and birthday groups; hours and prices are not posted online, so call ahead at (631) 286-7876; find it at 641 Victory Avenue.

Woodside Nursery and Garden Center, Patchogue

The closest patch to Patchogue proper, and the one with a question mark next to it. In past years the setup ran a haunted tunnel, gold mining, roasted corn, and scarecrow making.

• Good to know: the 2026 season is not confirmed and the nursery's website is down as of late September, so call (631) 758-1491 before you drive over. In past years it ran 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, free to walk in, with most activities $5 to $12; listings put it at 134 E Woodside Avenue.

Islip Apple Festival, Islip Grange, Sayville

Not a pumpkin patch but the one dated stop on this list, and an easy add if your last weekend of October is open. The Town of Islip fills the Grange for a single Saturday.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026; the town has not posted a 2026 rain date
• Hours: last year 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM; the town has not posted 2026 hours yet, so check its page before you go
• Admission: free
• Good to know: craft vendors, amusement rides, a Family Fun Zone, apple desserts, pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, a scarecrow contest, and the Taste of Apple culinary contest at Islip Grange, 10 Broadway Avenue, Sayville.

Worth the drive

F&W Schmitt Family Farm, Melville

The Melville farm built for kids who want to keep moving. Between the mega slide, the mechanical pig races, and the corn maze, the day fills itself.

• Dates: September 19 through October 31, weekends and holidays
• Hours: festival days 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; weekdays noon to 5:00 PM with limited activities
• Admission: $24 weekends and holidays, $18 weekdays, ages 2 and up, at the door only
• Pumpkins: additional charge, priced at the farm
• Good to know: mini golf, a mega slide, mechanical pig races, and a corn maze are all included; the daytime haunted house is $10; cards work only at entry, pumpkins, and the farm stand with a 3 percent surcharge, and everything else is cash; no pets; find it at 26 Pinelawn Road.

White Post Farms Fall Festival, Melville

Less a pumpkin patch than a small zoo with a festival wrapped around it. Melville's White Post leans hard into animals, from a giraffe feeding to a primate barn, and adds six family shows and unlimited hayrides on top.

• Dates: September 19, 20, 26, 27 and October 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 24, 25
• Hours: September dates gates 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, stay until 6:00; October dates gates 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, stay until 6:00
• Admission: $39.95 plus tax at the booth, cash only, or $43.95 plus tax online by card; children under 15 months free
• Pumpkins: 69 cents per pound, $6 minimum
• Good to know: the draw is the animals, the Giraffe Experience, the Dinosaur Adventure, and six family shows including the Singing Chicken Show; a rained-out ticket is good for any festival weekend through October 25; find it at 250 Old Country Road.

Harbes Family Farm (Mattituck, Riverhead, Jamesport)

A North Fork drive, and the pick if apples matter as much as pumpkins. Harbes runs three farms out east, each with its own corn maze and its own character.

• Hours: Mattituck and Riverhead Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Jamesport weekends only, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Pumpkins: sold by the pound at all three farms
• Good to know: apple picking with more than 27 varieties at the Riverhead orchard (pumpkin picking there comes with an apple-picking package) and Honeycrisp at Jamesport; a different maze at each site; the Spooky Night Maze runs October 10, 11, 17, and 24 for $26; addresses at 715 Sound Ave, Mattituck, 5698 Sound Ave, Riverhead, and 1223 NY-25, Jamesport.

The Milk Pail, Water Mill

Water Mill's classic, and more orchard than patch. The Milk Pail is built around apple picking by the half bushel or the peck.

• Dates: Labor Day weekend through about the end of October, Friday through Sunday
• Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
• Pumpkins: gourds, squash, and pumpkins sold by the piece
• Good to know: apple U-pick runs by the container, a half bushel is $56 cash or $58.80 card and admits six, a peck is $32 cash or $33.60 card and admits four; farm wagon tours through the season; the farm posts weather closures at the top of its page, so check before driving; find it at 50 Horsemill Lane.

Waterdrinker Family Farm, Manorville and Riverhead

Two farms under one name, one in Manorville and one in Riverhead, each with its own quirks. Expect a free-to-enter pumpkin field and enough side attractions to stretch into an afternoon.

• Hours: Manorville Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Riverhead Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Admission: $20 per person, except weekends at Riverhead, $28; children 2 and under free
• Pumpkins: the pumpkin field is free to walk into, with pumpkins priced there
• Good to know: sunflowers and a haunted tulip tunnel at Manorville, a jungle greenhouse at Riverhead, plus a corn maze, mini golf, and barnyard animals at both; hayrides run weekends only; leashed pets welcome; 663 Wading River Road, Manorville, and 4560 Sound Avenue, Riverhead.

Lewin Farms, Calverton

The lighter, no-frills stop at the far end of the drive. Lewin keeps it simple, the kind of visit you can do in an hour.

• Dates: pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash from mid to late September into late October
• Hours: U-pick fields close around 4:00 PM
• Pumpkins: U-pick pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash, plus a corn maze
• Good to know: the fields can get muddy, so wear real shoes; there is an ATM at the farm stand; the farm asks you to call (631) 929-4327 to confirm the day's schedule.

Before you go

• Go on a weekday if you can. Brightwaters is free to walk in Monday through Friday, and Schmitt's weekday rate runs lower than its weekend one.
• Columbus Day weekend, October 10 to 12, is the busiest stretch of the season. White Post and Brightwaters both run holiday hours, so the lots fill early.
• Bring cash. White Post is cash only at the booth, Schmitt's takes cards at only a few counters and adds a surcharge everywhere else, and Lewin keeps an ATM at the farm stand.
• Watch the weather. The Milk Pail posts closures at the top of its page, Brightwaters sells admission with no rainchecks, and White Post lets a rained-out ticket carry to any festival weekend through October 25.
• Call ahead on the unconfirmed stops. Woodside's 2026 season is not confirmed and its website is down, so call before you count on it.
• Check the farm's own page before you drive. Hours, prices, and dates shift through the season, and every farm here links to its own page at the end of this guide.