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| - For our first pumpkin patch season in Pittsburgh, my family and I came to Soergel on a Saturday to pick pumpkins during the orchard's Fall festival.
Getting into the festival was probably the hardest part. Traffic was backed up out onto the freeway and well down all streets leading to the orchard. Parking was a breeze, which surprised us, and even though the grounds were teeming with folks picking pumpkins, playing games, buying BBQ, and waiting for tractor rides- it was pretty easy to get around.
Pros:
-Definitely a festive way to ring in Fall. I'm a sucker for the pumpkin patch experience.
-Pretty affordable: a ticket costs a dollar and all activities cost between one and five tickets. I bought a nice, big, burger with bacon for $8 (which I thought was affordable) but then also coughed up $6 for a funnel cake later... which I thought was not affordable, considering the item. It was spotty.
Cons:
-I wouldn't call it stroller friendly. We had the hardest time pushing our 22 month old son in his stroller over the gravel- and all the food and stuff is in stands in the gravel.
-The pumpkin selection was a bit sad. Might have been because we came late in the month but I was left a little disappointed. Spent $20 on two medium/large pumpkins.
-It was a MADHOUSE. I would much rather pick pumpkins and apples during the week and have a more subdued experience sans food stalls and games but on their website it doesn't look like they offer that?
Overall, I'm glad we attempted it but, with an almost two year old, it was a major ordeal and we left as soon as we finished eating and choosing pumpkins. Considering the drive and amount of time we waited just to get in we probably won't be back next year for this specific event. The grounds are cute, though, and if you can hack huge crowds and lots of waiting you should give it a go!
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