For farmsList your patch

Marando Farms & Ranch

📍 5151 SW 64th Ave, Davie, FL 33314🗓 Season dates not yet published for 2026🏷 Free admission

A working Davie ranch with no gate admission and per-activity pricing, which makes it one of the lowest-risk options in Broward for a family with an unpredictable toddler - but no 2026 pumpkin patch dates or prices have been published, so call before you drive.

Marando Farms & Ranch in Davie, FL

What you get for the price

Included with admission

Pumpkin patchPetting zooPony ridesHorse ridesTrain ridesHay ridesU-pick eggsHorseback riding lessonsFarm store and farmers marketFarm-to-table cafe and juice bar

No gate admission - you pay per activity. A South Florida on the Cheap listing gives $5 each for train rides, petting zoo, hayrides and pony/horse rides, free for ages 2 and under, with a $15 package. Those figures are from an older season; no 2026 pumpkin patch pricing has been published.

Rough cost for a family of four: about $20.00 in admission alone at the posted starting rate, before pumpkins, food, parking or any add-on listed above. Most families end up well north of that once they are through the gate.

Free to walk in. Your spend here is whatever you choose — pumpkins, food, and any paid activities. That makes it a low-risk stop if you are not sure how long the kids will last.

Our take

Marando Farms is a working ranch and farm store first and a pumpkin destination second, and understanding that order explains almost everything about a visit. The year-round business is produce, a farmers market, u-pick eggs, a farm-to-table cafe and juice bar, and horseback riding lessons. The seasonal pumpkin patch sits on top of that, alongside a petting zoo, train, hayrides and pony rides that have run on weekends.

That structure has one large advantage over the ticketed fall festivals elsewhere in South Florida: there is no gate. You are not handing over $80 for a family of four before anyone has confirmed they are having a good time. If your two-year-old decides after twenty minutes that the goats are terrifying and the day is over, you have lost nothing but the drive.

What we could not confirm

The farm had not published 2026 pumpkin patch dates or prices when we checked in August 2026, and its own website blocks the automated reading we use to verify listings. The per-activity figures floating around online come from a previous season’s deals writeup. Treat them as an indication of the model, not a quote. This is a phone call before you go, not a search result.

The weekend catch

The posted opening hours and the activity hours are two different things. Weekdays run longer on paper, but the rides and animal attractions have historically been a Saturday and Sunday affair inside a roughly 10am-4pm window, with pony and horse rides narrower still. Wednesday the farm is closed entirely. A family arriving on a weekday morning gets a quiet farm and a good market, which is a fine outing but not the one the pumpkin patch listing suggests.

Florida expectations

Two things worth setting straight before any Florida patch visit. First, the pumpkins were trucked in. Florida’s climate does not support a commercial fall pumpkin crop, so what you are buying is a display and an experience, not a harvest. That is true across the state and it is not a knock on this farm specifically.

Second, October in Broward County is not autumn. Daytime highs stay in the high eighties, afternoon thunderstorms are routine, and open farm ground offers whatever shade the trees happen to provide. The opening hour is the only genuinely comfortable part of the day, and on a property whose weekend activities do not start until 10am, that leaves a narrow good window. Get there when they start.

Who it actually suits

Broward parents with small children and a modest budget. The value here is that the downside is capped - you can spend $20 or you can spend nothing, and the animals are the draw either way. Families wanting a maze, a big activity list and a full afternoon out of one admission fee will do better at a festival farm, and should expect to pay festival prices for it.

Planning your visit

Best time to go

Weekend mornings, and specifically the 10am end of them. The farm's ride and animal attractions have historically run Saturday and Sunday only, roughly 10am-4pm, with pony and horse rides on a shorter 11am-3pm window. Weekdays open earlier (8am) and stay open later (6pm), but that is farm store and market hours - going Monday at 8am gets you produce and a quiet property, not a train ride. The farm is closed all day Wednesday.

How long to budget

One to two hours. This is a farm errand with animals attached, not a full-day festival, and the paid activities are short by design.

Crowds

Because the rides are weekend-only, weekend demand is concentrated into a six-hour window on a small property. If you want the animals without the queue, arrive at opening rather than after lunch.

Parking

We have not confirmed the surface. This is a working ranch rather than a retail lot, and most Florida farm parking is grass or packed dirt, which turns to mud after the afternoon storms that run well into October. Plan footwear on that assumption rather than on a paved lot.

What to bring

  • Small bills, in case activities are still sold individually at the ride rather than through a central till
  • Hand sanitizer or wipes - you are handling animals, and we have not confirmed what washing facilities exist
  • Closed-toe shoes for a livestock property
  • Water and sun cover; October in Broward is still summer, and shade on open farm ground is never guaranteed

How to spend less here

  • Entry is free, so the only money you spend is money you choose to spend. That is the single biggest advantage this place has over the ticketed festivals in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade
  • An older season's listing showed activities at $5 each with a $15 package, and free entry for ages 2 and under. If a package is offered again, it pays off at three activities and not before - buy singles if your child only wants the train
  • Confirm current prices by phone. Everything we have is from a previous season and the farm has not published 2026 figures

Who it suits

Good for

  • Toddlers and preschoolers, who get more out of a petting zoo and a train ride than they do out of a $25 festival gate
  • Local Broward families who want a cheap hour rather than a planned day out
  • Anyone testing whether their kid will actually enjoy a farm before committing to a ticketed festival elsewhere
  • People combining the visit with the farm store, farmers market or cafe, which are the property's year-round business

Skip it if

You want festival scale - a corn maze, a hay bale playground, big-kid rides. The activity list here is short and animal-led. Also skip it if you can only go on a Wednesday, when the farm is closed, or if you need certainty about 2026 pumpkin dates before you commit to the drive.

Worth pairing with

Flamingo Road Nursery's fall festival is about fifteen minutes west, also in Davie, and runs a longer published season with a photo-set focus. The two are close enough to do in one morning and different enough that it is worth it - animals and rides at one, cottage displays and hayrides at the other.

Common questions

Do you have to pay to get into Marando Farms?

No. There is no gate admission - you pay per activity. That means a visit can cost nothing at all if you just want to walk the property and visit the farm store, which is unusual among South Florida pumpkin patches.

When does the Marando Farms pumpkin patch open in 2026?

The farm had not published 2026 pumpkin patch dates when we last checked in August 2026, and its website blocks automated reading, so we could not confirm a season. The ranch itself is open daily except Wednesdays year-round. Call ahead before making the trip specifically for pumpkins.

Are the pony rides available every day?

Historically no. Pony and horse rides, along with the train, petting zoo and hayrides, have run on weekends only. Weekday visits get the farm store, market and cafe rather than the ride lineup.

When is Marando Farms & Ranch open in 2026?

2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Open daily except Wednesdays. Check with the farm before driving out.

How much does Marando Farms & Ranch cost?

Admission is free. No gate admission - you pay per activity. A South Florida on the Cheap listing gives $5 each for train rides, petting zoo, hayrides and pony/horse rides, free for ages 2 and under, with a $15 package. Those figures are from an older season; no 2026 pumpkin patch pricing has been published.

Where is Marando Farms & Ranch?

5151 SW 64th Ave, Davie, FL 33314, in Broward County. It is one of 10 patches we track in South Florida.

How Marando Farms & Ranch compares in South Florida

We track 10 patches in South Florida, 4 of which are free to walk into. At $5 a head this one sits below the regional median of $20.99, undercutting 4 of the 4 paid patches we track here. Entry here costs nothing, which puts it in the minority even in a region with several free options.

What sets it apart locally: it has farm animals, rides and play structures, hayrides, which most South Florida patches on our list do not.

One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 4 of the 10 patches we track in South Florida had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.

Other patches near Davie

There are 2 other patches we track in Broward County. All South Florida patches →

Quick facts

SeasonSeason dates not yet published for 2026
Days openOpen daily except Wednesdays
HoursMon/Tue/Thu/Fri 8am-6pm; Sat-Sun 9am-5pm; closed Wednesday. On weekends, train rides, petting zoo and hayrides have run 10am-4pm with pony and horse rides 11am-3pm.
AdmissionFree
CountyBroward County
RegionSouth Florida

Sources

marandoranch.com · realmilk.com · miamionthecheap.com

Checked August 2026.