Halloween Happenings: The Great Pumpkin Places of the Delaware Valley

It's pumpkin time once again in the Delaware Valley. Luckily, our region boasts a wide array of unique places offering those bright orange canvases-- each affording the opportunity to express one's crafty creativity. Pumpkin purveyors range from family-oriented and full service to more simple, roadside venues. Regardless, get out there and explore-- some great pumpkin places await.

SIW Vegetables
4317 South Creek Road
Chadds Ford, PA 19317

Located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, SIW Vegetables is the official provider of pumpkins for The Great Pumpkin Carve. The popular, annual carving event is sponsored by the Chadds Ford Historical Society. The family-friendly Halloween-themed celebration features pumpkins ranging from 150 to more than 400 pounds.

SIW sells all of their produce off of wagons, utilizing a small adjacent building for customer check out. In 2001, SWI started a Community Supported Agriculture program that works in conjunction with their retail operation. Alongside their retail customers you'll find many restaurateurs who come to SWI knowing they will find only the highest quality, freshest produce.

They are open for business 7 days a week throughout the season, offering more than 50 different local fruits and vegetables. Demonstrating their commitment to bringing a broad range of choices to their customers, SWI boasts more than 80 varieties of Heirloom tomatoes. Several times each day, fresh, sweet corn fresh is brought directly from the fields to their roadside market.

This time of year, pumpkins and gourds are in abundance at SIW with myriad varieties, shapes and sizes. Whether you are looking for the classic, bright orange "Prize Winner" variety or the "Atlantic Giants", you will find a plethora of pumpkins perfect for carving, painting or other Halloween decorating. SIW is open 10-6pm daily, from mid-June through October 31st.

Tyler Arboretum
515 Painter Road
Media, PA 19063

Tyler rightfully bills itself as "the quintessential fall festival set in one of the most beautiful locations in the area". All too soon, the trees will be bare and the days too short. Without doubt, the nuclear explosion of color from the changing leaves combined with the cool, fresh, fall air-- conspire together to create the perfect lure for a family-fun outing.

On October 13th and 14th, Tyler Arboretum will feature the Teeny Tiny Trackers program. Geared exclusively to 3-year-olds, the program introduces children to the world of nature through a fun, outdoor guided walk and includes an interesting story about the highlights they'll see along the way. Children must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian during the walk. Please note that pre-registration is required.

Also offered on October 14th is the Garden Sprouts program. Garden Sprouts aims to help bring the world of plants and gardens to kids ages 4 and 5. Program highlights include story time, hands-on crafts and fun nature walks designed to complement their introduction to the various plants about which they'll be learning. Children will learn about big pumpkins and small, play a guessing game, decorate a Jack-o-Lantern and enjoy a snack of fresh, roasted pumpkin seeds. The arboretum's policy is that all children must be accompanied by an adult; but participation fees are for the child only.

Rounding out the 2008 Halloween festivities at Tyler are the annual "Pumpkin Days". This year's celebration will be on October 18th and 19th. Activities will include the kid-friendly, spooky Haunted Barn and hayride tours of the beautiful garden grounds. If you are in the mood for some hands-on fun, try making a homemade scarecrow craft decoration. There will also be instruction sessions offered for dressing up your pumpkin in most unique and creative ways-- or simply kick back and enjoy listening to the live music. No pre-registration is required for the event.

Wolff's Apple House
81 S. Pennell Road
Media, PA 19063

Next year, Wolff's Apple House will celebrate their 100th anniversary. Their retail store features a variety of locally grown produce and baked goods. Quality, value and attention to detail are key ingredients for this family-run business-- a fact readily apparent not just in their longevity, but in their loyal customer following as well.

Specialties include freshly baked apple pies, apple-cider donuts and what is arguably some of the best carrot cake to be found anywhere. If you're lucky enough to arrive on a day when they're offering their homemade, secret-family-recipe, baby back ribs, trying some is not so much a mere option, as it is a moral imperative. They are tender, meaty and as flavorful as any deep south roadside BBQ.

Visit your local supermarket and you may find 4 or 5 kinds of apples. At Wolff's, you'll find more than 30 crisp, flavorful varieties. The fresh produce of more than 70 local growers are featured, giving customers an array of choices when shopping for just the right ingredients. Of course, 'tis the season for pumpkins-- and Wolff's selection will not disappoint.

Stop by with the kids, check out their farmer's market and let your little monsters, zombies and witches pick out a great pumpkin or two.Wolff's is open for business 7 days a week, year-round. Hours of operation are 9-6:30pm, Monday through Saturday and 9-5:30pm on Sundays.

Ahearn's Pumpkin Patch
Rt 452 - Pennel Road
Valley View Shopping Center
Aston, PA 19014

For budget-minded pumpkin pickers, a visit to Ahearn's roadside stand in Aston may be well worth the visit. The Ahearn family is well known in the area for their spring flowers and annual Christmas tree sales. This time of the year, however, the focus is on pumpkins and a fresh supply is brought in twice weekly from the family farm near Bloomsburg, PA.

If you're looking just to buy your future Jack-o-Lantern and not be entertained, the Pumpkin Patch offers a very good selection. What Ahearn's lacks in face-painting and hayrides, they more than make up for in value for your dollar. Their pumpkins sell for about 25 cents per pound less that other area sellers. Considering the size and weight of some varieties, purchasing pumpkins from Ahearn's could easily result in a substantial savings. Specialty offerings include a large selection of jumbo-sized gourds as well as pumpkins hand-painted by the Amish on their farms in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Linvilla Orchards
137 W Knowlton Rd
Media, PA 19063

For many residents of the Delaware Valley, Linvilla Orchards defines the Halloween season. Situated on 300 acres in rural Delaware County, the Linvilla family runs a year-round operation that has become the must-see place for families to visit around the autumn holiday. Right now, the farm is in the peak of their famous Pumpkinland Harvest Festival, which runs from mid-September through early November.

Featured attractions include larger-than-life exhibits, family-fun hayrides, pick-your-own produce and a variety of Halloween-themed activities. Linvilla has a number of animals on the property including horses, deer, goats, sheep, rabbits, chicken, wild turkey and exotic birds. The little ones can even get 'close-up' and feed some of the animals.

Linvilla offers two different age-appropriate hayrides. Kept very light-hearted, the "Ride to the Witch's House" ends with a visit to the friendly witch who treats the kids to a story, tells jokes and gives out cookies. Afterwards, there's a marshmallow roast around an open fire. For those not interested in the witch's tales, the "Harvest Moon Hayride" offers a similar experience-- only without the visit to the green-faced lady of Linvilla. There's really no need to remind vistors to check out the orchard's famous, three-decade-old, super-sized Raggedy Ann doll. She is, after all, a Guiness World Record Holder.

Linvilla suffered a tremendous loss on August 16, 2002 when their rare, octagonal-shaped barn built in 1889, burned to it's foundation. When employees arrived that morning, they went right to work. Some picked fruit in the fields while others erected huge tents. By the end of the day, Linvilla was back in business-- selling their produce under canvas cover, while the century-old barn continued to smolder. A tribute to their farmers' hard-working, never-quit spirit, their new store opened it's doors for business just 6 weeks later on September 28th. With the foundation still intact, the family promises to rebuild the barn in the near future.

Linvilla specialties include store-baked pumpkin, apple, blueberry and blackberry pies, to name just a few of the treats available from the bake shop. Be sure to try Linvilla's own apple cider. It is simply without comparison. Of course, they offer the usual seasonal favorites like apple-cider doughnuts, homemade candy and caramel apples along with a decent menu of choices from the concession stand, but the real reason for a trip to Linvilla in October is for selecting that perfect orange orb.

As fate would have it, there's no shortage of pumpkins at Linvilla Orchards. In fact, you'll find Pumpkinland literally brimming to capacity. With more than 100 tons of pumpkins of every size, shape and variety on display, you'll have no trouble finding just the right one for your decorating needs.

Be sure to arrive planning plenty of time to enjoy all that Linvilla Orchards has to offer. The store is open 7 days a week. Fall hours are 9-8:00pm Sunday through Thursday and 9-9:00pm on Friday and Saturday.