During the month of October, hundreds of events and attractions come to life. There’s Fright Fest, there’s Zoo Boo, there are the pumpkin patches – and then there’s Maris Farms. With it being in Buckley, it’s a bit of a journey. In the end though, it’s totally worth it.
During the day, Maris Farms is the perfect place for the whole family. There’s mechanical bull riding, giant slides, and even paintball. You can take a tractor ride around the whole farm as well.
And for those who like corn mazes, Maris Farms matches its eight acres of pumpkin patch grounds with eight acres of pure corn maze.
“The Destruction Zone” is where pumpkin patch goers can get a ride in a real monster truck all around the farm, play the Pumpkin Blaster (where, yes, you get to shoot pumpkins) and take a ride down the Mine Shaft Slide.
During the week, admission is seven dollars per person. On the weekends, it jumps up to twelve. For as much entertainment as you get, it’s completely worth it.
While Maris Farms during the day is all fun and good, the real spirit of October comes to life at night. Decked out in strobe lights, fog machines and all sorts of colored lights everywhere, you already know you’re in the right place. Upon arrival, I was immediately scared by a fifteen foot man with the creepiest mask I have ever seen. What made him so scary is that he would just follow you, or run after you if you decided you needed to get away.
The Haunted Woods is the main attraction. You go in small groups throughout this massive course that the farm has laid out with plenty of scary monsters and props along the way. It took me about thirty five minutes to get through the whole thing, but it really felt like I was in there for about an hour. Each portion of the Haunted Woods has a different theme – there’s a fun house, a radioactive center, a deserted bus and so much more. One part that I distinctly remember was a big black tube that was splattered with glow-in-the-dark paint. It was spinning very fast and you have to walk through it, but there’s a bridge that goes straight through it so you’re not actually trying to walk on it, but since it was such a crazy optical illusion, I truly felt as if I was being spun with the tube and almost fell over a few times. It was a struggle to finally get out of there. At the end of the maze, you’re greeted by chainsaw wielding crazies which prompted me to hightail it to the end of the course. You can enjoy the Haunted Woods for $25 per person.
Another night time attraction that Maris Farms is popular for is the Zombie Safari. In the safari, you go through zombie “encampments” on a truck. You get to control a motorized and mounted paintball gun and shoot at zombies that are chasing after you and trying to get onto your truck. The Zombie Safari is $15 per person.
So, for anybody who loves to participate in all things fall but can’t decide what’s worth checking out and what’s not – remember Maris Farms. Whether you’re going during the day or during the night, it is nearly impossible to have a bad time.