Pick and choose a pumpkin patch

It’s spooky season and, luckily, Whidbey Island is overflowing with pumpkin patches ready to bring on the fall fun.

Beyond pumpkin picking, several island farms offer everything from corn mazes to Halloween-themed activities that’ll keep you screaming with joy through the rest of October.

Scenic Isle Farms, a fifth generation farm, located on Coupeville’s prairie, goes all-out for Halloween each year. Driving up to the farm is a spooky experience itself, with painted hay bales turned into pumpkins and spooky signs that are a new addition to the farm, donated this year by Maria Warren. Its pumpkin stand is open daily throughout October. Co-owner Alix Roos said the pumpkin patch legacy was started by Dale and Liz Sherman, who retired four years ago.

“We literally have people that have like been here since they were kids and then they’ve grown up, gone to college, had babies, come back with their babies. You see multi-generations that have been coming to the same farm, same place for like over 40 years,” Roos said.

On the weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy trolley rides to the patch, explore the haunted barn, designed and built by Jon Broughton, or stroll through the free spooky sunflower walk filled with ghosts. All week long, pumpkins can also be purchased at the farm stand along with the family’s heirloom Sugar Hubbard squash. Kids ages 4 and under receive a free pumpkin and can take a free trolley ride. Roos said her family is grateful for the many devoted volunteers who support the pumpkin patch and act in the haunted barn. More information about the farm is available at scenicislefarm.com.

A fourth generation farm, Case Farm on Whidbey, located in Oak Harbor, celebrates the harvest in October by inviting families with children of all ages to visit a pumpkin patch and admire the animals on the farm, including the turkeys, ducks, cows and chickens.

“We’re kind of geared for the younger kids but we do have some absolutely magnificent big pumpkins for the bigger kids,” owner Sheila Case-Smith said.

Each year, the farm lights up a path lined with hundreds of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns for its Pumpkin Walk, a free nightly event Oct. 28-30. The tradition was started by the late Michael Smith, a farmer, and is now carried on in his memory. Case-Smith said together with her kids, she is committed to keeping his farm legacy going.

Case Farm on Whidbey is open week-long from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., often on an honor basis. Keep an eye on Case Farm on Whidbey’s Facebook for updates on volunteer opportunities for pumpkin carving before the Pumpkin Walk. Learn more about the farm at casefarmonwhidbey.square.site.

At Whidbey Farm and Market in Oak Harbor, Halloween is a month-long celebration. Its large pumpkin patch offers small and large pumpkins for sale. Additionally, ticketed entry gives visitors access to the Alice-in-Wonderland-themed maze, corn maze, hay bale pyramid and slide, hay bale maze, tractor ride, barrel train and more. On Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., the farm will host its haunted maze, complete with spooky actors lurking among the corn. Then, on Oct. 31, visitors are invited to bring their best costume and car for its Trunk-or-Treat event, featuring photo-ops and sweet treats for all ages. Learn more at whidbeyfarmandmarket.com.

Much like the other island favorites, The Farm Stand at K&R Farms offers plenty of pumpkin-picking opportunities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. The farm in Oak Harbor has a corn maze and sells fresh local produce. Learn more at krfarmstand.com.