The Ultimate Guide to All Things Pumpkin in Durham

It’s that time of year. The weather is cooler, the trees are putting on quite the show displaying their colorful leaves, and people young and old are flippin' out about pumpkins. Whether you’re looking for a pumpkin drink to accompany you to one of Durham's Halloween events or treat or want to prep for jack-o’-lantern carving with a trip to a Durham pumpkin patch (plus a corn maze), here's the scoop on where to get your pumpkin fix.

Pick your pumpkin

'Tis the pumpkin season, so chances are you are looking for seasonal squash and decorative gourds in all shapes and sizes right about now. Perkins Orchard, Holder Hill Farm, and The Durham Co-op all have pumpkins available for purchase.

Perkins Orchard

5749 Barbee Road

Perkins Orchard, a unique fruit and vegetable stand located in the heart of Southeast Durham, celebrates its 53rd season this year. Take advantage of the $99 deal to load up on pumpkins at a great price — fill a cart with any pumpkins in the lot, plus their popular “$25 bag” with any produce from the market and free item plus one jarred good from the shop.

Holder Hill Farm

4814 Holder Road

Sitting on seven acres in East Durham, Holder Hill Farm is your go-to Durham pumpkin patch. The fall farm provides a wide variety of pumpkins to fit all family needs, plus fun play areas, hayrides, corn mazes and walking trails.

Pumpkin Patch Express at the Museum of Life and Science

433 W Murray Ave

Saturdays and Sundays through October, the Museum of Life and Science has a family-friendly fall festival with hay rides, a pumpkin patch and carving station, games and a train ride. Museum attendees can climb aboard with a special $15 admission ticket.

The Durham Co-op

1111 W. Chapel Hill St.

The Durham Co-op is a grocery store owned by the community that focuses on carrying local, natural, and organic foods plus products made with sustainable, fair trade, and ethical practices. Need pumpkins? The co-op has numerous pumpkins of all sizes available for purchase. They also have an assortment of pumpkin-flavored baked goods from local bakeries. Pro tip for locals: Co-op owners receive a free gift every month, and October's gift is typically a free pumpkin!

Where to Sip Pumpkin Drinks

From coffee to beer, you can lean into fall vibes all day long with these seasonal pumpkin drink options all around Durham.

Cocoa Cinnamon

420 Geer St./2627 Hillsborough Road/2013 Chapel Hill Road

Cocoa Cinnamon showed up and showed off for the coffee drinkers with their seasonal Harvest Latte, a unique and delicious take on the pumpkin spice latte made with house-made pumpkin seed and cinnamon syrup, ginger, allspice and cayenne.

Cloche Coffee

721 Broad St.

When you visit Cloche Coffee, you'll find that their coffee shop, with a lovely patio, is the perfect space to work, catch up with friends and recharge for a bit. Stop by, check out all the lovely plants for sale and grab a cup of their seasonal pumpkin beverages!

Bull City Ciderworks

305 S. Roxboro St.

Bull City Ciderworks, located in the heart of downtown, crafts unique ciders made with 100% apple juice. Their Jack and Oak, a pumpkin cider aged to perfection on American Oak, is everything you want in a fall beverage. Their first batch this year went so fast that they had to make another one. So, get it while the getting is good! Plus, you can enjoy the crisp air with a visit to their Durham location with an outdoor space and fire pit.

EverLou Coffee Co.

506 N. Mangum St.

If you love fall flavors, head to the newly opened EverLou Coffee Co. in the heart of downtown. Try the pumpkin pie latte and keep an eye out for their pastries and other sweet treats.

The Glass Jug Pumpkin Beerfest

5410 NC 55, Suite V.

Show up to The Glass Jug Beer Lab's RTP location on October 12th for a real treat. From 11 am to 11 pm, The Glass Jug's annual Pumpkin Beerfest event will be slinging everyone's favorite pumpkin beers. Try all kinds of unique pumpkin beers made by local and out of state breweries, from blondes and lagers to sours and stouts.

The Milkshake Factory

359 Blackwell St., Suite #120

The new addition to the American Tobacco Campus, The Milkshake Factory, serves up a decadent collection of shakes, floats and sundaes year round. For the fall season, they've crafted a delicious pumpkin pie milkshake that you won't want to miss out on.

Namu

5240 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd

The cafe program at Namu does not disappoint, as much as its back patio escape amid a bamboo forest delights. Their autumn spice latte is reminiscent of the seasons changing with pie spice, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg to keep you warm.

Oak House

126 W. Main St.

Are you ready for some pumpkin pie in a glass? If you said yes, you must try the seasonal drinks at the Oak House. The Oak House has fall-themed coffee drinks and beers.

People's Coffee

7830 NC Highway 751 Suite 120

This South Durham coffee shop has an excellent array of staple beverages, a robust breakfast menu, and creative seasonal drinks. Their pumpkin cream cold brew, made with pumpkin spice cold foam and topped with pumpkin pie spice, is an tasty caffeinated treat for this time of year.

The Velvet Hippo

119 Orange St.

The Velvet Hippo, the award-winning neighborhood cocktail bar on Durham’s historic Orange Street, welcomes cozy season with a new menu full of seasonal flavors that guests can enjoy under a canopy of thousands of fall leaves. Those new flavors can be found in eight new cocktails, many of which were created by the talented bartender team and feature house-made syrups, including Cuffing Season, made with Johnny Walker Black, Domaine de Canton, pumpkin seed orgeat, Krupnikas spiced honey liqueur, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Where to enjoy a sweet pumpkin treat

Who needs a pumpkin spice twinkie (yes, that’s really a thing) when you have local, fresh-baked pumpkin treats and ice cream.

Monuts

1002 9th St.

It's always time for doughnuts! Monuts, a bakery and cafe located in downtown Durham has a variety of baked goods and spooky Halloween-themed treats.

Ninth Street Bakery

136 E. Chapel Hill St.

You will not regret a pumpkin bar from the Ninth Street Bakery. They also have loaves of fresh bread made with pumpkin. The Fall Harvest Boule highlights the flavors of the season, incorporating yellow cornmeal and pumpkin seeds, and the Danish Rugbod is a dense rye loaf with pumpkin and flax.

Bean Traders

105 W. North Carolina 54 #249

Bean Traders has an assortment of seasonal pastries like banana pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie tarts and decorated cookies. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee and something sweet.

The Parlour

117 Market St. Durham

The Parlour always has fun seasonal specials that you definitely want to try. Stop by for a scoop, pint or shake filled with pumpkin, apple cider, and other fall flavors. A waffle cone of their cookie butter snickerdoodle with pumpkin caramel swirl is the perfect cold treat for this season.

Sweets by Shayda

105 W. Morgan St.

Head downtown to Sweets by Shayda for delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin spice macarons filled with fall spices.

Simons Says Dip This

117 W. Parrish St.

Simon Says Dip This took the pumpkin spice challenge to the next level with their pumpkin spice dipped cone topped with ... cotton candy.

Two Roosters

Golden Belt Campus/800 Taylor St.

Two Roosters expanded to Durham with a new Golden Belt location. They offer a host of tasty flavors and seasonal treats, including Halloween ice cream sandwiches and spooking mini ice cream cakes. Be sure to try their pumpkin spice cookie ice cream.

Whisk and Rye

3401 University Drive, Suite 5

Whisk and Rye is a French-inspired bakery that crafts unique baked goods. Head on over for all the fall vibes and delicious pumpkin treats like pumpkin spice conchas, pumpkin crumb muffins (there's a gluten-free option), and pumpkin seed sourdough.