The pumpkin is never the point. You can grab one at the grocery store on the way home for a few dollars, and every parent knows it. What the kids want is the hayride, the goat that goes for a jacket zipper, the slide that makes you take your shoes off — and forty minutes of running before anyone has to sit still again.

San Diego has patches at every size, from a working farm an hour north to a field of pumpkins in the middle of Point Loma. Here’s what four of them actually cost this fall, what’s there for a three-year-old, and which days to skip.

Make a Day of It at Bates Nut Farm

Somewhere between the wagon and the hay bales, the actual pumpkin stops mattering.

Bates is the one people mean when they say they’re going to the pumpkin patch. It’s a real farm at 15954 Woods Valley Rd in Valley Center, about an hour from downtown, open daily from September 17 through October 31. Admission is free. Parking is free on weekdays and $10 a vehicle on October weekends — the clearest argument anyone has ever made for taking a Tuesday off.

The tractor hayride runs daily and the petting corral is free year round. Pony rides are $14 with a 75-pound limit, and most of the rest runs on $2.50 tickets you buy at the booth. Bring a card and some cash. Leashed dogs are welcome, hayride included.

Stay Close to Home at Pumpkin Station

Pumpkin Station is the carnival version, and there are four of them — Del Mar, Bonita, National City, and one out on Highland Valley Road in Escondido. All four run September 25 through October 31, entry and parking are free, and every ride costs exactly $5. One ticket, one ride, no math.

Del Mar stays open until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, which is useful when a late nap has wrecked the afternoon. The antique carousel lets an accompanying adult ride free, though the giant slides need socks and a ticket for the grown-up too. Bonita is the location that says outright it’s stroller friendly. Worth knowing at 4pm with a tired two-year-old.

Let Them Run at Oma’s Family Farm

Oma’s, about an hour in — the stage of the afternoon where nobody is holding a pumpkin.

Oma’s, at 14950 El Monte Rd in Lakeside, is built for kids who need to move. Duck races, a jumping pillow, a trike track, a corn crib, giant slides, a petting zoo, and a tractor-pulled wagon ride at $5 a person. There’s a café on site doing soft serve and pretzels for when the running finally stops.

Two things before you drive out. The farm publishes hours for Thursday through Saturday only — 9am to 8pm, September 26 through October 31 — so a Sunday trip is worth a phone call first. And dogs aren’t allowed, service animals excepted. Oma’s doesn’t post a gate price online, so check before you go.

Keep It Short at Goff Family Pumpkin Patch

Some days you have twenty minutes and one good mood between you. Goff Family Pumpkin Patch sits inside Liberty Station at 2830 Perry Rd, and it’s exactly what it sounds like — a grass field, a lot of pumpkins, free entry, always. No rides, no animals, no tickets to buy.

It runs September 18 through October 31, 9am to 8pm Sunday through Thursday and until 9pm Friday and Saturday. Friday through Sunday bring hand-tossed pizza and a Tap Truck. Leashed dogs are welcome. This is the patch for the photo you actually wanted, finished before anyone melts down.

Nobody’s kid remembers which patch had the better corn maze. They remember the one specific goat, the sock rule at the slide, the exact moment the wagon went over the bump. Pick the one that fits the day you’ve actually got — an hour’s drive and a full morning, or fifteen minutes at Liberty Station on the way home from school. The pumpkin ends up on the porch either way.