Fun for the whole family at local pumpkin patch
My Granny’s Gardens at San Marcos Ranch is back with more fun stuff
Crazy Character Corn Maze • Haunted Lost Dutchman’s Mine • Pumpkin Chuckin’ Slingshots • Li’l Miners’ Gold Panning • Picnic grounds • Farm animals • Pumpkin toss • Farm-fresh produce
– With over three acres of pumpkins, a corn maze, a haunted mine and critters galore, My Granny’s Gardens at San Marcos Ranch is a Central Coast pumpkin patch offering up fun for the entire family through Oct. 31.
Carolyn Davis, better known as “Granny,” and David Poer, a.k.a. “Granddad,” are offering visitors a unique tour of their ranch – They say that they are “thrilled to welcome old and new friends this season.”
“When I hear the laughter of the kids coming from the lake down toward the barn, I know that we are open – it’s just the best,” Davis said. With a theme geared toward family fun, My Granny’s Gardens is suitable from the youngest tikes to the young at heart. Kids ages 2-6 will delight in driving through the twists and turns of the Straw Maze in electric carts and kids of all ages will enjoy visiting the assortment of critters, from tiny horses to very big birds. “We have an emu and lots of miniature horses,” Davis said. “We have Jacob sheep, miniature donkeys and all sorts of fun animals for everyone to see.”
Pumpkins at My Granny’s Garden.
The pumpkin patch offers up a massive assortment of pumpkins. Looking for a huge, itty bitty, tall and skinny, striped, blue, red, white, warty or a plain ole orange pumpkin? With over three acres of pumpkins, squashes and gourds to choose from, the pumpkin patch has an ample supply of varieties for cooking or decorating.
“The crops are continually getting ripe throughout the season, so no matter when you come out to the ranch there is always something delightful to choose from,” Davis said. “We have a great assortment, including some very rare selections in our epicurean corner. We have it all – but I lean towards what is delicious and unique.”
Returning this year are games such as Pumpkin Chuckin Slingshots, where players get to launch small pumpkins towards a goal 50 yards away and the Li’l Miners’ Gold Panning adventure, where every little kids gets the chance to pan for stones and treasures. Don’t forget to take part in the Pumpkin Toss – prizes are handed out to anyone who participates. The highest score in each age group wins a T-shirt.
Find peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and more in the vegetable garden and walk across bridges, past waterfalls and a trickling brook leading to the secret home of the Gargoyles in the herb garden.
The corn maze this year is of Frankenstein and his friends.
The Crazy Character Corn Maze, with turns and surprises around every corner, is fun for all ages. Solve a puzzle and earn a prize. For the most daring visitors, the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, rumored to be haunted by the Old Dutchman that entered the mine 100 years ago seeking gold, delivers thrills, shrills and chills. “The mine is too scary for little guys, but it really is a lot of fun,” Davis said.
Be on the lookout for Skeleton George – a rascally sort of guy sporting a cowboy hat, boots and sunglasses who likes to jump around to different locations throughout the ranch every week.
David Poer, a.k.a. “Granddad.”
“He’s always doing something different, he might be driving a tractor or up in the tree house,” Davis said. “So we’ll ask, ‘where’s George?’ and if the kids can tell us they will get a prize.”
Entrance into the ranch is free. Individual tickets for purchases or activities are just $3, or $65 for a book of 24 and $125 for two books (48 tickets). Composite tickets are available this year, and are $20 for $24 worth of tickets. School group discounts available Monday – Friday. Visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch or snacks for their journey out to the ranch. Bottled water, juices and packaged snacks are available for purchase.
My Granny’s Gardens at San Marco Ranch is located seven miles north of downtown Paso Robles and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 through Oct. 31. For more information or to make a reservations for groups of 12 or larger, send an email to mygrannysgardens@gmail.com or leave a message at (805) 467-3315.
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