The sheep are not seasonal decorations. They actually live here.
This is a working ranch first, with pumpkins joining the routine when autumn rolls around. You can wander through the patch, meet the animals, or catch a wagon ride through the hay meadow.
Farm equipment and fiber demonstrations add another glimpse into what happens here beyond pumpkin season.
Oklahoma brings in the fall air and plenty of open space to enjoy it.
I would wear shoes that can handle dirt and forget trying to hurry everyone along. Let the kids stop for the sheep, take the wagon ride, and give the pumpkin search as much time as it needs.
The ranch is already operating on farm time.
A Working Oklahoma Ranch Changes With The Season
Cattle graze, sheep wander, and then autumn arrives with a fresh plan for the pasture. Shepherd’s Cross is a family-owned working sheep and cattle ranch near Claremore, not a theme park dressed up as a farm.
When the weather cools, part of the land shifts into festival mode. Rows of pumpkins appear, games pop up, and families start pulling into the gravel lot with wagons and cameras ready.
Can you picture it already? The working-ranch setting now shares space with a walk-through patch filled with pumpkins in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
The ranch also keeps its regular rhythm going in the background. You might spot animals in nearby pens or notice equipment that clearly gets real use beyond the fall season.
That mix gives younger visitors a chance to see how a farm actually works while still keeping the day light and seasonal. Sheep and cattle remain part of the setting rather than disappearing behind festival decorations.
Plan for a slower pace than a busy city attraction. Wear comfortable shoes, since grass and dirt paths come with the territory.
Muddy boots, after all, are part of the charm.
Pumpkins Take Over Part Of The Farm Each Fall
Orange is only the start of the color chart here. The walk-through patch offers pumpkins in many shapes, sizes, and colors, so choosing just one becomes a fun little challenge.
Some look tall and lean, while others sit squat and wide like a comfy footstool. Different colors and sizes give porch decorators more than one direction to take.
Which one would you carry home first? A larger pumpkin can make a bold front-step centerpiece, while smaller ones are easier to carry and fit neatly on tables, shelves, or windowsills.
Decorating supplies sit close by as well. Straw, decorative corn, and corn stalks are available, which makes it easy to build a full fall display in one trip.
A smart tip is to bring a blanket or towel for your car trunk. Pumpkins can carry dirt, and stalks shed bits of dry leaves everywhere.
Think about where your pumpkin will live before you choose it. A small one fits a kitchen table, while a tall stack of mixed sizes brightens an entryway.
The Pumpkin Patch Is Only The Beginning
Here’s a surprise for first-timers. Pumpkins may lead the plan, but the festival includes enough extra activities to turn the visit into more than a quick stop.
The Fall Pumpkin Festival includes a hay maze, outdoor games, farm animals, wagon rides, and fall photo areas. That lineup gives families several ways to break up the day between pumpkin picking and time around the ranch.
The hay maze adds another activity beyond choosing pumpkins, giving children a winding route to explore on foot.
Outdoor games bring easy, old-fashioned fun. Nobody needs a screen when there’s fresh air, open grass, and a sibling or friend nearby.
Photo spots give you a chance to capture the season without fuss. Hay bales and pumpkins make cozy backdrops for family pictures or a quick selfie.
Want a practical tip? Snap photos early, before shirts get dusty and shoes start collecting bits of grass.
Pack water and maybe a few snacks if your crew gets hungry fast. A relaxed visit often works better than trying to rush through everything.
So go ahead and let the afternoon stretch a little. The pumpkins will still be waiting when you finish, and the rest of the ranch gives you plenty to do between walks through the patch.
Farm Animals Keep The Ranch Experience Front And Center
The farm animal petting barn keeps the working-ranch side of the experience close at hand.
Sheep, goats, donkeys, and alpacas all make appearances here, giving visitors a chance to see several different farm animals in one part of the ranch.
Have you ever touched raw wool before? It feels slightly greasy, thanks to natural lanolin, which helps protect sheep from wet weather.
Alpacas stand out immediately with their long necks and thick fiber, while donkeys and goats bring completely different shapes, coats, and movements to the same barn area.
Young children may feel nervous at first. Letting them watch for a minute before reaching out can help them settle into the experience.
Remind everyone to move slowly and speak softly around the animals. Calm behavior makes the encounter easier for both people and livestock.
Hand washing afterward is a good habit, especially before snacks. Packing wipes or sanitizer can also be useful when you are moving between outdoor activities.
These animals aren’t props for a festival. They belong to a working ranch, and meeting them gives kids a closer look at the kind of animals that are part of everyday farm life.
Wagon Rides Head Out Through The Hay Meadow
Bumpy and breezy, the wagon ride changes the pace for a while. During the festival, tractor-pulled wagons head out through the ranch’s hay meadow.
The ride gives you a wider view of the land. You leave the busiest festival area behind and see open fields stretch toward the tree lines.
Sit back and notice the small details. The tractor hums, the wagon creaks, and dry grass rustles as you pass by.
The slower pace also gives tired legs a break after time spent walking through the patch, maze, and animal areas.
Wagon rides are an optional paid activity during the festival and run at scheduled intervals through the day, so it helps to work them into your visit rather than assuming one will leave the moment you arrive.
Wear layers if the day feels cool. Fall breezes in an open meadow can feel chillier than they do near the barns.
Hold onto hats once the wagon starts moving. A loose cap can take its own tour of the hay meadow.
Ready to hop aboard?
An Old Barn Holds Another Piece Of Farm Life
Wool doesn’t magically become yarn, and this barn shows how much work sits between fleece and finished fiber. Inside an Amish-built barn, the ranch’s Wool Mill hosts fiber-crafting demonstrations during special events.
Washing, dyeing, picking, carding, spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, and felting are all part of the fiber story here.
Crafters who knit or crochet may find this especially interesting. Even if you’ve never held knitting needles, seeing the steps behind wool products makes a cozy sweater feel a little less ordinary.
The Shepherd’s Cross Educational Farm and Veterinary Museum is also part of the property, with more than 100 exhibits highlighted during the fall festival.
Old tools and farm equipment show how rural work was handled before modern machines took over many of the hardest jobs.
Curious kids can compare these older tools with tractors and equipment they spotted outside. That simple contrast can turn a pumpkin trip into an easy history lesson without making the day feel like school.
Give yourself extra time for this part of the visit. Rushing through means missing the smaller details tucked into each display.
The barn also offers a change of setting after time spent outdoors. Moving between the fields, animals, and exhibits gives the day more variety than a single walk through a pumpkin patch.
Fall Traditions Have Been Growing Here For Decades
Thirty years is a long time to keep any fall tradition going. Shepherd’s Cross has been holding its fall celebration for more than three decades, giving the Pumpkin Festival a history that reaches well beyond one season.
That long run matters because the event still centers on the same basic ingredients: pumpkins, farm animals, wagon rides, ranch activities, and a working agricultural setting.
The 2026 Fall Pumpkin Festival is scheduled from September 22 through November 7. During the festival, the ranch is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with an additional Monday opening on October 26.
That window gives you several weeks to choose between warmer early-fall days and the cooler weather that tends to arrive later in the season.
Weather can change quickly in Oklahoma, so check the forecast before heading out and dress for spending a good part of the visit outside.
A yearly photo in the same spot can turn a casual outing into a simple family ritual, especially when pumpkins and changing fall light give the background a familiar seasonal look.
Small traditions often become the stories families repeat for years. Your next fall memory could begin at 16792 E 450 Rd, Claremore, OK 74017.