From Pittsburgh Magazine:
Most of the Farms Also Offer Hayrides and Other Festive Fall Activities
Although summer temperatures are stubbornly lingering and the leaves have yet to totally turn, fall is fast approaching. And with fall comes fall traditions — among them, visiting a pumpkin patch and hand-picking your favorite gourd. Whether your pumpkin becomes a jack-o’-lantern or sits amid a festive cornucopia, you don’t have to travel far to find it and bask in all autumn has to offer.
Here’s a list of farms, orchards and pumpkin patches around Pittsburgh that are — pun intended — ripe for the picking:
1. One of the best-known pumpkin patches is Soergel Orchards, fondly dubbed Soergel’s. Situated in Wexford at 2573 Brandt School Road, it offers a wide selection of family-friendly activities and locally grown produce.
Its fall festival will take place weekends from Sept. 17 to Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will feature tractor rides, games, food and pumpkin and apple picking in its orchards.
There is also a market offering pies, sandwiches and produce.
2. The pumpkin patch at Shenot Farm is open from Sept. 24 through Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Also located in Wexford at 3754 Wexford Run Drive, the farm offers hayrides to the pumpkin patch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as a scenic walking trail along a ½-mile, all-terrain path.
In addition to pumpkins, folks can also grab corn stalks, straw bales, decorative gourds, decorative corn and more. On the weekends, the farm hosts food trucks, and on the weekend after Halloween, folks can bring their jack-o’-lanterns and decorative pumpkins back to the farm to destroy them in the annual Pumpkin Smash.
3. Trax Farms, at 528 Trax Road in Finleyville, is 12 miles south of Pittsburgh on Route 88. Its fall festival will kick off on Sept. 24 and run through Oct. 23 on weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fest will feature hayrides, a 3-acre corn maze, farm animals, food trucks, live music and, of course, pumpkins aplenty.
Trax also hosts a “Hops and Hayrides” event on Sept. 17, Sept. 23 and Oct. 7 from 4-7 p.m. Folks can enjoy a scenic hayride and purchase a six-pack or bottle of wine from the farm’s Arrowhead Wine Shop. After a hayride to the top of the hill, you’ll be able to navigate through the corn maze, visit the pumpkin patch and relax at the fire pits.
Trax Farms also offers baked goods, produce and deli items, as well as an antique loft featuring goods from 16 dealers.
4. Gibsonia’s Harvest Valley Farms hosts an annual fall festival at 125 Ida Lane. The entire valley is transformed into a pick-your-own-pumpkin party, complete with hayrides, a cornstalk maze, farm animals, farm concessions, caramel apples, live music and more. It’ll be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23.
More than 160 varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown on the farm and sold seasonally at its market, along with baked goods, spices, meats, dairy products and more.
5. Fall activities and hayrides begin at Simmons Farm on Sept. 17. Located at 170 Simmons Road in McMurray, the farm features 5 acres of pumpkins, as well as both 2- and 4-acre corn mazes, apple picking, flower picking, a petting zoo, an apple labyrinth and more. Visitors can take either a hayride or a scenic “Harvest Trail” to the pumpkin field, where they can also pick an ear of Indian corn — while supplies last.
You can also hop on a nighttime hayride from Sept. 15 through Nov. 3. The wagon will take you to a bonfire site, complete with marshmallows and fresh apples. You’re also welcome to bring your own food, according to the farm’s website.
