October is prime time for pumpkin patches, and this year’s crop is ready for picking. Sure, you can buy a pumpkin at your local supermarket, but it’s much more fun to head to a pretty rural spot and select your future jack o’lantern from a field. Even better, pumpkin patches are fall entertainment zones that typically offer corn mazes, hayrides, farm animals and lots of children’s activities.

Ready for a road trip? Here are five of our favorite pumpkin patches within driving distance of Birmingham.

HELENA HOLLOW

Where: 6207 Highway 17, Helena, about 27 miles south of Birmingham.

What you’ll find: Pumpkin patch, swings, slides, corn barn, farm animals, snack shack and more. Food trucks, horse rides, trampoline bungee rides on Saturdays-Sundays only.