Bluebird Pumpkin Patch has corn maze, hayrides on Brushy Valley Road
-
Karen and Darryl Long chill out on the porch at the Bluebird Pumpkin Patch, which they operate this fall season at the Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm on Brushy Valley Road. The venue is open now through Oct. 31 for visitors. - G Chambers Williams III
-
Darryl Long gets ready to drive the tractor to take a family on a hayride at the Bluebird Pumpkin Patch on Brushy Valley Road on Saturday, Oct. 7. On the hay wagon are Bradley and Mary Gipson of Clinton, and their two children, Westley, 2, and Elizabeth, 10. - G Chambers Williams III
A new fall attraction, the Bluebird Pumpkin Patch, has opened on Brushy Valley Road in the Heiskell area, offering family-style features including a corn maze and hayrides.
Located on the same land as the Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm, 965 Brushy Valley Road, the pumpkin patch is operated by Darryl and Karen Long. Darryl is a retired teacher, and Karen is a teacher at Lake City Elementary School.
Darryl Long has been helping at the Christmas tree farm each year, and he said he decided to see if he could plant pumpkins and corn on the farm this year to be able to set up a pumpkin patch attraction to give families something to do that was fall-themed.
“The farm already had the infrastructure, so all we had to do was plant the pumpkins and corn,” Darryl Long said. The couple got the approval of farm owner Leo Collins for their project.
The Bluebird Pumpkin Patch opened for visitors on Saturday, Sept. 30, and will operate through Tuesday, Oct. 31, Karen Long said.
“We’ve been open five days, and we’ve seen a steady flow of people with children already,” she said last Saturday. “They have fun in the corn maze and on the hayrides.”
Because of a lack of rain and other factors, “The corn didn’t grow as high as we wanted it to,” Karen Long said.
Instead of the 10 to 12 feet that would have been ideal for the corn maze, the stalks topped out at about four to five feet.
So the Longs added a scavenger hunt among the cornstalks to help make up for the lack of a more mysterious tall corn maze.
“In the corn maze, we have placed nine scarecrows for the scavenger hunt, and there is an ink stamp at each scarecrow for the kids to use to stamp their cards,” Karen Long said.
Those who get all nine stamps on their cards get a prize.
Pumpkins dot the field throughout the corn maze area, and they are for sale — $6 for medium-size and $4 for small ones, she said.
“We also planted some gargantuan pumpkins, but they didn’t come up,” she said.
Under a shelter that’s attached to the farm’s “Country Store” gift shop are some fall displays that include several varieties of pumpkin, including decorative ones.
Inside the store are refreshments, including candy apples the Longs make onsite, along with pumpkin carving and design kits, among other items. Food trucks are also planned for the venue on some days.
The highlight of a visit to the Bluebird Pumpkin Patch is the hayride. Visitors sit on hay bales stacked on a farm trailer, pulled by a tractor.
The ride begins by going through the corn maze, then winds through the nearby woods on a circuitous route.
Groups are welcome to come to the pumpkin patch, and campfires can be arranged for group events, Karen Long said.
“We do want more school groups to come out,” she said.
Admission is $12 per person over age 2, and it includes the corn maze and the hayride.
Hours this week during fall break are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
After this week, the Bluebird Pumpkin Patch will be open from 5-8 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. On Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30-31, the hours will be 5-9 p.m.
Other days are open for pre-arranged field trips.
For more information, visit the website bluebirdpumpkinpatch.com/ or call 865-640-6490.
The Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm will open for the season Thanksgiving weekend. next month.