Ah, Yes, Pumpkin (Patch) Spice Season Is Upon Us in Washington!

I'm not sure how they do it in other countries, but here in the good ole United States of America, it's officially Pumpkin Spice Season.

I won't say that it started with Starbucks and their famous PSL campaigns, but they likely have a lot to do with the popularity of pumpkin spice lattes. We residents of Washington, however, have been enjoying pumpkin season a lot longer than any coffee chains would have you otherwise believe.

PUMPKIN PATCHES ARE A BIG DEAL IN WASHINGTON STATE

Do you remember that scene in Anchorman when Will Farrell's character, Ron Burgundy, was trying to impress Christina Applegate's character, Veronica Corningstone? He told her that he was "kind of a big deal." Well, that's how we feel about going to the pumpkin patch during the fall in Washington. They are kind of a big deal!

I don't know if anyone has done an official count of all the pumpkin patches we've got in WA, but I can guarantee you the number is in the high dozens.

When I first moved here from Tennessee, I was stunned at how serious my friends and their families took planning group trips to the pumpkin patch in the fall.

September will usher in openings of pumpkin patches around the state. Some pumpkin patches have Halloween themes, others are more family-friendly focused. A lot of these patch farms offer pumpkin-flavored goodies, too, like pies, cakes, donuts, and muffins.

It's also fun to pick out your own pumpkins to put on your porches. That is a family tradition that I created for me and my young daughter, Willow, when she was in the third or fourth grade. We look forward to picking out our pumpkins every year--she tries to get ones as big as a tire, while I like to get the smallest one in the lot! Last year, she even told me we have to start getting a pumpkin for our black cat, Fluffy!

These are the Washington Counties most at risk for Pumpkin (Patch) Spice Overload (PSO) - in a GOOD way!

Yakima County:

Visit Curfman's Massive Corn Maze in Union Gap and all the others on this list from VisitYakima.com.

Snohomish County: 

Stop by Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm.

Thurston County:

The Schilter Family Farm in Olympia has a fun Fall Harvest Festival where you can pick your own pumpkins.

King County:

Have lots of fun at the Thomasson Farm Pumpkin Patch in Enumclaw.

Spokane County:

Carver Farms has one of the biggest pumpkin patches in Washington, with plenty of fun to enjoy like pumpkin doughnuts, hayrides, and corn mazes, too. They're also a great place to pick out your own Christmas tree.

Let me know which pumpkin patches we should be adding to this list. Shout out your favorite pumpkin patch; just drop me an email!