Pumpkin patch at Butler's Orchard, Germantown, Maryland

Our family was recently invited to a private event at Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival in Germantown, Maryland. As my husband was navigating through the small and winding roads on the way to the festival, I received a phone call from a friend whom we were meeting at the orchard. “It’s a madhouse here!” he exclaimed. That was an understatement.

As we passed the farmer’s market, we saw tons of families checking out the farmer’s market. We kept going to the Fall Festival area and saw even more families. Butler’s Orchard was crazy packed with so many families having a lot of fun!

Our first stop: the hayloft. Kids were climbing up stacks of hay and jumping from them with no fear, our daughter and her friend included. My husband kept a close eye on her, but she needed no help! He did have to come to my rescue as I under-estimated how slippery those hays could get. Needless to say, I got hays everywhere, from my jeans to my purse.

Next stop: moonbounce! There are other play areas right by the moonbounce, from an inflatable obstacle course to a castle playground. We decided to divide and conquer; two adults watched the kids play in the moonbounce area while the rest of us got in line for the hayride.

Hayride at Butler's Orchard, Germantown, Maryland

And up on the hayride we went! It was a packed ride, so we ended up sitting in the middle of the wagon. We enjoyed the beautiful view until we got to the pumpkin patch. They had a nice selection of pumpkins that we got to pick from. Our kids, of course, were more interested in squashing the pumpkins that the animals have gotten to while the adults contemplated over which pumpkins to pick. After a while, we each got a pumpkin and went back on the hayride to pay for our pumpkins. They had wagons right by the cashiers, so we got a wagon to tow our pumpkins back to the cars and another wagon to tow the kids to the slides.

We each grabbed a potato sack, climbed the steep hill and went down the slides. So fun! We saw some older kids using cafeteria lunch trays to go down on the slides. I’m not sure if they brought the trays themselves or if they were provided by Butler’s Orchard. Regardless, those kids were flying off the slides!

Corn Maize at Butler's Orchard

We then head down to the corn maze before the festival was closed. Amazingly, we made it out in time before we enjoyed dinner outside as the sun was setting. We warmed up by the fire as we roasted marshmallow and made some s’mores. What a perfect way to end the day!

More about Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival
What? A fun festival for the entire family! Besides the hayloft, hayride, slides, playgrounds, moonbounces, corn maze and slides, they also have farm animals, a hay maze, corn bins, pony rides, a pumpkin cannon, rubber ducky derby, pedal tractors, kids’ crafts and face painting. Festival food and drinks for sale include barbecue, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, caramel apples, apple cider and more. You can also stop by their farm market to pick up fresh produce, local apples, local honey and delicious pies.

Where? Butler’s Orchard is located at 22200 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, Maryland (map it).

When? Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival is held on Saturdays and Sundays in October.

How much? Admission fees are $10 per person. Free for kids under 2 years old.

Want more information? Download their Pumpkin Festival flyer or call 301-972-3299.

See more pictures of Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival on my Facebook page.