October is a fun time of the year with Halloween and other seasonal festivities. Going to pumpkin patches, riding on hay bale rides, and going though haunted houses are all a part of the fun down at the Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival.  

  The Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival is located at 16907 Boy Scout Rd, Odessa, FL 33556 at the Raprager Family Farms – The Halloween Farm. The farm is open every Thursday to Sunday in the month of October from 10am to 9pm. When entering the festival, a ticket entry is required. The tickets come at different price ranges depending on your age. Tickets for the adults is $15, senior citizens is at $12.50, children are $10, and children from ages zero to two years old are free. “My aunt and uncle took my younger cousins to the festival and they said the pricing for the whole family worked out well for them,” Brayden Eager (‘23) said. If you come on a Thursday, the pricing is set at $8 for everyone.  

 At the Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival there are many activities to do. There are hayrides until sunset, hay chute/slide, games, face paint, mini crop maze, corn pit, pumpkin carvings and painting, and pumpkins for sale. Also, a kids haunted house and a haunted barn that is 5,000 square feet for people to walk through. After 4pm people dressed up like monsters come out and walk around.  

 A corral of animals is also at the festival for a petting zoo. The animals include goats, sheep, pigs, ponies, giant tortoises, emus, peacocks, and chickens. “My favorite animal were the little goats, they were so cute,” Isla Stewart (‘24) said.However, the petting zoo part closes at 6pm because management reserves the right to close the animal pasture at any time due to the animals becoming overly stressed due to weather or participants mistreating the animals.  

 Accommodations include vendors that serve food, beer, wine, crafts, clothes, and many more. There are also seating areas around the farm for the connivence of the people who attend. “One of the main reasons my mom wanted to take me, and my brother was to enjoy the whole Halloween atmosphere” Amelia Cunningham ‘24. 

 The festival is a family friendly event that could be enjoyed by the whole family young or old. It is a good bonding experience to bring families closer and spend quality time together. Most importantly it gets you in the Halloween spirit!