COOL RIDGE, WV (WOAY) – Corn, squash, and lots of pumpkins, it’s harvest time here in the Mountain State and also the kick-off to the Halloween season.
And that means, lots of one-tank trips to the local pumpkin patch. Fortunately, there just so happens to be a 200-acre patch right down the road in Cool Ridge, West Virginia.
Not only does Okes Family Farms offer rows and rows of beautiful pumpkins that visitors can pick out on their own terms, but also at the farm one can find a corn maze, 150-foot slides, and a variety of games and activities.
“Everybody can go out and pick their pumpkins, we also have a corn maze that’s a little over an acre, corn hole, giant corn hole, giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, a hay tunnel for kids to crawl through, we have some giant checkerboard games for kids to play with, we have hamster wheel races, we have teeter-totters,” says co-owner of the farm, Jennifer Okes.
After being established in 1914, growing pumpkins every year at the farm has not only been a way of life but has become a business.
For 18 seasons they have been welcoming visitors onto their property to take part in the many exciting customs this time of year brings along with it.
From wagon rides to crawling through the hay tunnel, and simply picking out the prettiest pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern, there is so much festive fall fun to be had at the farm. But even more, it’s a place kids can come to just be kids.
“There are so many things that we can all take our kids to do, this is one of the few things that you can take your children to do that’s outside, where they’re going to run around, be detached from their phones, their laptops, their computer screens, their games, anything you can do with your kid that has them physically active, outside having fun as a whole family, is just amazing,” says Okes.
Starting in mid to late September and lasting until October 31st, the farm is open on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon until 5 p.m.
Kids 4 years old and under get in for free. A family of 4 is $37 and each additional person is $7.
Pumpkins are priced by size. The farm is located at 614 Blue Jay Road, Cool Ridge, WV. You can find them on Facebook or on their website.
