Navigating through the Pumpkin Maze

Different places to find that perfect pumpkin

Story and photos by Christena Rulli

Tints of red, green and orange mark the trees, creating a backdrop behind straw scarecrows and paper pictures of witches and skeletons pasted on doors and windows. Candy and costume advertisements become more evident as Halloween approaches. Local farms are supporting this holiday by providing pumpkins for carving those eerie jack-o-lanterns and complicated corn mazes for some puzzlement. So get your navigational sense on par and carving tools ready.

Ellms Family Farms

448 Charlton Road
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
(518) 884-8168

Navigating on the rocky driveway to the farm off the major road isn’t the only

Ellms Farms is located in Ballston Spa and offers pumpkins and a trip through the corn maze, "Eerie Cornal."

tricky part of this place. A pumpkin spread is shown outside the building, giving an option of choosing one of those or wandering through there own patch to select one. Inside, photographs are presented of the Eerie Canal - a tribute to this year’s corn maze theme. They also sell maze tickets, cider donuts, chips, hot apple cider, and other soft drinks.

A wagon waits outside the open farmhouse for those who want a hay ride; however, most people were making their way to the maze’s entrance where colored flags on long poles waited to be picked up. These flags serve as markers for those who are scrambling inside to find the maze’s exit. Tall corn stalks rustled as people were searching for missing puzzle pieces that will lead you out of the maze and answers to a crossword puzzle that will also yield a clue. Plan on spending a good amount of time confused and lost, because the average time of completion is 45 minutes to two hours.

Applejack’s Orchard

751 Brand Hollow Road
Peru NY 12972
(518) 643-2268

The clue to finding AppleJack’s is to notice the rows of apple trees warm and growing in the sun. Not only known for apple picking, AppleJack’s also offers a pumpkin patch with a scarecrow always watching the newcomers. A hay ride wagon is always able to give visitors a trip to the patch, while also giving a chance to enjoy the near countryside. Kids can enjoy diving and climbing through a hay maze and getting there fingers licked by animals in the petting zoo.

Banker’s Orchard

State Route 3
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 561-5234

Located in Plattsburgh, Banker’s Orchard is another place that offers pumpkins for potential Halloween carving and possibly baking those pumpkin seeds. They also offer local artist wares and cider donuts to the public along with a petting zoo for the kid’s entertainment. According Katie Alberry, resident of Morrisonville, she enjoys coming here each year to pick her pumpkin and has been a customer there since she was a kid.
“It is a friendly environment and they make everything–local artists, farmers, etcetera,” she said.

Rulf’s Orchard

531 Bear Swamp Road
Peru, NY 12972
(518) 643-8636

When people were asked, where do they go pumpkin picking, the most common answer was Rulf’s Orchard. Rulf’s have pumpkins lined up like little soldiers, varying in size, shape, and color. They also offer a hay wagon with the option of going to the pumpkin patch to personally select one.

Inside, sweet smells tingle your senses as Rulf’s also offers hand-painted pumpkins varying from the Pink Panther to Mickey Mouse. If you look closely, you will see a pumpkin that says “Rulfs, 1952,” symbolizing when Rulf’s Orchard first started. According to Lisa Roberts, a Plattsburgh resident, Rulf’s is where she has always went for her pumpkins.
“My mom hits Bankers but I love going to Rulf’s to take the ride on the hay wagon and go out on the pumpkin patch,” she said. “I started going there since I was a little girl and I have never stopped."

Tucker Farms Inc.

Box 8 Hobart Road
Gabriels, NY 12939
(518) 637-1230

For those who have already selected a pumpkin but is itching to do something else, take a drive to Gabriels, and explore the Great Adirondack Corn Maze. The theme includes animals and canoeing and fishing paths, a tribute to the Adirondacks. Tucker Farms also offers drinks and food and a “little help” in finding your way through the winding area and like Ellms, you probably be scratching your head between 45 minutes to two hours.

“It is a friendly environment and they make everything–local artists, farmers, etc.”

For picking that perfect pumpkin or getting lost in a maze, these places are ones that will spark your interest and give you some experiences that you won’t forget.

Where do you like to go pumpkin picking?

Just like pumpkins and scary movies, what is Halloween without a haunted house? Here is some to check out if you can take it.

Frankenstein Wax Museum
213 Canada Street
Lake George, NY 12845-1401
Hours til Halloween

Friday & Saturday 10 a.m..- 10 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Dr. Morbid’s Haunted House

115 Canada Street
Lake George, NY 12845

Hours til Halloween

Friday 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission
Adults $8
Children 6-12 $4
Children 13-17 $7