Tis the season for pumpkin patches and fall fun! Montpelier Farms is one of the local patches we highlighted in our 2020 roundup of the best pumpkin patches in Maryland for Route 1 kids. Here’s an recap of our recent visit to this happy place in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Montpelier Farms Pumpkin Patch
We purposely visited Montpelier Farms on a weekday as as we’d heard other pumpkins patches (a la Butlers) got crowded during the weekends – even with timed ticket entry. Going during a weekday also saved us money as we took advantage of their “Weekday Playdate” pricing ($8 v. $12). Speaking of, tickets must be purchased online ahead of time and you must select a time slot for your visit.
We arrived around 1pm. Parking was a cinch. What we didn’t expect though was to have to wait in line to enter. Doing so seemed counter-productive to the social-distancing purpose of buying tickets in advance, but the line moved fast and I don’t rule the world so there’s that.
Animals, Animals, Animales
After entering, we headed straight to check out some four-legged farm-y friends. Along the way, we passed a “duck races” game as well as some “gem stone mining” activities. I made some empty promise about doing them when we returned back up the hill. #momoftheyear.
The animals were all friendly, even the alpaca who exercised her spitting abilities on passersby. Now my son knows not to get too close to an alpaca when s/he’s bobbing its head back and forth. #lessonlearned
And then Janis said, “Come a little closer now, baybay.”
This guy here, “Sweet Charles,” is what will have us coming back to this farm year after year. This equus was the gentlest boy and so good with the kids. Speaking of, if wondering about social-distancing, our children waited their turn to feed and be near Charles, as did the other guests.
Corn Maze
Having read “The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin” to our kids through the years, it was a fun treat to walk through a maze with the story as its focus.
Knowing the story well, the kids would take turns “reading” each page before skipping off to find the next.
Tractor Pedal Karts, Hill Slides
The kids then had fun balancing their steps on the tires on the ground as they made their way to the tractor pedal karts. Lucky for me, my youngest’s feet don’t yet reach the pedals, so guess who had to push her around? 😉
We had also planned to make our way to the giant slides, but with only limited time left, we instead made our way to the pumpkin patch.
Montpelier Farms Pumpkin Patch
While the pumpkin patch was not exactly brimming with pumpkins, it had enough small ones for us to pick out and the price was right!
Tips
- The hayrides only occur at the top of the hours. If you miss it, you need to wait until then next top of the hour. (Hopefully that makes sense to you!)
- If you go for the Weekday Playday special, know that not all of the activities or eateries are open. There’s still more than enough to do, though. And you can still get your apple cider donut inside the main hall – so all will not be lost!
- Don’t forget your masks! But if you do – or happen to mysteriously “lose” yours along the way as happened with us… – know that there’s a WaWa nearby that sells face masks.
- Keep expectations in check. Visits to anything this year will be different for all of us. We’re all doing our best. Let’s just remember that and be gentle with each other.
Montpelier Farms is located at 1720 Crain Highway North, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774.
Enjoy! And if you go, please come back and comment here about your experience!
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