A Trip to Walden Pumpkin Farm

FALL 2021 UPDATE: CLICK HERE TO SEE TIME AND ACTIVITY CHANGES DUE TO COVID-19.

A fall tradition of ours is to visit a pumpkin farm. Who doesn’t love farm animals, pumpkins galore, and running through a hay maze? At times it’s been difficult to find one that is reasonably priced and not too far from home.

Walden Farm, a local family-owned farm, meets all the above requirements.

It’s located in Smyrna, Tennessee which is a little over 20 miles southeast of Nashville. A great escape from city life on a crisp fall day. It usually opens mid-September and runs through the end of October. It’s open Thursday- Sunday. This year’s opening day is Saturday, September, 25. Note: Be sure to check their website for changes in offerings due to COVID-19.

Cost: The Price is Right

This farm offers free admission and parking. Yep, that’s right. FREE. Once parked, the options are to purchase Walden Farm Bucks Punch Cards or simply enjoy the no-cost options the farm offers.

The punch cards are required in order to participate in paid activities. They are sold in various areas around the farm. Also, you may want to bring a few quarters for the animal feed dispensers. A handful of feed is twenty-five cents (quarters only).

The activities that are offered at no cost include a hay maze, toddler town, grain bins, loads of great spots for photo ops, and an animal barn. At the barn, you can pet the animals for free and feed them for a quarter. There is also an outhouse plus a working well house.

You can have a ton of fun at no cost, especially if you have small children. This is so nice for those on a tight budget that still want to enjoy fall but can’t afford to shell out a lot of cash. Raising my hand here.

My boys wanted to play in the paid activity area which offers things such as a hay mountain, 40-foot slide, corn maze, see-saw, and a corn crib. Using our $10 Walden Farm Bucks Card, it took nine punches for all three of us to enter the activity area. Other activities that are offered at an additional cost are a hayride, sand art, and face painting.

What to Bring

I saw a few people with wagons which seemed like a wonderful idea. A wagon would come in helpful to place your bag, hold a child that is too tired, and carry a few beautiful pumpkins.

Walden Farm is family-friendly. Strollers would do fine as long as it’s not too muddy. There are not many steps or obstacles for older people. They sell hamburgers, hot dogs, and even funnel cake! No worries if someone gets hungry or if you stay right up until dinner time.

Don’t Miss the Country Store

The country store offers all kinds of goodies, such as local honey from Walden Farm, sorghum molasses, jams, jellies, pickles, fall decor, mums, pumpkins, gourds, and more. My friend, Tabitha raves of their pumpkin chess squares.

It’s always cute to have your kids pose in front of a giant measuring stick to see their height. Tabitha, who visits annually, takes a photo of her kids in front of the scarecrow every year, what a sweet tradition!

I’ve also heard they have live music and a blacksmith on the weekends. Lots of farm animals can be found such as goats, pigs, and donkeys. I personally liked watching the peacocks and turkeys. Seeing a live turkey close up and realizing in a few months that type of bird will be sitting as cooked meat on our Thanksgiving table gives me the creeps!

The farm hosts school field trips plus a circa 1850’s log cabin can be rented for birthday parties or gatherings. Little House on the Praire-themed birthday, anyone?

8 Quick Farm Tips

• Arrive early, it can get crowded.
• Bring quarters for the animal feed machines. Each portion is twenty-five cents and the machines only take quarters.
• A wagon may come in handy especially if you are planning to purchase a pumpkin or two.
• The parking area is pretty large so you might have to walk a while to get to and from your car.
• If it has rained recently, the parking area will be muddy.
• The farm is closed on Wednesdays and on heavy rain days.
• For bathrooms, there are porta-potties on-site (one is handicap accessible), plus a diaper changing booth.
• Walden Bucks punch cards, which you need for paid activities, can be purchased in various locations around the farm. Cash, debit and credit cards are accepted.

Do you have a favorite fall outing? I’d love to hear about it.

If you purchase from a link on this blog a small percentage of the sale may come back to me. You are never charged more for the product. It’s a way to keep this site going and I’m very selective about the things I list. It’s mostly things we already own and love or things I think you would enjoy. Thank you for reading!