This Saturday it must have been the last of the summer days in Vancouver, however I was not prepared for it. I arranged with some of my girlfriends to go to the Laity Pumpkin Patch located in Maple Ridge, to “kick off” the fall season – even though for the longest time, I refused to acknowledge that summer is coming to an end. I put my outfit together for those perfect fall photos with my trusty fall hat in hand, only for it to be 22 degrees, sunny and super humid. Wearing all black & all long sleeves did not help the situation and my hair resembled Monicas from Friends when she went to Barbados.
For those who aren’t familiar, Maple Ridge is located approximately 45 minutes drive from downtown Vancouver and is totally adorable. If I was to ever settle in around Vancouver (I’d have to be a millionaire) but Maple Ridge would totally be one of my choices. It’s a township and it looks like a great place to raise kids! Laity Pumpkin Patch offers two experiences: North & South.
It’s recommended for children ages 6 and below. There you will find things like: Farmer Play Center, Hay Wagon Ride, Cornstone Family Corn Maze, Farm Animals, Obstacle Course. Children will also be able to pick their own pumpkins from the patch, search for gold & explore the woods. Overall the place is packed with activities and fun things to do for the whole family! They advise to purchase your tickets online, to avoid disappointment and minimize the crowds at any given stage.
This is recommended for children 4 and up. Here, you will also have the ability to pick up your own pumpkin directly from the patch, there are also cleaning stations if you happen to pick up a really dirty one! There is a “wild wild west” shop street, farm animals, corn maze, activity tent with various family games (not just for children), an obstacle course, garden glow (super cool and unique!), coffee shop and various props where you can take beautiful photographs at AND a Pumpkin CANNON!
To be honest we must have been the only people there without any children but we had fun all the same. The admission to the patch is $8.00 per adult, so super affordable and there is plenty of parking! Pumpkins vary in price depending on their size, however we got medium sized pumpkins and only paid $2.00 each which was an absolute bargain.
The farm animals are super adorable, they have baby goats, pigs which jump into a bath as soon as they see people coming, a turkey (which all the children are afraid off and scream bloody murder) bunny rabbits, baby chicks, pigeons and chickens.
Laity facing COVID
I have to say, I felt perfectly safe visiting Laity Pumpkin Patch, mostly because its an open air attraction with plenty of room for you to keep your distance. They also have number of practices in place, such as sanitizer on every corner, hand washing stations, one way systems for all children attractions.
Overall I am very glad I went to visit, as Ireland doesn’t really have Pumpkin Patches, due to the wet and cold climate throughout the year and this definitely put me in the “fall mood”. Next week is Thanksgiving in Canada, which was the perfect excuse for us to go because we needed pumpkins for our pumpkin pie.
Joanna
Joanna Stich 
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