Set in the Appalachian countryside is Libby’s Pumpkin Patch, a farm located about 20 minutes south of Ohio University in Albany, Ohio.
The family-owned business offers all sorts of traditionally autumnal activities for all ages. While centered around the pumpkin patch, the farm also has racing slides, a hayride, hay sculptures, fair-style foods, a corn maze and much more.
Photo provided via Alicia Szczesniak.
For all of this, they are also very reasonably priced, ranging from about $7 to $8 for the price of admission.
I was lucky enough to speak to a few of the members of the Dye family, the owners of the farm.
I spoke to Thad Dye on the front porch of the main building, who told me a bit about the farm and how the patch came to be. He explained that most of it was run by his children and their spouses, and joked that in the process, they ruined “a hell of a good hayfield.”
He then introduced me to his son-in-law, Kevin Lewis, who, along with his wife Rachel, started planting the pumpkin patch in 2010 for their daughter Libby.
Photo provided via Alicia Szczesniak.
Lewis explained that it initially started as a small roadside pumpkin patch but grew when visitors began asking for more, wondering if there were refreshments, if they could take pictures with the pumpkins and if they could ride the tractors. Initially, the family was confused, but they obliged and added more pumpkins and a corn maze. Since then, it has expanded from a quaint pumpkin patch to an autumn lover's paradise.
He also explained the farm's history, pointing out where parts of it once were as we walked down the country road. It was formerly a beef and dairy farm before switching to pumpkins, corn and hay. He also told me the farm was passed down to Rachel and her siblings through generations since the Dye family first arrived in the 1860s.
All in all, if you're looking for a great outdoor place with food and fun for the fall, Libby's Pumpkin Patch is, without a doubt, the place to be.
