October is basically the best month of the year. Not only is it the home of Halloween, the year’s most supreme holiday, but it’s a month rife with candy, scary movies, costumes, boozey parties, and pumpkin carving.

If you’ve just moved to the city, it can be a little daunting trying to figure out where to procure the proper items for upholding tried and true familial traditions, like the beloved act of pumpkin carving. If you’re just looking to pick yourself up a pumpkin, there are lots all over the city with pre-picked pumpkins available for your perusal (there’s a large one off the Irving Park brown line stop, at Irving Park and Ashland — bonus! The Long Room, an awesome bar with an impressively large selection of beer, is right next door). You can also head to your local Jewel or Dominicks, where pumpkins should also be available. But if you’re looking for the traditional pumpkin-picking experience, get yourself a vehicle and head on over to one of these awesome pumpkin patches.

All Seasons Apple Orchard-Pumpkin Patch-Corn Maze
14510 IL. Route 176
Woodstock IL 60098
815-338-5637

Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm
13341 W. 151st St.
Homer Glen IL 60491
708-301-3276

Butterprint Farm Pumpkin Patch
24936 S. 80th Ave.
Monee Illinois 60449
708-534-8801

Didier Farms
16678 W. Aptakisic Rd.
Prairie View-Lincolnshire Illinois 60069
847-634-3291

–Amanda Aldinger

*Image/pumpkin info from: Chicagofun.com