The Best Kept Pumpkin Patch Secret on the Northshore!
Are you like me and the moment the temperatures dip into “chilly” territory, you feel the irrepressible urge to light your autumn-scented candles, get your gumbo pot going on the stove, and head to a pumpkin patch for a DIY photo shoot?
This time last year, I was spending nearly every Fall weekend solo-parenting a newborn, an 18-month-old, and a freshly potty-trained 3-year-old while my husband was working out of town officiating college football. That #3under4 life is tough enough, but because I’m a glutton for punishment, I also wanted to haul my kiddos to a pumpkin patch in matching outfits so that I could commemorate whatever “Fall” is here in Southeastern Louisiana. (If you know, you know.)
Even though there’s a plethora of pumpkin patches to choose from in our area, I was anxious to take any of them on as the only adult with three tiny humans. Most of them seem like pretty serious undertakings (with lots of walking and maybe even the need to pack a lunch) and I just wasn’t sure I was up for the task alone. I really just wanted someplace I could be in and out quickly and relatively easily.
In a rare moment of mom-motivation late one Saturday afternoon, I dressed the kiddos in their matching outfits and decided to try out something I’d glimpsed in passing but hadn’t known anything about: a precious Fall pumpkin display in a parking lot on the service road in Mandeville.
I drove into the Accardo Brothers Landscaping Company and pulled right up to the Fall pumpkin setup. It wasn’t until I was putting the car in park that I noticed the giant white tent in front of me with over a hundred pumpkins on display and realized this was a whole pumpkin patch!
To my extreme delight, the only people there were the employees (no lines to wait in!) and they were so welcoming and patient. I was pleased to find out admission was free — this is especially a nice plus when you have no clue what kind of “experience” your kids have in store for you. We walked/toddled around the bales of hay and looked at all the pumpkins in every shape, size, and color. Fancy heirloom pumpkins? Got ’em. Giant ones to stick a baby in for a photo shoot? Got those, too. And I couldn’t believe how affordable they were — prices ranged from $2-24!
But best parts to me were the gorgeous Fall-themed vignettes around the property. There were at least half a dozen Instagram-worthy backdrops set up for photo ops everywhere you looked. I was able to get some great (well, “great” considering we were working with 3 very tiny, uncooperative people!) photos at the various vignettes. It truly was the easiest, most hassle-free pumpkin patch experience I could imagine. 10/10 recommend!
I was so impressed by my experience last year, I stopped by this year to ask if they’d be doing it again and they are! I spoke with Brooke Heap, their very talented designer, and she said that it’ll be even better this year! There will be free admission and pets are welcome, too. On the warmer weekends, there will be snoballs available for purchase. I cannot wait to bring my kids back this year!
Here’s a look at some of the 2023 displays:
