Over the weekend, I took my one year old son to the pumpkin patch with my sister and her family. Because she didn’t want to come to Portland to go to the pumpkin patch, we agreed to go to the Bi-Zi Farms in nearby Vanouver, WA. Located at 9504 N.E. 119th Street Vancouver, WA 98662, this is one of the largest pumpkin patches in all of the area. Admission was $8 per person for all that are 3 years of age or older. The price of admission includes; 1 free pumpkin of any size, hay ride, corn maze, petting zoo, duck races, straw bale pyramid, one free hot drink and two tries at the pumpkin launch. I thought that for sure, this was going to be an awesome pumpkin patch with all the things offered with admission. Overall, I wasn’t very pleased.
The duck races that were offered were rubber ducks in a tub of water that you could race with a friend or family member. The line for the pumpkin launch was so long that we didn’t have the chance to try it. There were so many bees swarming every inch of the farm from the pumpkin launch area, the conssession stand, port-a-potties, garbage cans, apple press, and the pumpkin patch I was terrified that I was going to get stung or my son was and find out that he allergic, just like me. The lines were so long to get your free cup of coffee or hot chocolate that it wasn’t worth waiting for.
The petting zoo was also kind of a joke. The chickens looked sickly and were losing feathers all over the pen. You couldn’t pet them either. The geese in the pen with the chickens were mean and snapping at children that came to the fence. The cow that was in the petting zoo area refused to come near the children and the turkeys were moulting all over the pen. The only pets that allowed children to pet them were the pigs and the goats. Most of the animals looked terrified or were too mean to allow the children to go near.
I loved that I was able to get a 28-pound pumpkin for free with my admission. The pumpkin patch was approximately a mile into the farm, past all the festivities, so the hay ride was required to get to the pumpkin patch and bring your pumpkins back. Once we got to the pumpkin patch, several of the pumpkins were rotting and many of them had been stomped in with bees everywhere. It was nice that the wheelburrow to borrow was free, however, once you got back to the main area, you had to make different arrangements for carrying your pumpkin to the car. The hay pyramid was a huge hit with the children and also provided several opportunities for cure pictures.
The parking was absolutely attrocious. While the parking lot was completely full, a sheriff stood outside directing traffic because people had gotten impatient and started parking up the side of the road, clogging traffic. Overall, While this pumpkin patch may be the best in the area, I don’t think I would ever go back. While I can get a pumpkin by paying for it by the pound at any other pumpkin patch, I can get in for a lesser price if not free and pay for the services I want to go on.
previously posted on Examiner.com