SIMMONS FARM IN McMURRAY IS ONE OF MANY PITTSBURGH-AREA FARMS HOLDING FALL FESTIVALS COMPLETE WITH PUMPKIN, APPLE AND FLOWER PICKING, AMONG A PLETHORA OF OTHER ACTIVITIES. | PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

As summer winds down, Pittsburgh-area farms are gearing up for the fun that fall has in store.

Crisp air, baggy sweatshirts, campfires, rich shades of red, orange and yellow leaves, creepy creatures of the night, and, of course, picking your own pumpkins and/or apples await you this autumn.

Check out these local pumpkin patches, farms, orchards and cornfields for the ultimate fall experience:

1. Soregel Orchards, 2573 Brandt School Road, Wexford

One of the area’s best-known pumpkin patches is Soergel Orchards, fondly dubbed Soergel’s. Situated in Wexford, it offers a wide selection of family-friendly activities and locally grown produce. 

Its fall festival will take place weekends from Sept. 16 to Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. It will feature tractor rides, games, food and pumpkin, apple and flower picking. Starting Sept. 18, pumpkin and apple picking will also be available from noon to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Guests can also enjoy a market that offers pies, sandwiches and produce, as well as Arsenal Cider.

2. Shenot Farm, 3754 Wexford Run Drive, Wexford

The pumpkin patch at Shenot Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 through Oct. 29, seven days a week. Also located in Wexford, the farm offers hayrides to the pumpkin patch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as a scenic walking trail along a half-mile, all-terrain path.

In addition to pumpkins, folks can also grab cornstalks, straw bales, decorative gourds, fairytale pumpkins and more. On the weekends, the farm hosts food trucks, and on the weekend after Halloween, folks can bring their jack-o’-lanterns and decorative pumpkins to destroy them in the annual Pumpkin Smash.

3. Trax Farms, 528 Trax Road, Finleyville

The fall festival at Trax Farms just 12 miles south of Pittsburgh on Route 88, will kick off on Sept. 23 and run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends through Oct. 22. The fest will feature hayrides, a 3-acre corn maze, farm animals, food trucks, live music and, of course, pumpkins aplenty.

Trax also hosts a “Hops & Hayrides” event from 4-6 p.m. every Friday from Sept. 22-Oct. 27. Folks can enjoy a scenic hayride and purchase a six-pack or bottle of wine from the farm’s Arrowhead Wine Shop. After a hayride to the top of the hill, you’ll be able to navigate through the corn maze, visit the pumpkin patch and farm animals, play some yard games and relax at the fire pits. New this year will be a different food truck each week atop the hill. Learn more here.

Trax Farms also offers baked goods, produce and deli items, as well as an antique loft featuring goods from 16 vendors.

4. Harvest Valley Farms, 125 Ida Lane, Gibsonia

Gibsonia’s Harvest Valley Farms will transform the entire valley into a pick-your-own-pumpkin party, complete with hayrides, a cornstalk maze, farm animals, farm concessions, caramel apples, live music and more. It’ll be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, Sept. 30-Oct. 22.

More than 160 varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown on the farm and sold seasonally at its market, along with baked goods, spices, meats, dairy products and more.

5. Simmons Farm, 170 Simmons Road, McMurray

Fall activities and hayrides begin at Simmons Farm on Sept. 16. The farm features 5 acres of pumpkins, as well as both 2- and 4-acre corn mazes, apple picking, flower picking, a petting zoo, an apple labyrinth and more. Visitors can take either a hayride or a scenic “Harvest Trail” to the pumpkin field, where they can also pick an ear of Indian corn — while supplies last. 

You can also hop on a nighttime hayride from Sept. 16 through Nov. 3. The wagon will take you to a bonfire site, complete with marshmallows and fresh apples. You’re also welcome to bring your own food, according to the farm’s website.

6. Zombies of the Corn (Three Rivers Paintball), 282 Rochester Road, Freedom

If you’re looking for more of a fright, Zombies of the Corn has got you covered. Three Rivers Paintball will host the 11th event on weekends from Sept. 22-Oct. 29, beginning at 7 p.m.

Board the Zombie Fighting Vehicles to protect the city from the undead and visit a host of attractions, such as a 3D Funhouse, Zombie Compound, Z-Maze, storytellers, face painting, bonfires, outdoor movies, fire dancers and stilt walkers.