Pumpkin Village Dallas Arboretum

About a week or so ago, Jaye saw an email in my inbox with a picture of the Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum. She immediately said, “Let’s go there now!” And this morning it was finally time to make our yearly trek to the biggest Texas-sized pumpkin village ever–see last year’s visit here. This year’s Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum used more pumpkins than ever before. Jaye and I were debating on the drive there how many pumpkins there would be. Jaye guessed 1000 because that’s the absolute biggest number she can imagine. I guessed 50,000 (or as Jaye puts it, Fifty One Thousand. When we arrived we discovered the answer was even bigger than we imagined. The Pumpkin Village is constructed of 75,000 pumpkins! Plus 1,500 ears of corn, 1,200 corn stalks, and 900 hay bales spread across an entire acre. There are 30 different types of pumpkins, 16 types of squash and 6 types of gourds. I’m not sure I know the difference between a squash and a gourd, but it was really fun to look at all the different shapes, sizes, and especially textures.

The theme this year was Texas and the Old West. The Sheriff’s Office (above) leads to a hay bale maze. Jaye’s favorite building was the General Store. It had bins of all types of mini pumpkins and gourds that she loved carrying around and pretending with. There was also a covered wagon and a bridge over a creek where some miners had been panning for gold.

But the real treasure of a pumpkin patch is the photo opportunities. And with two kids this year, there was twice the cuteness. If you follow me on Instagram, you know already that I couldn’t stop taking adorable pictures. And couldn’t stop sharing them either.

This is one of my favorites of both kids ever. They both look cute and it doesn’t even look like Jaye is smushing Cy’s face or about to drop him or something. Picking outfits for a fall photoshoot in Texas in September is tricky. Because it’s technically fall and a sundress with pumpkins seems silly, but it’s also super hot outside still. Ever since I bought Jaye some leggings ahead for the fall, she’s insisted on wearing them every day to school under her uniform skirts.

In Texas, pumpkin pictures have an extra tricky twist to them. It’s still SO hot. But posing with pumpkins while wearing a summer sundress just seems silly. So you have to figure out an outfit that looks fall-ish but is still good for summer weather. For example, I focus on more fall colors, so it has a fall feel despite wearing shorts.

Our outing to the Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum was a smashing success. If you want to visit yourself, find all the details here. The Pumpkin Village is open 9-5 daily between September 19 and November 25. Admission to the Pumpkin Village is included with general admission to the Dallas Arboretum. You can find all the available discounts depending on what day you want to visit here. Happy fall, y’all!