Last year, I dragged Dan all the way to Delaware to go to the pumpkin patch. This year, I only took him across the island to Waimanalo. When October hit, I was desperate to have a little bit of fall spirit. I knew there wouldn’t be any sweaters or hot apple cider in my future. The least we could do was head to the pumpkin patch. Fortunately, Oahu delivered. When I searched for a pumpkin patch online, Waimanalo Country Farms popped right up.
Where is Waimanalo Country Farms?
Well, it’s in Waimanalo, which is located on the southeastern side of Oahu. On any given day, it takes about an hour to get over there from the North Shore. However, on the morning we left, we were a little late and then there was some traffic. In total, it was about an hour and 20 minutes to get over there, which is right around the time it took us to drive to Delaware.
Is It a True Pumpkin Patch?
If you’re hoping to find a midwest pumpkin patch in Hawaii, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. While Waimanalo Country Farms is cute, it’s not huge, and it looks like a bit of a transplanted pumpkin path. There’s a lot of dirt, and the gorgeous mountains are visible in the background of pictures you take. You won’t be fooling anyone about where you are. That said, if you’re just trying to get excited about the season of fall, it’s perfect.
Our Experience at Waimanalo Country Farms
Reservations were required for Waimanalo Country Farms and tickets were $10/person.
We booked our tickets for Saturday, October 2 at noon. We ended up driving up to Waimanalo Country Farms about 20 minutes late due to our own timing challenges plus traffic on our drive. The farm itself is located inside a neighborhood, and then you drive up a dirt path. We saw an employee who was checking people in and drove up to them. We apologized for our tardiness, and she was really nice about it. To give us the maximum amount of time, she let us enter with the next group at 12:30.
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions. We drove through the farm and were instructed to park at two different stops: the pumpkin patch and the sunflower field.
We then drove to the end where they had their little country store. I imagine that this is the sort of place you can wander in non-COVID-19 time. However, we were given our “sample” cups of lemonade through the car window. I figured these cups would be “dixie” cup-sized. Quite the opposite! They were the size of a small Starbucks drink and contained the most delicious lemonade I have ever tasted. They had five different flavors: regular, strawberry, mango, pineapple, and ling hing mui. Dan got mango, and I got strawberry. After taste-testing, we both unanimously agreed that we should purchase more strawberry lemonade to have later.
Final Thoughts
Waimanalo Country Farms was a fun fall date. While it didn’t quite encapsulate all my autumn pumpkin patch dreams, I’m not sure that’s a fair standard to hold in a Hawaiian climate. I definitely recommend going — just don’t forget the strawberry lemonade!
Check out more of my Hawaii adventures here.