Fall on the Farm: Halloween and Harvests in Redding
Redding has a long, proud history of family farms; for example, Hawes Farms and Nash Ranch date back to the 1860s and are both still working local farms today. These farms stay busy year-round, but harvest season is when they really pull out all the stops. The best part is they invite the community to come celebrate the season with them!
Photo Credit: Brent Van Auken
From fall festivals to Halloween scares, here are some of the best ways to celebrate fall on these two farms in Redding.
Straight Off the Vine Pumpkin Picking
Hawes Farms and Nash Ranch are both working farms, and come fall they invite you to take home the fruit of that labor specifically, to take home one of their over 30 varieties of pumpkins! Rather than picking out any old grocery store gourd, bring the family out to the farm and let the kiddos pick their own pumpkin straight off the field. You’re not just harvesting pumpkins; you’re harvesting memories.
A Festive Fall
Harvest season is a big deal on the farm – and the farms in Redding pull out all the stops each year to celebrate with a Fall Festival! Step into an old-fashioned country fair at Hawes Farms, with carnival rides, food trucks, and live music in the evenings. At Nash Ranch, you can find unique souvenirs at their weekend craft fair chock-full of local artisans. And at both farms, you can meet some of the animals that call these pastures home at the petting zoo, or take a train ride to see more of the farm itself.
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
The corn crop in Redding is so abundant you could get lost in it. That’s just what Redding’s farmers are asking you to do! Every year, Hawes Farms and Nash Ranch transform their cornfields into elaborate labyrinths and invite the public to solve the maze of maize. There are over 3 miles of twists and turns to get lost in the cornstalks – can you find your way out?
Farming Up Some Scares
Many horror films have been set in spooky cornfields. Redding’s farms have embraced that proud tradition, and after sundown they create their own fields of Halloween scares! At night, Hawes Farms transforms into Hawes Haunts – as the normally happy farm is overrun by ghosts and ghouls, can you navigate their four haunts and escape? (Note: Hawes Haunts can be intense and is intended for guests age 18 and up.) The terror continues at Nash Ranch, where brave souls can enter the haunted corn maze or The Dreams of Darkness haunted house. Muster up your courage – Dreams of Darkness is one of the longest haunted attractions in America, and the only way out is through!