Papa's Pumpkin Patch — Attraction in Mandan

Papa's Pumpkin Patch was a magical experience with my 2 year old daughter. The fall leaves were swirling in the chilly breeze as she tentatively took her first steps in the corn crib, delighting in filling and pouring out buckets with the other children.

Papa'sville (the play area) was hard for her to leave but the Nature Trail may have been an even bigger hit! She kept going back to the little obstacle course portion to climb through the bungee cords, over the palettes, and into the tire run. By the time we got further around the patch, we had been there for a couple of hours and she was tuckered out.

We finally got around to choosing our pumpkins and found a beautiful and informative array of various gourds waiting for our eager inspection. Having been convinced early on not to touch the pumpkins, my child was unleashed and became a powerhouse able to pick up the biggest ones she could put into our complimentary wagon. The display I was able to craft is so entrancing that I am compelled to paint it in still-life and forever capture the idyllic memories shared at this enchanting pumpkin patch.

Unable to do everything with such a young compatriot, I cannot attest to the numerous activities and features we missed, but my family and I are looking forward to revisiting the Patch soon! Even the port-o-potties were fresh smelling thanks to the numerous and wisely placed air fresheners along the vents! This place was an absolute...

I took my Girl Scout troop and they played for 5 hours! They had a blast. As for the comment that suggested people are better off buying at Walmart.....I have yet to take a group of kids to Walmart and have them play for 5 hours, make memories and have a blast!!!! Small businesses are the backbone of America not Walmart. If we don't support our local people they will go out of business and leave us with fewer and fewer choices. I will gladly pay extra for a pumpkin to be able to go to such a wonderful environment to choose it from hundreds of pumpkins, unique gourds and squash. So go right ahead and drive up on the asphalt, walk across the concert, grab your pumpkin out of the box full of identical pumpkins, drop it in your shopping cart full of "made in china" items and be on your merry way. We will be supporting the hard work, excellent customer service and unbeatable ambiance of Papa's Pumpkins Patch "Made...

More of a kids playground than a pumpkin patch, but that's the beauty of it. Good mix of free things to do (not free after gate admission) as well as paid or ticket driven things. Some of the free things include a dent corn play pit, slides of both actual slides and cut open culvert material, hay bales to climb on, etc. Paid options included pony rides, hay rides, sit down zip line, and a few others. It was fun to watch the pumpkin cannon and trebuchet. The real gotcha of the event is the pumpkin prices. You almost feel required to buy at least one after coming all that way, but the prices averaged 4 to 6 times the cost at any retailer, and at least double what a roadside stand is. Even things like watermelon were far overpriced. Beyond that, admission cost is worth the...