Utah abounds with family fun in September and October, from haunted corn mazes to pig races.
We all welcome fall in our own way—some of us buy new sweaters. Some of us go leaf-peeping. Some of us chase pumpkin spice experiences at local coffee shops.
And some of us like to pile in the car with friends or family and spend the day at one of Utah’s many corn mazes, U-pick fields, or haunted attractions. Cornbelly’s, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, started as a simple corn maze and now has two locations and nearly 100 unique attractions. If you just want to head out and find a Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin, there are plenty of local patches to find the perfect one.
In addition to these seasonal attractions, there are lots of one-day or weekend events happening this fall, including the Witches’ Tea at Grand America on Sept. 25; the Pumpkinpalooza & Zombie Walk at The Gateway on Oct. 10; the Scarecrow Spectacular in Mapleton on Oct. 10; the Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta in Daybreak on Oct. 1; and the Syracuse Pumpkin Walk, which runs Oct. 22 through 24.
Cache Valley Straw Maze
Address: 590 N. 200 W., Richmond, UT 84333
Price: $8-$20, kids under 2 free
Dates: Sept.–Oct.
Located in Richmond (near Logan), the Cache Valley Straw Maze is more than what its name implies—it’s an all-in-one fall attractions stop. In addition to the acre-sized straw bale maze, there’s a haunted maze (open from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. during October), a U-pick pumpkin patch, and an extensive play area with a jump pad, a giant slide built from hay bales, a corn pit, and a mini-maze for smaller children. Food options include The Corn Dog Company, Churro Fix, and on-site concession stands selling snacks like popcorn and cotton candy.
Cornbelly’s
Cornbelly’s Lehi Address: Thanksgiving Point, 3003 North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043
Dates: September 21–October 31
Cornbelly’s Spanish Fork address: 3687 W. 5600 S. Spanish Fork, UT 84660
Price: $12.99-99.99, depending on location
Dates: Sept. 4–Oct. 31
30 years ago, Cornbelly’s was just a humble corn maze. Now it’s expanded to two locations with nearly 100 attractions, including Frightbelly’s, the haunted corn maze at the Lehi location (both mazes there are 10 acres apiece).
There’s also a mini train, a scarecrow band, U-pick sunflower and pumpkin fields, a candy cannon, face painting, bungee jumping, a petting zoo, hayrides, and a carnival area with rides like the corn cob spinners, the twisted apple, the pumpkin twister, and cornado. This year, both locations paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton with mazes designed in her image and programming around her legacy (including her Imagination Library).
Cross E Ranch Fall Festival
Address: 3500 N. 2200 W., Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Tickets: $16.95-$49.95
Dates: Sept. 18-19; Sept. 25-Oct. 31
Though Cross E Ranch offers many of the standard fall attractions, including a corn maze, hayrides, and a U-Pick pumpkin patch, it sets itself apart with its pig races. Races are scheduled twice a day during the week (at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.) and four times a day on weekends (11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8 p.m.), though as the website notes, “Schedule subject to change without notice—sometimes the animals run the show.”
Structured like a tiny horse race, the pigs are let loose from their gates, all running toward the finish line—where their trainers dangle a donut. Cross E is also known for its donuts, by the by, and you can score your own at the ranch’s Donut Barn after the races.
Kuwahara’s Pumpkin Patch, Thriller Park, and Halloween Festival
Kuwahara’s Draper address: 762 W. 12300 S., Draper, UT
Pumpkin Patch entry: $5
Thriller Park Tickets: $27-$103
Dates: Sept. 18–October 31
Hours: 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun–Thurs., 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri. & Sat.
Prior to spooky season, Kuwahara’s is the place to score in-season produce, from spring peas to fall apples. In mid-September, the Draper location opens its pumpkin patch and Halloween attraction, Thriller Park. (One extra reason to support Kuwahara’s this year: some jerk stole the laptop with all the Thriller Park sound effects on it, and employees have been working long days to catch up to get the park ready for visitors.)
This year’s Thriller Park has a brand-new Jack-o’-lantern corn maze, a Halloween Main Street, Zombie Paintball, an updated Kids’ Play Zone, live music, food trucks, DJs and dance parties, and Halloween-themed food and drink.
Mabey Farms
Address: 10090 S. 1000 W., South Jordan, UT 84095
Admission: Free
Dates: Sept. 25–Oct. 31
Hours: Mon–Sat, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
If you have very little kids—or you’re just over the high-intensity Halloween thing—Mabey Farms offers a gentle, bucolic U-Pick experience. Located in South Jordan, Mabey’s farm spans 16 acres—something it’s been doing since 1884 (it’s an official Utah century farm). This fourth-generation family farm grows nearly 50 different kinds of pumpkins, and during pumpkin patch season, sets up photo backdrops including a barn-wood photo booth, straw bales, and wagons that are perfect vignettes for selfies or family snapshots.
Wheeler Farm Pumpkin Days
Tickets: Free patch admission, $12 for maze and playland (includes one hayride or cow train ride), $3 each for rides
Dates: Sept. 25–Oct. 31
Hours: 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Mon–Thurs., 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Operated by the Salt Lake County Department of Parks and Recreation, Wheeler Historic Farm is one of the few remaining 19th-century homesteads in the area and continues to be a working farmstead, as well as a public park. The 75-acre grounds include a park, trails, farmhouse, barn, stables, gardens, and outdoor education space. During September and October, the farm opens its pumpkin patch in the North Parking Lot Pasture, with a number of different varieties of pumpkins provided by Utah farmers, which are sold by size.
Pumpkin Days events include a kids’ play area, corn pit, duck races, and the cow train (a mini-train with cow-shaped cars), which you won’t find at any other attraction in town. There’s also a hay maze where kids can interact with the farm animals, and probably one of the best hayrides in town, with a route that passes through the outer stretches of the farm, including Wheeler Woods.
