One of our favorite fall traditions is going with family and friends to the pumpkin patch. It is such a fun way to kick off the fall season. Our family is spread out so we love that Tanaka Farms in Irvine is a great meet up spot. Plus Tanaka Farms is one of the few REAL pumpkin patches in Orange County. Tanaka Farms grows over 60 different varieties of fruits and vegetables and gives educational farm tours to thousands of school children each and every year — which also makes it a good field trip spot whether you are homeschooling or back in the classroom.
FUN ON THE FARM
From visiting the barnyard animals to riding the tractor wagon and even picking fresh vegetables, there is so much fun to be had at Tanaka Farms. We highly recommend the value package which includes entry, wagon ride, U-pick vegetable patch and barnyard visit. Your ticket also includes a pumpkin. You can take home any pumpkin from the patch, but you have to be able to carry it out! We had a fun competition amongst our family and friends to see who could carry the biggest pumpkin. There are also other activities for an additional price including Pumpkin cannon, arts & crafts, and mini-ATV rides. Make sure to check the website to see what activities are offered that day as it varies during the week from the weekend.
Our kids had a blast running through the corn maze, climbing the John Deere tractor, riding the wagon with their cousins, and petting all of the animals in the barnyard. The kids enjoyed getting dirty and picking their own vegetables. We loved getting some family photos of our families at the pumpkin patch too! We especially loved that it was a great family activity as we had a wide-range of ages including toddlers and grandparents. There are lots of fun photo opportunities at Tanaka from giant pumpkins, to hay bales amongst the pumpkin patch to even a sign seeing how tall you are compared to different crops. We enjoyed taking a big family photo amongst the pumpkins.
TANAKA FARMS A FAMILY AFFAIR
One of the things we love about Tanaka is the history of the farm and how it is a family affair. It began with their great-grandfather Takeo, who was an Issei- first generation Japanese American – who immigrated from Japan in the early 1900s. Today, you will find Farmer Glenn Tanaka, Shirley, and Kenny at the farm, pretty much every single day, checking on the crops, answering questions, and talking with customers.
If you simply just want to go and pick out a pumpkin and take some photos they have that option too. There is also a market filled with fall and Halloween decor and other yummy treats. And don’t forget Tanaka Farms has lots of fun activities throughout the year including the Hikari Lights festival and Christmas tree and holiday market and Strawberry picking.
BRINGING YOUR PUMPKIN HOME
Here are some of our favorite ways to decorate our pumpkins once we bring them home. While we love decorating for fall with all things pumpkin and fall crafts, we sometimes get overwhelmed by the clean up. From painting pumpkins to bedazzling and even making some of your favorite movie characters, there are so many great ways to decorate a pumpkin that are fun for the entire family. We focused on no-carve pumpkin options because we love being creative and minimizing mess! Read more here.
We were hosted by Tanaka Farms. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
