Pumpkin season is upon us, and with the prospect of the soggy weather clearing in time for the weekend, DCist thought it would be fun to get out of the house to one of the great many pumpkin patches in our area.

Sure, you can go to your nearest supermarket, suburban strip mall parking lot, or farmer’s market to buy a pumpkin, but where else can you navigate your way through giant mazes carved into cornfields? Make your own scarecrow? Slide down a large hill? Embark on a haunted hayride? Attend a real hoedown? Catapult a pumpkin 2,000 feet?

You can do all that and more, just a short(ish) car ride from D.C. So, hop in your Prius, reserve your Zipcar or grab a friend with wheels and take a look at the many fall festivals going on all around us.

Activities listed after the jump.