Pumpkin Picking at Wentworth Garden Centre Family Farm

Pumpkin picking here comes with the carving thrown in. You choose a pumpkin from the patch and then take it to the craft area to carve it, at no extra charge, which saves the usual business of doing it on a kitchen table at home.

The patch sits inside the Family Farm, so a visit takes in a great deal more than pumpkins. The animals include llamas, alpacas, pigs, ponies, sheep, goats, foxes, peacocks, birds, reptiles and small mammals, and there is a sand and water play area, a pirate ship climbing frame, a tractor derby racetrack and an undercover adventure playground.

Across the Halloween week and into early November the farm runs timed animal encounters to a set daily timetable, starting with a tortoise in the morning and working through an Asian palm civet, a lizard and guinea pigs to creepy-crawlies in the afternoon. A fancy dress competition is judged each day at 2pm and the winning child gets free return entry and a free bag of animal food. Halloween games including a Mystery Box Challenge, Witch Hat Ring Toss and Hook a Duck are charged per go.

Two more Halloween attractions run in the Historic Gardens: a Haunted Halloween Trail included with garden admission, and Meet the Wentworth Witch, which must be booked online. No pre-booking is needed for the Family Farm or the pumpkin picking, and two to three hours covers it comfortably.