The weather’s cooling down, the leaves are changing and Halloween gets closer every day. That means it’s time to pick a pumpkin. You could go to the store and get one out of a giant cardboard box, but where’s the fun in that when Alabama has plenty of pumpkin patches and farms where you can get the full fall experience?

Griffin Farms Pumpkin Patch

826 Griffin Road, West Blocton, Alabama

Open Saturdays 9 a.m to 6 p.m and Sundays noon to 6 p.m.

Griffin Farms has everything you expect from a pumpkin patch and more. For a $10 entrance fee, you can grab a pumpkin off the vine, wander through a corn maze, pet a pony and even take a ride on a zip line. Starting at 4 p.m., and weather permitting, you can go up in a hot air balloon for an extra $10. They also offer food from local vendors, face painting and inflatable activities for kids and corn cribs, which are surprisingly comfortable.

Tuscaloosa Barnyard

11453 Turner Bridge Road, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Open Fridays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A little closer to home is the Tuscaloosa Barnyard. For $15 you get your pumpkin and an ice pop. The price also includes a hay ride, a boat ride and a horse ride. You can milk cows, bottle feed baby pigs and feed other farm animals including ducks. They also have a corn crib along with giant inflatable jumping pillow and pond where you can catch and release fish.

Pumpkin Patch Express at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

1919 9th Street, Calera, Alabama

Departs Saturdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m and 3 p.m.

Starting at $17, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum offers a train ride through the forests of Shelby County to a pumpkin patch where you can get your perfect pumpkin, see the Great Pumpkin and check out the inflatable bounce house. The whole trip takes an hour and a half, and the museum recommends you get there an hour before your train leaves. This pumpkin picking could turn into an all day experience. Buying tickets on-site is cash only, and buying them online at www.hodrrm.org comes with a $3 fee.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

288 County Highway 45, Hayden, Alabama

Open Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 6 p.m.

Unlike the other patches on this list, The Great Pumpkin Patch is open throughout the week and charges by the activity rather than having one flat rate. Instead of a hay ride or a train, they offer a covered wagon to get you to their patch. That ride, including the pumpkin, will cost you $7 during the week and $9 on weekends. Without a pumpkin, the ride will only cost you $3. You can also check out their extreme bungee activity for $10, pony rides for $3 Monday to Friday or $5 on the weekend and the petting zoo for $1 during the week or $2 on weekends.