Fall in love with fall this Halloween season

While watching Halloween movies for hours on end does sound fun, we have been cooped up inside for these last few months and who isn’t dying to get outside? Due to COVID, activities are limited but many farms and other locations are operating with a few precautions in place. 

Pumpkin Patches

Sure, you can get your pumpkins at Safeway or a different local grocery store. But fear not! There are multiple pumpkin patches that are still operating in the Puget Sound area. Sidhu Farms pumpkin patch in Puyallup continues to operate from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. every day of the week with special guidelines. While it is outside, they are requiring masks to be worn while entering the pumpkin patch and corn maze on site while also maintaining the required social distancing. There are also directional signs and paths to help mandate the distancing order. 

Corn Mazes

Who doesn’t love a good corn maze? While it seemed unclear if corn mazes were going to be able to operate this year, it appears that with the proper precautions, they are able to make it work. There are mazes for all ages scattered around the area. Spooner Farms is holding its annual maze that kids and family members of all ages are guaranteed to love. Spooner Farms will operate from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. for the month of October. 

If you’re looking for a bit more of a challenge, Maris Farms is holding its flashlight maze this year. You will need to provide your own flashlight, but mazes in the dark have the perfect Halloween vibe. The flashlight maze will operate on Friday and Saturday nights Oct. 2–Oct. 31 and Sunday nights on October 11, 18 and 25 from 7 p.m., or whenever it gets dark, to 9 p.m. 

Haunted Walks

If you’re a thrill-seeker or wanting to amp up the spooky vibes, haunted walks are a great option. Maris Farms hosts “Haunted Woods” — a haunted walk that allows participants to venture into the woods from their corn maze for about 40 minutes. Due to COVID, capacity will be at 50 percent and they are only accepting online tickets. This walk is not recommended for children under 10 and there are additional guidelines on the Maris Farms website. This haunted walk will run on select nights through Oct. 25 at various times so be sure to double-check your reservation if you make one. 

If you’re not into the Halloween scene as much, there are still some great activities you can do to get the most out of this season. Whether it be going for a walk through Wright Park in Tacoma with the changing leaves or just curling up with a pumpkin spice latte and your favorite book, there is something for everyone this fall season.