One of my favorite things about living in Colorado is the ability we have to drive less than hour away from the crowded suburbs and insert ourselves into an entirely different landscape. For my family, the start of autumn is ushered in with mountain drives to enjoy the beautiful foliage and trips to the local farms to hunt for the perfect pumpkin.

One of our favorite fall festivals is held annually at Anderson Farms in Erie. It is just a 20-minute drive from Boulder, Longmont or Thornton and is easy to find with it’s 24-foot-in-diameter giant pumpkin currently mounted atop one of the farm’s silos. We enjoyed our visit on a beautiful sunny day last weekend and spent more than three hours exploring all there is to see and do (and consume). The cost of admission includes:

*Kiddie Korral-kids can try out the Rainbow Maze or Hay Bale maze, climb the giant tire mountain, crawl around the Spider Web or play on the wooden train.

*Farm animals galore- get up close and personal with rabbits, goats, alpacas, chickens and more.

*Barnyard 500 pedal carts- race around one of the two tracks in the self-propelled (a great workout!) pedal carts.

* The Mine Cars and Barrel Train rides.

*Several different family photo areas.

*Pumpkin Launching- every hour on the hour on the weekends.

*Hayride out to the pumpkin patch- feed the cattle along the way and then choose your own pumpkins (for purchase) from the enormous fields.

*Unlimited access to the 30-acre Corn Maze where you can explore (or get lost!) in 3 different sections.

There is also a gem mining area (for extra cost), a gift shop, a few concession stands for snacks and a larger indoor concessions area where hot dogs, bratwurst, pork sandwiches and snacks/drinks can be purchased. We thought the food was reasonably-priced and was very fast and convenient. The gift shop had a lot of really cute decorative items and a big bin of gourds for just a quarter apiece.

While the kids definitely enjoyed the rides, the climbing and all the animals, our favorite part of the day was the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. It was really interesting to see all the parts of a working farm and feed the friendly cattle. My sons both had visions of the “perfect pumpkin” so we had a great time hunting through the patch to find a an oval-shaped medium-sized one and a small white pumpkin (prices ranged from $2-$12, depending on the size).

We saved the corn maze for our final farm adventure of the day. Although we were provided with detailed full-color maps, we are a directionally-challenged family with a 3-year-old who was recently potty-trained, so we stuck to the section closest to the entrance. They had checkpoints along the way to track your progress and even set up a fun clue-hunting game inside called FSI (Farm Scene Investigation), so families could probably spend hours in the maze if they wanted.

The staff was very helpful and personable and even helped direct folks into parking spaces. The Fall Festival is a fun, affordable family activity that would be a great way to entertain out-of-town guests as well. Anderson Farms also hosts other activities in the evening, including a Zombie Paint Ball Hunt and Terror in the Corn (both are priced separately from the Fall Festival).

Anderson Farms Fall Festival Pricing and Hours:

*Kids 3 & Under- FREE
*Kids 4-12- $10
*Ages 13-59- $12
*Seniors 60+ -$10

Open at 10 a.m. daily through October 31st, closing time varies on the specific day. For more info and directions, please visit: http://andersonfarms.com/pricing/

Guest blogger Lindley is a full-time stay-at-home mom and part-time youth basketball tournament director. She graduated from CSU with degrees in journalism and psychology and currently resides in Thornton with her husband, two boys and her trusty pooch, Luke.