Halloween is only a little over a week away! Can you believe it?! Fall has always been my favorite season. You got football, Halloween, changing leaves (at least here in Colorado), sweater weather and my personal favorite, my birthday! So yeah, I’m a little biased, but I love Halloween! And I always insist on going to a pumpkin patch, because honestly that’s way more fun than picking one out at the grocery store.
This year we had our little fall adventure at Anderson Farms in Erie, CO. It was just my husband and me and we had an absolute blast! They have so many awesome things to explore including a pumpkin patch, farm animals, a GIANT 25-Acre corn maze and even fun after-dark activities.
Since the pandemic, Anderson Farms has to limit the number of guests they allow into the property at a time, so you have to purchase your tickets online. General admission tickets are $12.00 each (with a $0.50 processing fee). Kids 3 and under are free! When you purchase tickets, you also must select an entry time (again… Covid guidelines). A general admission ticket will get you a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch, the huge corn maze, the playground, farm animals, and the petal karts. Right now, masks are required for those 11 years and older in the attractions or anywhere you cannot remain 6ft away from others. Anderson Farms is open weekdays and weekends during October, most days from 10am-10pm. They are closed on Tuesdays though.
We decided to go on a weekday in the early evening, hoping to avoid the large crowds, which totally worked! When we arrived, we decided to do the pumpkin patch first before it started getting too dark. Luckily, there wasn’t a line for the wagon, so we just hopped right on. A tractor will take the wagon on a short drive up to the pumpkin fields. Now, I had never really seen a pumpkin patch before, like one that is actually growing the pumpkins. Generally the pumpkin patches I’ve ever gone to have had the already picked pumpkins displayed on wood pallets, and you just choose from those. This was very different! The field is mostly dirt and the pumpkins are still on the vines. There are lots that they have already “picked” and placed alongside the paths, so you can also pick from those. But I wanted to pick ours from the vine! Tip: If you plan on picking a pumpkin from a vine, it might not hurt to bring a pocket knife to cut it.
After traipsing around the fields, I decided I wanted some more unusual pumpkins from the farm, because we could get normal orange pumpkins at the store. Once you pick your pumpkin, there is a chart where you can see how much the pumpkin will cost. The price seemed to start at $2 and go up to $12.
Once you have your desired pumpkins, the wagon will drop you off at a little shop back on the main part of the property to pay. There are more pumpkins to choose from here as well, including teeny, tiny $0.50 pumpkins and interesting looking gourds. We decided to put our pumpkins in the car so we could enjoy the rest of the farm. They will let you back in if you leave, but make sure they mark your wristband. There is also a small pumpkin patch in the main area of the farm if you have someone in your party who can’t climb onto the wagon or walk through the fields, which is great for young children and the elderly.
The cute little “downtown” area has several attractions. There’s a barn, farm animals, pumpkins everywhere, a few food stands and the “World’s Largest Man-made Pumpkin”.
The corn maze is actually a-maze-ing! (You know I couldn’t help myself!) But seriously, it’s huge. It is 25-acres and has over 8 miles of trails. So naturally we did not do all of it. We did the middle length maze that ended up being a little over 1.5 miles. There was a clue type game that you could play in the maze to figure out something like who kidnapped the farmer. Make your way to the different checkpoints, and you’ll punch your card and rule out suspects until you find the culprit. It was a pretty fun game that kept us entertained. We also did the toddler maze that is a little under a mile, just to see if I could navigate my way through without the assistance of my husband. We could have spent so long in the maze! And honestly I didn’t expect it to be as big as it was. But I was very happy with the trail we decided to do. The website suggests you allot about 2 hours for the maze. And remember, there are no bathrooms in the maze, so go before! The maze is also open after dark, but remember to bring a flashlight to help you see!
There is a whole other side to Anderson Farms at night, if you choose! According to the website, Terror in the Corn is one of the largest haunted attractions in Colorado. We did not do it, but it sounds scary! First they drop you off in the dark in the middle of a scary corn field. Then you must find your way back through the cornfield and make your way through the “Haunted Town”. Perfect if you think people jumping out and scaring the you-know-what out of you is your idea of fun! There is a creepy background story that you can find online explaining how the town got there and the murderous twins who mysteriously disappeared. You can find the story here.
The other after-dark attraction is the Zombie Paintball Hunt. On this adventure, you’ll board a trailer that will drive through the “Snowbrier Containment Facility”. There will be paintball guns attached to each seat of the ride. Participants will shoot as many zombies as possible to try and save the last of the human race. Exciting, huh? There is a fun, background story that goes with this attraction as well about an escaped bio-weapon. You can find that here.
Tickets for Terror in the Corn and Zombie Paintball Hunt are only available Thursday – Sunday. Tickets for Terror in the Corn will cost you either $27 or $30 depending on the day. Tickets for Zombie Paintball Hunt are $25 or $27 depending on the day. However, with a purchase of these tickets, you will not need to purchase a general admission ticket. These tickets will get you anything a general admission ticket would. Terror in the Corn is not recommended for children 10 and under, while Zombie Paintball Hunt is not recommended for children 5 and under. I’m sure some of that would give me nightmares, so I get it!
As you can see, there is so much to explore at Anderson Farms. And there is something for all ages, for families or a group of teenagers. I highly recommend checking it out! I know we will be going back next year to explore the new design of the corn maze and maybe shoot some zombies.
