Pumpkin patch season in central Arkansas opens with a wink this year. BoBrook Farms kicks off its patch on Saturday, October 3, with Squirrely Dayz, a nine-hour run of contests, live music, food trucks, and the usual pumpkin patch business, all built around a genuinely Arkansas premise: a squirrel cook-off.
The short version
Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at BoBrook Farms, 13810 Combee Ln, Roland, AR 72135, roughly 20 minutes west of downtown Little Rock. It doubles as opening weekend for the pumpkin patch, so everything the farm normally runs in October is open.
The squirrel cook-off
Registration is free and open to the public, and the prizes are real: a grand prize package valued at $200 and a runner-up package valued at $100. The schedule runs tight, so plan around it.
9 a.m.: doors open, contestant setup begins
11 a.m.: public tasting and voting open
Noon: tasting and voting close
12:30 p.m.: winners announced
If you want to eat squirrel and vote on it, the window is 11 a.m. to noon. Show up at 1 p.m. and you have missed it entirely. Competing requires advance registration through the farm, and space is limited.
The rest of the lineup
Nut hunt, an axe-throwing contest, a best beard contest, a squirrel hunt for kids, live music through the afternoon, and food trucks. Layered on top of that is the pumpkin patch itself, which means the wagon rides, picking your own pumpkin, and the photo-op corners that make this a standard early-October family stop.
Coming with kids
The nut hunt and squirrel hunt are aimed squarely at younger kids, and the patch is flat and easy to navigate. Axe throwing is roped off and supervised. The one thing to plan for: nine hours is longer than most kids last, so pick a window. Mid-morning for the hunts and pumpkins, or early afternoon for the music and contests.
Getting there, parking, and what to bring
Take I-430 north to Highway 10 west and follow it past Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Parking is on the farm in a mowed field and it is free. Wear closed-toe shoes you do not mind getting dusty, bring cash for the smaller booths, and pack water. Shade is thin in the patch itself.
Where it fits in your October
Squirrely Dayz is the front end of a long Arkansas fall season, so treat it as the opener rather than the whole show. Come for the cook-off and the pumpkins, then hike Pinnacle Mountain on the way back or swing through Two Rivers Park for the river view. If you would rather do your October in the city, the Little Rock Zoo's Boo at the Zoo picks up later in the month.
