Local Ish Halloween Guide: Family-Friendly Events

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While Halloween is one of my favorite holidays (a direct result of some of the “costumes” ladies choose to wear), it is in essence, a holiday for the kids.  With that in mind, I have put together this little guide to some of the pre-Halloween events going on in the area.

Pumpkin Patches

Pumpkin Patches (MD)

Pumpkin Patches (NoVa)

Pumpkin Patch Map

Corn Mazes

It seems that over the past 10 years or so, corn mazes have been growing in both popularity and in the size and detail of some of these things.  Here are a couple of places with corn mazes and other activities worth checking out.

Crumland Farms (in Frederick, Md) not only has an 8-acre corn maze and a pumpkin patch, but they also have a haunted hayride that is very popular, called The Haunted Woods (not recommended for children under 9) that is worth checking out as well for those of you on the Maryland side of the DMV.

Picked as “One of the Top Corn Maze Attractions in the DC Area” (though I have no idea by who), The Corn Maze in the Plains is in its 10th year.  Also featuring a pumpkin patch and hayride, this is an inexpensive place to take the family and an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the area.  Every Friday and Saturday night, they also have a Moonlight Maze (last ticket sold at 9:15pm).

Cox Farms  has the requisite pumpkin patch and corn maze but also offers 2 different experiences depending on whether you go during the day or at night.  When darkness falls (on Friday and Saturday nights only), the corn maze becomes a Field of Fear and the hayride turns haunted.  They also have a bonfire and will be showing scary movies.  However they do not recommend the night time activities for children under 12 as it may get a little too scary for them.  Because of the popularity of Cox Farms, ticketing is limited so you may want to purchase them a day or two in advance

I purposely saved this one for last because its fun for adults as well.  Yeah, like the others this is a corn maze on a farm, but The Maize at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park has a few features that make it standout from the rest.  While the others are on private farms, this is a Regional Park so the maze is massive (24 acres).  They also have something I’ve never seen before; Pumpkin Blasters.  From the website, “Want to launch a pumpkin 100 yards through the air? Then we’ve got the perfect toy for you – Pumpkin Blasters. These new features at the farm are essentially big artillery (safe for all ages) pieces that load and fire pumpkin at long range targets.” Yeah…Awesome!  They also have Jumping Pillows which are just massive air-filled bubbles for bouncing on (think of a mix between a moon bounce and a trampoline).  I don’t even have any kids that I know of but may go here myself.  Print out a discount coupon here.

Boo at the Zoo

The 11th Annual Boo at the Zoo (10/23-10/25, 5:30-8:30pm) is a safe, fun way for 2-12 year olds to go trick-or-treating while at the same time learning about the animals at the zoo.  Many of the employees will be in costume, keepers will be talking to the children about the exhibits, and with 40 treat stations you can be sure that they’ll get their fill of candy as well.  Here is a list of some of the Animal Encounters they can experience:

• Termite Fright: Make like a sloth bear and dig for a termite treat.
• Cheetah Play Tree: Be a cheetah and learn about cheetah behaviors and adaptations.
• X-ray Vision: Be a vet and help diagnose a bald eagle.
• Mammal Mysteries: Test your senses to learn more about the amazing variety of small mammals.
• Getting Sleepy?: Make a nest like an orangutan.
• Creepy Creature Demos: Every half hour, little ghouls and goblins can spend time with spineless wonders, including a cockroach, spider, millipede, tarantula, and scorpion.
• Be Digested By a Tiger! On your way up to Great Cats, get chewed up, digested, and pooped out at the other end of the Tiger Tunnel.
• Animal Enrichment: At 7 p.m., the lions and tigers will receive enrichment items to pounce on and play with. See these frisky felines demonstrate predatory skills with their sharp claws and strong jaws.

If you know of any other family-friendly events taking place that you’d like to share, please feel free to include them in the comments.

And finally, here is a PDF with some tips for keeping kids safe this Halloween:

[English] [Spanish]

udothedishes…

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