Lathrop California Attractions - Dell'Osso Family Farm Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch Halloween Attraction

501 Manthey Road Map, Lathrop, California in Central California off Interstate Highway 5
Date: Late Sept. to October 31 each year
Hours: 10am - 8pm (last entry at gate is 8pm)
Ticket Info call: (209) 982-0833.
 pumpkinmaze.com

Cruising on the Interstate 5 Freeway somewhere in Northern California, I'd just come out of the Sierra Nevada mountains and was heading south to Los Angeles, when I cruised by this huge billboard and massive farm filled with corn and pumpkins. It looked like a blast, but with little time to stop, I merely snapped my digital camera and kept driving whatever the speed limit was in the region (70mph, I think).

The fun comes later for me when I see these great road stops and spend time learning about them, wishing I had time to stop and see them all. As things stand now, people deride me for taking so much time on road trips to stop and look at the sights that abound throughout California.  While I don't "do heat" and discovered that the average temperature in the Central Valley farm region can range around mid-90s in the summer, give me autumn or winter and I am in the perfect zone for exploring and enjoying this beautiful region where many of the fruits and vegetables come from.

For a Halloween attraction, the farm country of Lathrop in San Joaquin County looks fantastic. The Dell'Osso Family, presumably portrayed in the huge roadside mural shown above, would love to turn Halloween crowds into a year round business, educating, entertaining and teaching us city folks and our city kids about the farm ways.  It sounds great to me, and I'd surely stop to by some locally grown almonds, fresh fruits and vegetables.  In fact, I did just that on my trip to the Gold Country hills. Stopping along the way in Escalon, just off the freeway near Lathrop, I found a charming fruit stand and purchased two packs of the freshest raw almonds I have ever tasted.  I thought I was getting them fresh at Trader Joe's, which stated the nuts came from this region. But when I sampled the roadside offerings, the difference was noticeable.  The flavor was more buttery, and the texture softer, missing that snap and crack that comes from either the treatment or age of the store-bought products. If I have a choice, I'll be mail ordering and having them shipped from now on.

The long and short of it is that Dell'Osso Family Farm in Lathrop has a great idea worth exploring, though the stated they seek financial backing and investors for the idea to solidify.

For now, the family farm entertains the public with a Halloween to remember. School buses pull up to enjoy the pony rides, petting zoos, haunted house, and a popular pumpkin blasters game. In pumpkin blasters, you shoot mini pumpkins out of giant camouflaged bazookas in camouflaged bunkers. The little pumpkins travel at 100 miles an hour at still and moving targets in the field. What will they think of next?

The West Coast's largest corn maze, of course! In addition to getting lost in the tall stalks, you can survey the pumpkin patch and pick your own right from the field, ride on the free pedal cars, and mine for gems in a sluice. This is the ideal weekend getaway and kids vacation for family enjoyment. The prices on local hotels during this season ran from $70 - 110 on a recent check of affordable chain hotels listed below. There are several hotel options in Lathrop for booking reservations during an overnight stop or stay, but one thing we've found out is that the prices generally are a bit more affordable and availability is greater here than a few miles north in Stockton.

Comfort Inn Lathrop
14730 South Harlen Rd
Lathrop, CA 95330
3 Star
On the route to Yosemite National Park, 65 miles to the Bay Area, 55 miles to the State Capital, 5 miles to Delicato Vineyards.

Holiday Inn Express Lathrop (Stockton Area), Ca
16855 Old Harlan Rd.
Lathrop, CA 95330
3 Star
The Holiday Inn Express Hotel Lathrop is located in the Central Valley off I-5, 10 miles south of Stockton and 8 Miles east of Tracy Sports Complex. Other surroundings in the area include the Central Valley Golf course, Manteca soccer

Lathrop Days Inn
14750 South Harlen Rd.
Lathrop, CA 95330
3 Star
Located close to the beautiful Gateway to Yosemite, this Days Inn is very convenient to the Sacramento State Capitol, and breath taking San Francisco. Also nearby is Oakwood Lake Resort, golfing and shopping outlet stores.
 

Owner Ron Dell'Osso has grand plans for the farm...so that one day you may plan for stops on your I-5 drives from south to north through the state.  Less than 30 minutes from the East Bay San Francisco, the farm is open each year from late September through October 31.