Pumpkin patches and corn mazes have become a staple of Halloween celebrations across the country. Kids love picking out their very own pumpkins from an actual patch, plus there are often unique types of pumpkins and gourds available. The drawbacks are that the pumpkins sold in a patch are often expensive, and sometimes bruised or damaged due to all the kids climbing on them and dropping them on the ground. (I can’t count the number of times I’ve brought pumpkins home from a patch and discovered a few days later that at least one of them was badly bruised and had to be thrown away before we even had a chance to carve it!) If buying the overpriced pumpkins from a patch is not in the budget this year, a good compromise may be to take the kids to one of the more reasonably-priced patches to enjoy some of the activities and pick up some pumpkins at Walmart or a supermarket afterwards.Here is a list of local pumpkin patches and corn mazes:
- Something from the Farm: Open through October 31 - 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. Fridays; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturdays; 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sundays; 7755 Greenstone Trail, Fort Collins. Annual fall fun with corn mazes, pumpkin patch, pumpkin throwing, hay rides and children’s playground. $10/adults, $8/children 5-12, free for children 4 and under. Information: http://www.somethingfromthefarm.com
- Northern Colorado Corn Maze: Open through October 31 - 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays; 10:00 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; 2318 S. Larimer County Road 5, Fort Collins. 15-acre maze, pumpkin patch, pumpkin and corn chuckers, inflatable jump castle, petting zoo, pedal car race, giant catapult and trick-or-treating. $8/adults, $6/children 4-11, free for children 3 and under. Information:(970)308-5843 orhttp://www.northerncoloradocornmaze.com/
- Bartels Farm Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily through October 31, 3424 E. Douglas Rd, Wellington. Farm animals, punkin' chunkin', hay rides and a corn maze. Free admission to the pumpkin patch and free parking. Corn maze - $8/adults, $6/children 6 and older, hay rides - $1, kids 5 and under free. Information: http://www.thebartelsfarm.com
- Harvest Farm Fall Festival: Open through October 31 - 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sundays; 4240 E. Larimer County Road 66, Wellington. Annual fall festival with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, corn cannons, hay rides, petting zoo, pumpkin smash, corn box wagons, steer roping, hay bale maze/jump, roping steers, barrel train rides and a children's playground. $15/adults, $10/children 4-12, free for children 3 and under. Information: http://www.harvestfarm.net
- The Fritzler Maze: Open through October 31 - 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Fridays; 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturdays; noon to 6:00 p.m. Sundays; 20861 U.S. Highway 85, LaSalle. Corn maze; “The Creature”, a 25-foot-high, 40-foot-wide, 150-feet-long inflatable; jumping pillow; hay jump; VertiScope and 3D Maze; helicopter rides and more. Non-scary combo ticket: $13/adults, $10/children 5-10, $5/children 4 and younger. Haunted Combo ticket: $20/adults, $16/children 5-10; $9/children 4 and younger. (PLEASE NOTE: some of the activities included in the Haunted Combo ticket are not recommended for children under 10.) Information: http://www.fritzlermaze.com/
- Anderson Farms Fall Festival: Open through October 31 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday, October 22; 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, October 23; 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, October 24; 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday; 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Thursday; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 29-30; 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, October 31; 20861 U.S. Highway 85, LaSalle. Corn maze, hay ride to pumpkin patch, animal acres, pumpkin launching, pedal karts, mine cars, barrel train, farm animals, Kiddie Korral, hay bale maze and world's largest cornucopia. $12/adults, $10/seniors and children 4-12 years, free for children 3 and under. Information: http://www.andersonfarms.com/
One more word of advice - be sure to check the websites for coupons and accepted methods of payment. If it’s not mentioned on the website, it is also advisable to call ahead to see if there is a fee for parking.
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