Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes Near Asheville

Fall near Asheville is apple country as much as pumpkin country. Head south on I-26 toward Hendersonville and you are in orchard country, where the apple farms add pumpkin patches, corn mazes and wagon rides once the leaves start to turn. Closer in, there is a corn maze ten minutes from downtown Asheville and working farms in Fairview and Canton that open their gates for the season.

Every farm on this list is within about an hour of downtown, and every one has posted this season's details on its own website or official social page. The descriptions of what each farm offers carry over from year to year. The lines marked 2026 are this season's dates, hours and prices, taken from each farm's own pages. Where a farm has not posted something, we say so instead of guessing. Farms close early for rain and change hours late in the season, so check the farm's page or social accounts the morning you go.

Eliada Corn Maze - The One Right in Town

The Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the easiest fall farm outing in Asheville, because it is in Asheville. The 8-acre maze sits on the Eliada campus on the west side of the city, and one ticket covers the maze plus the festival around it: tractor rides, hayrides, corn cannons, a spider climber, a bouncy pillow, lawn games and pumpkins. Local food trucks set up on select dates, and there are apple cider slushies.

It is a family maze, not a haunted one. Eliada says so directly, so it is a safe pick for small kids. It is also a fundraiser: proceeds support Eliada's programs for children, youth and families in Western North Carolina. Pets stay home (service animals are welcome), and the ground is real farm ground, so wear closed-toe shoes and bring an all-terrain stroller if you need one.

• Drive time: about 10 minutes west of downtown
• Address: 49 Compton Drive, Asheville, NC 28806
• 2026 season: runs through November 1
• 2026 hours: Fridays 3 to 7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 2026 admission: $15 per person
• 2026 extra: Music at the Maze, a Friday evening series from 5 to 7 p.m. on select Fridays in October, included with admission: Doss Church and The Unholy Noise on October 9 and Laura Blackley and Dave Desmelik on October 16 (Ashley Heath and Joshua Singleton were listed for October 2)
• Tickets: Eliada recommends buying ahead for popular weekend dates. Tickets and weather updates are on the Eliada Corn Maze page.

Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard - Pick Your Own Pumpkin Off the Vine

Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard is the best all-around fall farm near Asheville if you want a real pumpkin patch, the kind where you walk the field with a wheelbarrow and pick your own. The Stepp family plants 15 pumpkin varieties, from classic orange carving pumpkins to warty and blue specialty types and minis, and sells most of them by the pound. Pumpkins are ready from late September through October.

It is a fourth-generation working farm of about 100 acres, with 40 acres of apple orchard and 26 apple varieties for U-pick. The 5-acre corn maze gets a new design each year and is open daily through the season. On weekends the farm adds an apple cannon, a jump pad for kids 10 and under, and wagon rides around the orchard. The Hayground play area is open daily, there is a covered picnic shed where you can bring your own lunch, and the Apple House bakery sells apple cider donuts. Food trucks come most fall weekends.

Leashed dogs are welcome in the orchard, but not in the Apple House, the corn maze or on the wagon.

• Drive time: about 45 minutes south of downtown
• Address: 170 Stepp Orchard Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• 2026 season: opened August 15. The farm has not posted a closing date, so check before a November trip.
• 2026 hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 2026 prices: no admission charge. You pay for what you pick, buy or do. Wagon rides are ticketed, and kids 2 and under ride free.
• 2026 bundles: online-only Fall Fun Bundles combine a U-pick apple container with corn maze and activity tickets. Weekend bundles are $23 for one, $37 for a couple and from $57 for a family. Weekday bundles are $19, $28 and from $41.
• Reservations: not required for U-pick. Bundles are limited each day and sold only through the farm's site.

Grandad's Apples N' Such - Corn Maze, Cow Train and Cider Donuts

Grandad's Apples N' Such is the easiest Hendersonville orchard to get to, two miles off I-26 on Chimney Rock Road. Look for the barn and the John Deere tractor on the silo. It is a 120-acre family farm and orchard with a corn maze, a pumpkin patch stocked with pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns in every size, and a Kid's Zone with farm-themed activities and photo props.

The corn maze is open daily. The cow train and the apple cannon run on Saturdays and Sundays. Apples are sold pre-picked from the bins every day, with U-pick on select weekends. The bakery is half the reason to come: hot cider donuts all day, apple pies, hot cider and apple cider slushies. Leashed pets are welcome.

• Drive time: about 35 to 40 minutes south of downtown
• Address: 2951 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• 2026 season: open for the season now. Pumpkins arrive in late September, and the farm switches to its Christmas season in November.
• 2026 hours: daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cow train and apple cannon run on weekends.
• 2026 prices: the farm does not post activity prices online. Bring a card and some cash for the maze, the cow train and the cannon.

Cold Mountain Corn Maize - Family Maze by Day, Haunted by Night

Cold Mountain Corn Maize is the pick west of town, a farm maze outside Canton with hay rides and a pumpkin patch. The farm's own tagline covers it: family friendly by day, haunted by night. Come in the afternoon with small kids and walk the maze in daylight, or come after dark when the scares start. A concession stand sells snacks, and there is a bonfire at dusk with hot chocolate and s'mores.

• Drive time: about 30 minutes west of downtown
• Address: 4168 Pisgah Drive, Canton, NC 28716
• 2026 season: September and October, with a haunted maze in the evenings
• 2026 admission: check the farm's Facebook page for current admission, including the after-dark experience
• 2026 hours: the farm has not posted a full weekly schedule. Check its Facebook page or call (828) 734-5500 before you drive out. It also posts rain closures there.

Hickory Nut Gap Farm - Hayrides on a Working Farm in Fairview

Hickory Nut Gap Farm is not a pumpkin patch in the pick-your-own sense, and it does not have a corn maze. What it has is a working farm twenty-some minutes from downtown that turns itself into a low-key fall playground. Hayrides run on weekends. Kids race oversized tricycles on the trike track, bang on instruments inside the sound silo, shoot down the big culvert slides and wade in the creek. You can visit the sows and piglets, peek at chicks in the brooder house and look for the queen in the bee observatory.

The Farm Store sells locally grown jack-o'-lantern pumpkins and squash, local apples, and cider pressed on the farm. Lunch is simple: the store's grassfed beef hot dogs and pork sausages.

• Drive time: about 25 minutes southeast of downtown
• Address: 57 Sugar Hollow Road, Fairview, NC 28730
• 2026 season: fall festivities are running now. The farm lists a September 20 start and has not posted an end date.
• 2026 hours: Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hayrides run Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the last ride at 3:30 p.m.
• 2026 prices: hayrides are donation based, with proceeds going to Project HNG, and babies in arms ride free. Hot dogs and sausages are $5, served Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jeter Mountain Farm - Wagon Rides, Bluegrass and a Pumpkin Corner

Jeter Mountain Farm is the farthest drive on this list and the one to pick if you want to make a full day of it. It is a family-owned U-pick orchard with more than 20 apple varieties, and tractors pull the wagons out to the trees. Pumpkins are sold at the Pumpkin Corner outside the Farm Market, which stocks specialty, jack-o'-lantern and pie pumpkins.

The rest of the farm is built for lingering. There is live bluegrass every weekend the orchard is open, in-house smoked barbecue from the 1813 Smokehouse, apple cider donuts, a coffee house, an ice cream shop, hard cider on a big back porch and an indoor play area for kids. Dogs are welcome on the farm but not in the orchards or on the U-pick wagons.

• Drive time: about 55 minutes south of downtown
• Address: 1126 Jeter Mountain Road, Hendersonville, NC 28739
• 2026 hours: fall season is Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last U-pick wagon leaves at 3:30 p.m. Live bluegrass plays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
• 2026 prices: free to visit, with no reservation needed to come to the farm.
• 2026 reservations: timed U-pick entry is new this year. Reserve an apple basket online to guarantee picking. Each basket covers up to four people and includes orchard entry and the wagon ride. Walk-up slots are sold only as space allows.

Justus Orchard - Jump Pillows, a Cow Train and Fried Apple Pies

Justus Orchard is a fifth-generation family orchard three miles off the main road outside Hendersonville, and it feels like it. Apples are the main event, U-pick or already picked, and pre-picked pumpkins are sold in season. For kids there is an adventure playground with covered play decks, slides, a climbing wall and sandboxes, plus jump pillows. On Saturdays and Sundays the cow train rolls through the orchard and the apple cannons open.

The bakery is known for homemade fried apple pies and apple cider donuts. Adults get a taproom with craft beer, hard cider and local wine.

• Drive time: about 35 minutes south of downtown
• Address: 187 Garren Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• 2026 hours: orchard open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The taproom is open Thursday noon to 5 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.
• 2026 prices: not posted online. The orchard puts out a weekend update on its site with what is ripe and which activities are running.

Sky Top Orchard - Hayrides and a Bee Train Above Flat Rock

Sky Top Orchard has been a family tradition since 1967, set on a mountaintop above Flat Rock. It is an apple orchard first, not a pumpkin patch, but it earns a spot here because it is one of the best fall farm days for kids anywhere near Asheville. There is a hayride through the orchard, a bee train pulled behind a tractor, an apple cannon that fires across the lake, a big playground with a giant sandbox, an animal barn where you can feed sheep and goats, a bamboo forest to walk through and gem mining.

Save room for the cider donuts. Pie in the Sky Pizza makes hand-tossed pizzas and giant pretzels on site. Leashed dogs are welcome, and parking is free.

• Drive time: about 40 minutes south of downtown
• Address: 1193 Pinnacle Mountain Road, Zirconia, NC 28731
• 2026 season: open seven days a week from late July through December 1. Closed Thanksgiving Day.
• 2026 hours: daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., then 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. once daylight saving time ends
• 2026 prices: no admission to visit. Hayride $3 per person (children under 2 free), bee train $4 per person, apple cannon $7 for 8 apples. Gem mining is priced by bucket size.
• 2026 reservations: not required to visit. Sky Top strongly encourages reserving online, and walk-up U-pick is not guaranteed.

Tips Before You Go

• Check the farm's social page that morning. Rain closes mazes and U-pick fields. Eliada and Cold Mountain both post weather closures on Facebook.
• Weigh weekdays against weekends. Sky Top says its busiest stretch is weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and recommends a weekday to avoid crowds. The tradeoff at Stepp's, Grandad's and Justus is that wagon rides, cow trains and apple cannons run weekends only.
• Reserve U-pick ahead at Jeter Mountain and Sky Top. Jeter Mountain added timed U-pick entry this year, and Sky Top strongly encourages reserving. You can still visit without a reservation, but picking is not guaranteed for walk-ups.
• Wear shoes you do not mind getting dirty. Mazes and pumpkin fields mean mud, dust and uneven ground. Eliada recommends closed-toe shoes, and that is good advice at every farm here.
• Check the dog rules. Eliada does not allow pets. Stepp's, Grandad's and Sky Top welcome leashed dogs, with limits. Jeter Mountain allows dogs on the farm but not in the orchards.
• Bring a backup way to pay. Sky Top adds a 2.15% fee on cards and warns that spotty rural wifi can slow its card machines. It has an ATM on site.
• Budget for extras. Stepp's, Jeter Mountain and Sky Top charge nothing to walk in, then price each activity, each apple basket and each pound of pumpkin separately. It adds up with a carload of kids.
• Combine stops. Grandad's and Stepp's are only a couple of miles apart east of Hendersonville, and Justus is a short drive from both, so two orchards in one trip is easy.

Where to Start

• Best corn maze close to town: Eliada Corn Maze
• Best pick-your-own pumpkin patch: Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard
• Best for a quick trip off I-26: Grandad's Apples N' Such
• Best for a spooky night: Cold Mountain Corn Maize
• Best low-cost afternoon: Hickory Nut Gap Farm
• Best full-day outing: Jeter Mountain Farm
• Best playground and farm animals: Sky Top Orchard

Planning the rest of October? Our Halloween in Asheville guide covers haunted houses, trick-or-treating and family events, including The Haunted Farm in Hendersonville for older kids and adults. For local produce without the drive, there is the WNC Farmers Market. For more ideas, see the best family-friendly things to do in Asheville, the best outdoor adventures, or browse upcoming Asheville events.

For when the leaves peak, where to see them and what else is on this season, see our fall in Asheville guide.