Fall Fun Abounds At Napa, Petaluma Pumpkin Patches [PHOTOSHOW]

SONOMA and NAPA COUNTIES, CA – Photos and post by Al Francis of NapaSonomaPhotos:

Kids of all ages and families this week were drawn to the great pumpkin meccas in Napa and Petaluma, not only to find the perfect pumpkins, but also to have lots of Halloween-inspired fun.

A pumpkin patch typically has rows of pumpkins to run through to search for one to take home, but at the Stanly Lane Pumpkin Patch in south Napa and the Pronzini Pumpkin Patch east of Petaluma you will find a cornucopia of activities for kids.

The family-owned Stanly Lane Pumpkin Patch, adjacent to Highway 12 at Stanly Lane, is a tradition in Napa. It features one of the tallest hay stacks with a huge tube slide. Besides the pyramid haystack, the piglets and goats are fun to watch. New this year is a 45-foot long, walk-through gourd house.

Due to recent rains, giant blue tarps covered the haystack, but they should be ready for the weekend crowds.

The first thing you notice at Pronzini Pumpkin Patch on Adobe Road is the giant, inflated pumpkin, along with colorful inflated castles and slides for jumping activities. Nearby there is a corn kernel box, akin to a sandbox but filled with corn, where young ones can roll around.

And something extra is the hayride, and the train pulled by a tractor that is a real treat. Ride along to check out the rest of the property, including a Haunted Trail Walk that the family built by adding wooden buildings and scary spiders and skeletons. That, however, may be too scary for little children.

There is also a petting area with horses and teepees.

Both patches include hay mazes nearly 5 feet tall. Food is also available at both sites.

This is the second year for Pronzini Pumpkin Patch. Owner John Pronzini was manning the BBQ with daughter Lisa and the rest of the family helping out.

The Pronzini family also operates Christmas tree lots at the Marin Civic Center and in Novato. Lisa said they harvest 150,000 Christmas trees each year for retail and wholesale from their tree farm in Salem, Oregon.

For more info: Pronzini Pumpkin Patch or Stanly Lane Pumpkin Patch on Facebook.

Also from the Patch Halloween and fall files:

• Stir Up Treats For The Grown-Ups: Halloween Cocktails
• What To Do With Those Baby Pumpkins? Stuff & Roast 'Em!
• Fabulous For Fall: Creamy Pumpkin Hummus Recipe
• Halloween 101: How To Roast Perfect Pumpkin Seeds
• Parents, Be Warned: Toxic Chemicals Found In Halloween Face Paint, New Report Says