As the fall season reaches its height and as Halloween is just around the corner, pumpkin patches and pumpkin carvings are at an all time high. Pumpkin patches are the perfect place to go to take fall photos and to get pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. 

One pumpkin patch to check out near Rockbridge that has a 4.7 star rating on Google is Morris Orchard in Monroe. Morris Orchard is a family operated farm and is available for visiting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. on Sundays.

Another pumpkin patch near Rockbridge that has a five star rating on Google is Middle River Farms in Grottoes. Middle River Farms is also a family operated pumpkin farm, and the times available for visiting the farm is from sun-up to sun-down each day of the season.

After getting a pumpkin, it can be difficult figuring out what design ideas to use for the carving. In past years, pumpkin carving stencils and pop culture pumpkins were popular. Most stencils were of classic faces for the pumpkins and of favorite movie or show characters,which is also an example of the pop culture pumpkins. 

Some ideas for this October are the iconic scary pumpkin carving face or the popular stencil or carving of your favorite Halloween item or characters from movies or shows such as Oogie Boogie or Jack Skellington from the Nightmare before Christmas. So grab a seat and get to carving.