It doesn’t get any better than autumn splendor on the Half Moon Bay Coast with picturesque seaside farm country blooming in all its glory.

Fertile fields burst into brilliant orange as millions of pumpkins ripen in the warm sun.

Children scamper across pick-your-own pumpkin patches while dodging scarecrows.

It's the perfect time of year to celebrate the bountiful fall harvest and Half Moon Bay does it in a spectacular way.

An autumn outing to the pumpkin fields around Half Moon Bay and the charming seaside town’s world-famous Art & Pumpkin Festival is a popular annual tradition for Bay Area families.

Spread out along State Highways 92 and 1, the patches offer pumpkins in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and in a variety of beautiful rural settings.

For a comprehensive guide to pumpkin patches, farms, and farm stands in San Mateo County (with downloadable PDF files), visit the San Mateo County Farm Bureau website at http://sanmateo.cfbf.com.

This year, the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival runs October 18-19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., along Main Street.