A four-day art installation of 6,200+ handmade glass pumpkins, not a farm patch—ultra-niche, no farming, requires reservations, and is a genuinely different experience.
Free to $30 depending on membership and day; reservations required
The Landscape Arboretum’s Glass Pumpkin Patch is not a farm. It is an art installation: 6,200+ handmade glass pumpkins created by U.S. artists, displayed outdoors on arboretum grounds over four days in mid-September. If you want art, photography, and fall color without the farm-stand politics, this is genuinely different.
Walk into the arboretum’s fall landscape and find glass pumpkins of wildly different styles, colors, and sizes scattered through the grounds. Some are massive, some delicate, some grotesque. It’s an open-air gallery. You spend 1–2 hours wandering, photographing, and enjoying the early-September arboretum itself—the colors are not peak yet, but the light is beautiful, and crowds are managed by the reservation system.
This is not a family farm patch. Small kids expecting pumpkin picking or corn mazes will be disappointed. Adults and photographers love it.
The event runs September 17–20, 2026. Thursday evening (4:30–7:30 pm) is moodier and quieter, with dramatic late-sun light and fewer crowds. Friday and Saturday daytime (9:30 am–4 pm) will be busier but offer clearer visibility and longer time to explore. Sunday (10 am–3 pm) is a middle ground.
Reservations are required and fill up, especially weekend slots. Book through the arboretum’s website as soon as dates open.
Admission is free to $30 depending on membership. If you are already an Arboretum member or planning to visit the grounds for other reasons, the membership pays for itself. Non-members pay up to $30 for the exhibition and arboretum access.
This is not a $5 budget outing. It’s an art-experience cost comparable to a small museum or gallery, but outdoors and seasonal.
Early September at the Minnesota arboretum is still warm but tipping toward fall. The glass pumpkins are displayed in green or just-turning landscape; peak color happens later. But early dates also mean fewer crowds and reservations available. If you’re visiting for the art rather than autumn colors, mid-September is perfect. If you want peak foliage, wait until later in September or early October—but those slots book faster.
If your family expects a farm experience, pick a different patch. If you cannot book a reservation or prefer spontaneous visits, this is not it. If your budget is tight, the other Minnesota patches offer more value per dollar.
September 18–19 during daytime hours (9:30 am–4 pm) for the best light and moderate crowds; Thursday evening (Sept 17, 4:30–7:30 pm) for a smaller, moodier visit.
1–2 hours (you're viewing art, not playing maze or picking fruit)
By design, reservations manage crowds. Friday and Saturday daytime will be busier than weekday or Thursday evening slots.
At the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum parking area; standard arboretum access.
Arboretum grounds are accessible via paved paths; contact the arboretum directly for specific mobility accommodations.
You want to pick pumpkins, you have small kids who expect farm activities, or you dislike reservations and paid entry.
Chaska is 20 minutes from Pinehaven Farm (also in Wyoming area), making a dual-experience outing possible: art in the morning at the Arboretum, then pumpkin picking at Pinehaven in the afternoon.
No. The Arboretum Glass Pumpkin Patch is an art installation of 6,200+ handmade glass pumpkins by U.S. artists. It is not a farm operation.
Yes, reservations are required. Dates are September 17–20, 2026. Hours vary by date: Thursday evening (4:30–7:30 pm), Friday–Saturday daytime (9:30 am–4 pm), and Sunday (10 am–3 pm). Book through the Arboretum website.
Admission is free to $30 depending on your membership status. Arboretum members pay lower or no admission; non-members pay up to $30. Confirm current pricing at arb.umn.edu/auxiliary-glass-pumpkin-patch.
No. This is an art exhibition on arboretum grounds. You walk through the exhibition area, view glass pumpkins, take photos, and enjoy the fall landscape. Expect a gallery-type experience, not a farm.
September 17 – September 20, 2026. September 17-20, 2026. Hours: Sept 17: 4:30-7:30 pm; Sept 18-19: 9:30 am-4 pm; Sept 20: 10 am-3 pm.
Admission pricing was not published when we last checked. Free to $30 depending on membership and day; reservations required
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN, in Carver County. It is one of 11 patches we track in Twin Cities Metro.
We track 11 patches in Twin Cities Metro.
Its season runs about 4 days against a regional average of 32, so it is a shorter window than most of its neighbours — miss it and the nearest alternatives will still be open.
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
arb.umn.edu · pumpkinpatchesnearme.com
Checked August 2026.