My husband and I looked at each other last week and realized October would be over in a blink if we didn’t make time to go to the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch! We had yet to take the girls to any kind of Fall activities, so we had to do it ASAP. Previous years, we’d been to Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Fest and Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch. But in all honesty, we didn’t think was worth the admission fees. This would be Zanaiah’s (our little one’s) first time to a patch, so it was time to try someplace new! 

The Drive & Parking

The drive was pretty good on a Monday afternoon and there was clear signage to point us in the right direction once we approached the park. We had no idea, but Irvine Park Railroad is a small area within Irvine Regional Park. Parking was only $3 (cash or card accepted) and the patch itself is free (with some free and some paid activities, check out their pricing/info). We arrived and found a parking spot pretty quickly. Not a bad deal!

The Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch was definitely more picturesque than we’re used to, with plenty of trees and a running train the girls could not stop staring at. So of course… we got ourselves tickets ($6 each, $24 total) to surprise our lil Z’s. But first, I made an attempt at pics of them with the pumpkins (which was mostly a series of them picking up and rearranging them… I wonder where they get their organization skills from?). They were over it after about 10 minutes, which is more time than I can usually get with these girls for pictures, so I’ll take what I can get! Even though there were a lot of people, it wasn’t too difficult to get pics of the girls with unaware photo bombers.

The Railroad

Then it was time for the train!

We waited in line and the girls were so focused and locked in on the train as it came and went. The line looked long, but moved pretty quickly as each train ride was able to hold a lot of people. Finally, it was our turn and the four of us sat snuggly on one bench. They loved it. And so did we. There’s just nothing like seeing the world through their eyes filled with wonder and awe. Those are the sweet moments that remind us to slow down. 

… And Some Free Fun!

Afterwards, we walked around to look at all the actives and fun photo ops. It had been pretty cold and windy when we first arrived, but it only intensified as the sun went down. We then changed them out of their cute outfits and into something warm so they could play and climb the hay stack pyramid, which was free by the way. So funny that kids are most entertained by the simple things (like the box from a new toy). We enjoyed just watching them and their sillyness.

Eventually, it became unbearably cold and windy, not to mention we were all hungry for dinner… so we said goodbye to the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch. See you next year and thank you for these pics!