We put together this guide for anyone planning a patch run through Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Republic, or Branson this year, along with a few festivals just outside that corridor that are genuinely worth the extra drive. Grab your boots and a wagon big enough for everyone’s pumpkin.
Apple Orchards
Pick your own apples straight off the tree, and stock the pantry while you are at it.
Gardener’s Orchard and Bakery, Brighton (about 25 minutes from Springfield)
With more than 5,000 trees and thirteen varieties, from Red Delicious to the harder to find Arkansas Black, this is the orchard to build a whole afternoon around. Pick your own apples, wander the pumpkin and sunflower fields, then land in the bakery for cider and a warm apple cider donut. Check their website or Instagram for current picking days, since hours shift with the crop. Address: 4455 West Farm Road 2, Brighton, Missouri.
Sunshine Valley Farm, Rogersville (less than half an hour from Springfield)
A family run farmstand that has been growing apples and other produce for more than thirty years. Availability moves with the season, so a quick check of their Facebook page before you head out is worth it, though the farmstand itself is a lovely stop even on a slow apple week. Address: 8125 East Highway AD, Rogersville, Missouri.
Murphy Orchard, Marionville
Home to old favorites like Jonathan alongside the long keeping Arkansas Black. Pick your own is offered only in September, so plan an early fall trip, though the farmstand keeps apples, pumpkins, and fall grapes stocked well into the season. Address: 255 North Highway 60, Marionville, Missouri.
Purple Gate Farm, Highlandville
A small, sweet farm with free range animals, a working herb garden, and an orchard you can pick from by hand. It feels like visiting family land more than a tourist stop, which is exactly the charm. Address: 416 Poplar Drive, Highlandville, Missouri.
Pumpkin Patches in the Ozarks
Corn mazes, hayrides, and pumpkins by the wagonload, across Springfield, Republic, and Nixa.
Rutledge Wilson Farm Park, Springfield
The big red barn you can spot from the road is the start of it. This city owned farm park hosts Harvest Fest on fall weekends with hayrides, a corn maze, a cow train, pony rides, and a pumpkin patch priced by weight. Address: 3825 West Farm Road 146, Springfield, Missouri.
County Line Farm, Springfield
A straightforward, well loved pumpkin patch on the south side of town, with a corn maze and farm animals to round out the visit. Address: 6610 South Campbell Avenue, Springfield, Missouri.
Feemster’s Twisted Corn Maze, Springfield
Known for its corn maze first and pumpkins second, this is the pick if your crew wants a challenge before they choose a pumpkin. Address: 2501 East Farm Road 94, Springfield, Missouri.
Barnhouse Pumpkin Patch, Brookline (just west of Springfield toward Republic)
A smaller patch that makes an easy add on if you are already headed toward Republic for the day. Address: 5484 West Sunshine Street, Brookline, Missouri.
Campbell’s Maze Daze, Clever (between Republic and Nixa)
This one goes all in on fall, with a kid friendly maze by day and a haunted version after dark, plus hayrides, bonfires, and even karaoke some evenings. A good pick if your family wants a whole night out rather than just a patch. Address: 177 Carob Road, Clever, Missouri.
Pickin’ Patch Farm, Marionville
Pumpkins here are priced by weight rather than the piece, so it pays to hunt for a good one. A hayride and corn maze round out the visit. Address: 22813 Highway ZZ, Marionville, Missouri.
Fieth Family Farm, Bolivar (about 25 minutes north of Springfield)
A cozy, small town patch with potted mums, farm animals, a hay bale photo spot, and a corn maze that is worth the drive on its own. Address: 1663 East 490th Road, Bolivar, Missouri.
Republic Pumpkin Daze, Republic (usually the first weekend of October)
Republic’s own hometown festival brings out more than two hundred craft booths along with a friendly weigh off for the region’s biggest pumpkins. It is free to attend and about as small town charming as fall gets. Confirm the exact date on the city calendar, since it shifts slightly year to year.
Branson and Table Rock
The bigger, more produced side of fall in the Ozarks.
Shepherd of the Hills PumpkinFest, Branson (September 12 through October 25)
More than thirty fall activities spread across Shepherd’s Adventure Park, from a wooded hayride to treehouses and mini golf. After dark, add on Pumpkins Aglow for thousands of illuminated pumpkins and a glowing trail through the park. Address: 5586 West 76 Country Boulevard, Branson, Missouri.
Silver Dollar City Harvest Festival, Branson (mid September through late October)
Silver Dollar City’s fall festival brings artisan crafts, live entertainment, and a pumpkin lined pathway through the park that is worth the trip for the photos alone.
Worth the Drive
Just outside the usual corridor, but special enough to plan a Saturday around.
Seymour Apple Festival, Seymour (about 30 minutes east of Springfield, mid September)
A true small town festival built entirely around apples, with local crafts, food, and entertainment filling the square for a weekend each fall. A good dose of Ozarks small town life to go with your apple picking.
Apple Butter Makin Days, Mount Vernon (about 30 minutes west of Springfield, mid October)
A beloved fall tradition where apple butter is still made the old way, in copper kettles over an open fire, alongside a weekend of crafts and music. It is a slower, more nostalgic kind of fall outing than a patch, and worth building a Saturday around.
Before You Go
Hours and picking availability shift with weather and the size of that year’s crop, so a quick check of each farm’s website or Facebook page before you go will save you a wasted trip. Smaller farms often run cash only for admission or pumpkins, so it is worth having some on hand. Weekday mornings are the quiet window if you want fewer crowds and better light for photos. And bring a change of shoes, almost every one of these stops involves at least a little mud.
Whichever patch you choose, the best part of fall in the Ozarks has never really been the pumpkin. It is the people you bring along to find it.
