Southern Arizona offers up pumpkin patches and corn mazes | Community Spirit

Looking for a pumpkin to carve for Halloween?  Or to make those scrumptious pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving?  Or just looking for a fun way to spend the day, getting lost in a corn maze?  Here is the list for you.  Take a look at what’s being offered across Southern Arizona.  Don't forget to get your pumpkin - time is running short, Halloween will be here before you know it!!

***For those on the northwest side there is the Marana Pumpkin Patch and Farm Festival, starting this weekend and running till Halloween.

WHEN: October 13-31; Monday, Thursday, Friday - 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday - 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday – closed.  Special Halloween hours are 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

WHERE:  14901 N. Wentz Road, Marana

COST:  $10 per person

Admission includes the following:

• Entry to the Farm Festival
• A Wagon Ride to the Pumpkin Patch (To pick out your special pumpkin!)
• One free pumpkin with paid admission
• Free access to both corn mazes
• Access to the Straw Mountain and Kids Zone
• Petting Zoo
• Pig Races

Kids 30" and under receive free admission but will have to purchase a pumpkin. There will be additional pumpkins for sale, with prices to be determined at harvest time.

Here are a few special events during the festival you may also want to consider:

• Mondays are Family Night with a Spaghetti and Pizza Dinner – Spaghetti, meat sauce, roll with butter and a drink - $5, add meatballs - $2; Pizza (2 slices and a drink) - $5
• Fridays are Steak dinners – 1/2 pound NY steak, fries, roll with butter and a drink for $12.
• Sundays at 8 a.m. come enjoy breakfast before enjoying your fun-filled day!

For more information about the festival go online to http://www.maranapumpkinpatch.com/index.html

***For those in the southwest here is Buckelew Farms Pumpkin Festival, Corn Maze, and Terror in the Corn (for those who like to get their scare on!  May not be suitable for those under the age of 12!)

For the last 24 years Buckelew Farms has been hosting their pumpkin festival, and two different corn maze events, one more family friendly and one much scarier.  The farm has changed their policy this year, there are NO pets allowed, if you show up with a pet you will be turned away.

WHEN:  Pumpkin Festival – weekends (Saturday & Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE:  17000 W. Ajo Way, Tucson 85735

COST:  $4 per person – included with admission – tractor-drawn wagon rides to and from the 50-acre pumpkin patch. 

Additional festivities will be arts & crafts, children’s games, 4-H petting zoo, pedal cart race track, a mechanical bull, plus a variety of food booths and a Budweiser beer garden.  You will be able to purchase a pumpkin for $.50 per pound. 

In addition to the Pumpkin festival on weekends, will be an 11-acre KIIM 99.5 Corn Maze.  There are four miles of trail and contains 12 checkpoints to gauge your progress (sort of like a scavenger hunt in the corn).  The maze requires two hours to complete, so don’t go expecting to get the maze done quickly.  The maze will be open during festival hours.  As a special bonus the corn maze can be enjoyed by flashlight on Friday nights (6 p.m. to midnight) and Saturday nights (5 p.m. to midnight).

Daytime admission (after pumpkin festival admission) is adults - $8; children 6-12 - $6; children 5 and under (must be accompanied by an adult) are free; groups of 10 or more are always a $1 off each admission price.

Buckelew Farms has an added bonus for those who like to get their scare on during October, with their Terror in the Corn (Haunted Cornfield).  This special ‘maze’ is open Friday and Saturday nights from dark (time varies) to midnight.  There are special days October 18 & 25 for College nights; October 24 for Ladies night, and Halloween night. 

Terror in the Corn (Haunted Cornfield) is not for children under the age of 12, unless they are accompanied by an adult, and parental discretion is strongly advised.  The cost for Terror in the Corn is $20 per person and includes admission to the corn maze as well.

• Special Discounts, applies to Terror in the Corn only –
• Early Bird Special – (October 5 & 6 only) buy two admissions and get one free.
• Military Appreciation – (October 13 & 14) show active duty military photo ID and receive $5 off admission.
• College Nights Out – (October 18 & 25) show student ID and receive $5 off admission.
• Ladies Night – (October 24) ladies receive $5 off admission
• Halloween Night – (October 31) come in costume and receive $5 off admission.

For more information, please visit our web site:  www.buckelewfarm.com. 

***For those in Tucson’s southside neighborhoods there is:

HOPE UMC Pumpkin Patch

Are you looking for that perfect pumpkin to carve?  Stop by the Hope United Methodist Church’s Pumpkin Festival and take a look.

The action started October 13, when the pumpkins arrived!  A truck unloaded over 1,200 pumpkins.  These pumpkins are on sale now till Halloween (or they run out of pumpkins!) 

To help celebrate the season, and get the holiday started off right, Hope United Methodist Church is also hosting two Pumpkin festivals on October 20 and 27.

WHERE:  Hope United Methodist Church - (6740 S. Santa Clara Ave., Tucson, 85756)

There will be a little something for everyone in the family – games, contests, story reading, photo ops, and of course everyone’s favorite Halloween icon – PUMPKINS!! 

In addition to the games will be all things pumpkin – pies, cakes, cookies seeds and as a special treat Harry Potter’s pumpkin juice.  Looking for something to do with all that pumpkin?  A special cookbook will be available for sale during the festivals as well. 

Come join the crew for smash-a-pumpkin, haystack find, lollipop witch’s hat, pick a pumpkin game, cola ring toss, pumpkin ring toss, decorate a pumpkin, and pin the nose on the pumpkin. There will be crafts, a food booth, a caramel apple booth and baked goods galore. 

You can stop by any day of the week to get your pumpkin, but be sure to stop by during the festivals and have a good time!

Hours for the pumpkin patch are:

• Saturday – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
• Sunday – Noon to 7 p.m.;
• Monday – Friday – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information about the patch and the festivals please visit the website at www.hopeumctucson.org; or call (520) 294-1824

***For those living south of Tucson there is the Agua Linda Farm Fall Festival.

Voted a top 100 place to visit (by Tucson Lifestyle Magazine in 2009) the Agua Linda Farm Fall Festival is the place to be. Please remember to leave your pets at home though!

WHEN:  Weekends throughout October

WHERE:  2643 E. Frontage Road, Amado AZ 85645

The farm will be open every weekend throughout October and admission to the festival is only $5 per person; children 2 and under are free.  Included in the price of admission is:

• unlimited hayrides
• unlimited petting zoo visits
• Bounce house
• unlimited access to kid-friendly maze
• unlimited hay-stack climbing
• use of picnic area/tables (outside food not permitted)
• movie on Friday and Saturday nights (kid friendly animated movie on 14' big screen) 
• FREE SPECIAL EVENTS: TBA

As an added bonus on October 20, come down to the festival and meet Lili DeBarbierri, author of A Guide to Southern Arizona’s Historic Farms and Ranches.  Agua Linda is included in her book, DeBarbierri will be on hand to sell and sign copies of her book and answer any questions you might have.

For a little extra you can enjoy the following activities:

• pony rides (kids 100lbs and under) $5
• Pumpkin Picking
• Shopping in their Farm Store
• Dining  at the Garden Grill concession stand
• And snacking in the Sweet Treats Candy Shop

The farm is closed Monday through Thursday, only the farm STAND is open from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., there are no festival activities or concessions during those times.

• Fridays – closed during the day, open in the evenings for ‘movie night’.  You are welcome to bring a flashlight, the parking lot and pumpkin patch are not lit.  No early birds please, the gates won’t be open until 5 p.m.
• Saturdays – open all October from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; movie starts after dark (so hours vary), again bring a flashlight, no lights in parking area.  As an added element its cool to navigate the maze in the dark, armed with only your flashlight.
• Sundays – open all October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free Movie nights (Friday and Saturday) you can take a ride to the pumpkin patch, enjoy a bite to eat, and watch a ‘kid friendly’ movie (usually a half hour long).  There will be popcorn and hot cocoa and other treats available for a small fee.  Movie start times vary, generally after the sun goes down; if you miss one show don’t worry there will be another (two shows per night); you can even bring your own lawn chair to sit on.  Kids are encouraged to wear their costumes!

For more information on the Fall Festival please go online to http://www.agualindafarm.net/index.html or call the information line at (520)891-5532

***For those who live in Southeastern Arizona there is the tried and true Apple Annie’s Fall Pumpkin Celebration.

WHEN:  The Pumpkin celebration is offered on weekends only during October 20 & 21; 27 & 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (The pumpkin patch and corn maze are open daily through Halloween!)

WHERE: 6405 W Williams Rd Willcox, AZ 85643

You can head on out to enjoy picking your own pumpkins, fall veggies and apples.  There are pumpkins of all kinds available for the picking.  The fee is $3 per person; children 2 and under are free. Admission  includes a hay ride to the pumpkin patch and access to the children’s play area.  If you are not the picking type but still want a fresh pumpkin, there are plenty of ‘already picked’ pumpkins to choose from as well.

For those a little more adventurous there is the Apple Annie’s Corn Maze, open daily (from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)  Come out and try your hand at running this maze, there are three levels of difficulty, so everyone can enjoy the maze. 

The maze is cut into 15 acres of cornfield, there are over six miles of pathways, and of course the three levels of difficulty.  There are also ‘interactive’ passports to help you navigate the maze.

Prices are – adult $7; children (3-11) $5; children (2 and under) free.  If you would like to enjoy the maze and a hayride, prices are – adult $9; children (3-11) $7; children (2 and under) free.  There are group rates available as well, you can save up to $1 per person on the Maze or Maze/Hayride tickets when you have a group of 15 or more.  Reservations are required when bringing a group that large, please call (520)384-4685 to set it up.

You can even come a little early and enjoy an ‘all-you-can-eat’ pancake breakfast, served from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; or come around lunchtime and enjoy an apple smoked burger lunch, served from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  (Breakfast and Lunch are served at the orchard location).  Don’t forget to bring your camera and a jacket (it can get quite cool in Willcox this time of year!)

Pets are welcome, as long as they are friendly (to other people, children and animals!) and are on a leash. 

For more information please go online to http://www.appleannies.com