Anderson Farms in Erie – A Colorado Fall Tradition

As summer fades into fall it means cooler days and nights, jackets, leaves changing colors, Halloween costume shopping, and picking out the perfect pumpkin.  For many, it also means the yearly pilgrimage to Anderson Farms in Erie, Colorado. It is called the Fall Festival and this year it runs from September 25th to October 31st.

Gene and I went there one year for a company picnic and we really enjoyed exploring the farm. I love fall (it’s actually my favorite season) and it was a perfect day to enjoy the crisp afternoon.

Anderson Farms has Colorado’s Longest-Running Corn Maze where you can get lost in their 30-acre corn maze! It is open day and night and is never haunted. They suggest that if you come after dark remember to bring your flashlight. The maze has three sections with checkpoints or you can just wander around aimlessly. There is also a smaller maze for children 2-8 years old.

My personal favorite thing at Anderson farms is the Hayride to the Pumpkin Patch on a wagon pulled by an antique Oliver tractor.   With 30 acres and over 70 varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds all over the place, you will definitely be able to find out what you are looking for.

In case you are interested, here are a few interesting facts about pumpkins:

• A Pumpkin can last for months!
• As long as you do not break the stem off, carve it, and store it in a cool dry place, it can stay beautiful for several months.
• A Pumpkin is really a SQUASH!  Pumpkins are a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.
• You can EAT the Pumpkin flower.
• Pumpkins are 90% WATER
• Pumpkins are grown all over the world!
• Six out of the Seven Continents can grow pumpkins.
• Antarctica is the only continent that can not grow pumpkins.
• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
• Pumpkins used to be recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

Are you an artist? If so, find your way over to their Paint A Pumpkin Junction where they have paint, markers, stencils, and tons of other materials to make your pumpkin unique!  The price is $5.00 (pumpkin included).  The last company I worked for had a pumpkin decorating contest every year and it was always a blast. I admit that I am not very good, but it’s fun to try to be creative every once in a while, lol. Half of the fun was talking to other people and seeing what they came up with on their pumpkins.

If you rather destroy a pumpkin than decorate it, they have what they call Pumpkin Launching – They have built what they call a pressurized cannon that can hurl small pumpkins up to ¼ mile! You can also do Gourd launching and send gourds sailing through the air. This is usually a fun activity for the kids.

Another fun thing I enjoyed at Anderson Farms was visiting the barnyard and seeing all the animals. They have goats, alpacas, chickens, ducks & geese. The little kids always have a great time, just watch out for loose things, the goats definitely try to eat it lol. I also heard that they have pony rides on Saturdays and Sundays for $5 per ride.

Above are just a few of the items that you can do at Anderson Farms. Below is a list of other activities that you and the family can partake in.

• Jump Pads
• Combine Slide
• Krazy Rainbow Maze
• Barnyard 500 Pedal Karts
• Mine Cars
• Wooden Train
• Barrel Train
• Mainyard Fire Pit
• Tire Mountain
• Fort A-Lot-A Fun
• Sand Diggers
• Gem Mining
• Ducktona Halfpipe Duck Races
• 5-Minute Escape Rooms
• Paintball Shooting Gallery
• Virtual Reality

Concessions

If all that activity makes you hungry and thirsty, there are many

Anderson Farms Visitor Information

Address:

Phone:

303-828-5210

Hours:

Hours vary by day. Please check out the links for hours on the day you want to visit.

Pricing

Fall Festival

4 and up $12
3 and under Free

Terror in the Corn

Thursday or Sunday: $27
Friday or Saturday: $30

Zombie Paintball Hunt

Thursday or Sunday: $25
Friday or Saturday: $27

Directions:

From Boulder – Take the Longmont/Boulder Diagonal to Highway 52 and turn east. Go past Hwy 287, go past County Line Road, turn north on County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

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From Longmont – South on Highway 287 to Highway 52. Turn east. Go past County Line Road. Turn north on County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

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From Denver – Go north on I-25, exit 235 on Hwy 52, approximately 12 miles north of 120th Avenue. Turn west on Hwy 52 and go approximately 2 1/2 miles. Turn north on County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

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From Northwest Denver – Go northwest on Hwy 36 (Denver to Boulder road). Exit at Broomfield and turn right at the exit from the freeway. You are now on Hwy 287. (An alternative is to come north on Wadsworth which turns into Hwy. 287) Go north. Pass Baseline, pass Arapahoe, pass Lookout Road until you get to Hwy 52. Turn right or east. Go past County Line Road. Turn north on County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

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From Greeley/Ft. Collins/Loveland – Go south on I-25, exit 235 on Hwy 52. Turn west on Hwy 52 and go approximately 2-1/2 miles. Turn north on County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

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From Southeast Denver – Take E470 North to I-25. Go north to Hwy 52 (exit 235) and turn west.  Approximately 2-1/2 miles you will find County Road (CR) 3 ¼. Turn north. Go ¾ mile and you are there!

We look forward to checking out the Anderson Farms Fall Festival again this year. Again, the Fall Festival Season runs this year from September 25th-October 31st.  Here is a link to their website if you want more information. If you go, please come back and share your visit 🙂 Also, if you like Halloween you should check out my post on Knott’s Scary Farm. It’s a Southern California tradition. Thanks.