Our first adventure in Germany! I remember I was so excited about this trip. I discovered it via Facebook and told my husband we had to go. We were still staying in temporary lodging so taking Maxine was a must. I searched the webpage, saw it was dog friendly, and decided to go!

You cannot miss this festival if you are in Germany. The pumpkin display alone is what makes it. Then you add all the pumpkin-flavored food/drinks, the gardens, and the storybook park. It is a fall dream!

Now for some perspective of how the pumpkin festival was with bringing a dog. The festival is open 7 days a week, 7:30-8:30PM. The ticket prices are cheaper if you go after 5:30PM. The regular price for adults was 10 euros, and Maxine was free! We went on a Saturday but if you can go during the weekdays, do it. As you can imagine, it became quite packed by the end of the day. I felt Maxine stressed a few times because some areas were heavily populated by adults and especially children running everywhere. In hindsight, I think she will do much better this year as she was still adjusting from the plane ride and living in Germany.

Parking was definitely something we will be better about this upcoming year. Something we have learned with living in Europe… don’t bother with street parking. Always find a parking garage! This may be a personal opinion however it takes away a lot of stress from my husband and me.

You first enter near the Ludwigsburg Palace, which is breathtaking. The pumpkin displays are all over their gardens. Mounds of different pumpkins that are shaped into wonderful displays. It is easy to walk around and explore everything the festival has to offer. The festival also has different activities going on each week. Some were pumpkin carvings, pumpkin boat races, and much more. The official website goes into great detail about everything they have to offer. I, however, was very excited about all the pumpkin food! The food options ranged from pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin fries, pumpkin prosecco, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bratwurst, and so much more! Again, I would recommend going during the weekday if you can because we had to wait in very long lines for our food.

During this time, we would find a quiet place for one of us to sit with Maxine while the other would wait in line for food. We also loaded her with water and treats to reward her fantastic behavior. There were plenty of other dogs at the Pumpkin festival. All must be on a leash and are not allowed in certain areas on the palace grounds (bird exhibits and the gardens). We ended on time at the festival by wandering through Storybook Park. This was a unique and cool experience. They had animated exhibits of various storybooks (Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and more).

I cannot wait to go back to this Festival in the fall! Again, the trip was definitely dog friendly, but you must do what is best for your dog. Ensure your dog isn’t a distraction to people (excessive barking and being in others’ way). A helpful tip is to do small outings with your dog in your city first to ensure they can handle being in a social setting. Maxine has had a lot of practice; she is definitely not perfect but loves to be included!