Halloween Scene

GET SCARED!

The Asylum Haunted House
The Asylum is a slick, high-budget spook shack that draws huge crowds throughout the season. Zombies, monsters and improperly medicated mental patients stalk the Gordon Cottingham Hospital for the Mentally Insane, and even nastier denizens patrol the basement levels below. The complex is better known during daylight hours as the Boondocks Fun Center, but miniature golf isn’t usually very scary. Daily thru Oct. 31, 11425 Community Center Dr, Northglenn, 720.977.8000,

Crazed Corn Field Maze & Haunted Field of Screams
The Thornton maze squeezes several activities into its 14 acres. Daylight fun includes the maze, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch and a corn kernel box. Nighttime visitors will encounter the Field of Screams, which is not too far from Riverdale Road, a real-life haunt patrolled by phantom dogs, according to North Metro area lore. This barely-lit corn trail (it isn’t actually a maze) will give you an entirely new perspective on scarecrows. Tuesday-Sunday thru Oct. 31, 6101 E. 104th Ave, Thornton, 303.913.5947.

Frightmare
A perennial favorite among Mile-High’s haunt cognoscenti, Denver’s oldest haunted house is also one of the best. The outdoor location is just plain creepy, and the well-trained monsters have their terror timing down. Daily thru Oct. 31, Old Wadsworth and 108th Ave, Westminster, 303.439.7391.

HauntPlex
A haunted trinity of scream-inducing sites, HauntPlex features the 13th Manor, Primitive Fear and The Realm of Terror. The parking lot location demands much of the actors and props to make the outdoor scenes believable, but the variety available at the three-for-one scream spot make it worth the drive. Daily thru Oct. 31, 5155 E. 64th Ave, Commerce City.

Fright Fest
Test your mettle at Brutal Planet, an industrial realm overrun by zombies, or Screams, a house filled with mummies, ghosts and spiders. Or just hop on one of Elitch Gardens’ frightening roller coasters for a spooky thrill. Also check out the park for various other Halloween activities throughout October. Saturday-Sunday thru Oct. 31, Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle, Denver, 303.595.4386.

Scream Park
You might want to bring a defibrillator with you when you walk through the Endless Graveyard Haunted House, which lays claim to being the largest in the state. Each tour lasts up to 60 minutes, so be prepared to be scared silly for a full hour. Wednesday-Sunday thru Oct. 31, Highway 7 & Riverdale Road, Brighton, 720.685.9308.

Spider Mansion
Nearly 20 people have supposedly died mysteriously in the Spider Mansion, making the Heritage Square venue one of the most visited real-life metro area haunts. That makes the annual haunted house that much more scary. Daily thru Oct. 31, 18301 W. Colfax Ave, Golden, 303.279.4646.

GET LOST!

Anderson Farms’ Halloween Festival
Colorado doesn’t skimp when it comes to corn mazes, so being able to claim the state’s largest corn maze is an impressive title. At 30 acres, Erie’s Anderson is back after announcing the 2006 season would be its last. Let’s all be thankful it didn’t retire as it offers miles of a maze themed “Pirates of the Cornibbean.” A pumpkin patch, tons of kids’ events, carnival rides, hayrides and pony rides round out the activities. Daily thru Oct. 31, 6728 WC 3-1/4, Erie, 303.828.5210.

Burch Corn Maze (Regular & Haunted)
After Anderson Farms, the Burch Corn Maze in Mead is the next biggest thing in corn. A maze adventure through 5.5 miles of trails will take about an hour. Speedsters should attempt the Maze Race Challenge, while those brave enough to arrive after sunset can also face the Realm of the Corn Stalker, Burch’s haunted maze. Thursday-Sunday thru Oct. 31, 4225 WCR 32, Longmont, 303.772.1350.

Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield’s Corn Maze
Sprouting from the Chatfield nature preserve in Littleton, this year’s corn maze is a whopping 8.5 acres of confusion. Perch yourself atop the lookout tower before entering for the best perspective for mapping a strategy. There are myriad educational activities and a mini-maze for the youngest guests. On October 13-14, drop by the Pumpkin Festival next door. Friday-Sunday thru Oct 31, 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Rd, Littleton, 720.865.3552.

Denver Rescue Mission Maze at Harvest Farm
Yes, it’s north of Fort Collins, but it supports a good cause and packs enough fun into the relatively inexpensive ticket price to make it worth the drive. In just its fifth year, the farm’s activities have grown every season. This year, check out a 16-acre maze fashioned after a Colorado Eagles player hosting its championship cup, a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, hayride and a kiddie hay bale maze. Wednesday-Sunday thru Nov. 19, 4240 E County Rd 66, Wellington, 970.568.9488.

Fritzler MAiZE
While the 15-acre corn maze is the true reason to drive to La Salle, Fritzler keeps its Halloween attraction fresh each year by adding new attractions—a huge jumping pillow is the new draw. Traditionalists might prefer Pitch Black: Colorado’s only inflatable haunted house. This year’s maze, which becomes Scream Acres at night, is a portrait of beloved cowboy Chris LeDoux. Wednesday-Sunday thru October, 20861 Hwy 85, La Salle, 970.737.2129.

Murray’s Massacre & Corn Maze
The smiling fool gracing Murray’s Corn maze looks friendly enough, but even with the flower he still seems a little creepy. Nevertheless, the maze is on its best behavior during the day. After dark, however, the 15-acre maze is still open, but one quarter-mile section, the Haunted Gauntlet, is home to the Carnival of Chaos. The nearby barn houses a highly-regarded haunted house, Murray’s Massacre, which will scare the bejesus out of you if the corn maze doesn’t. An added bonus: The maze gets even more interesting come November when it opens for paint ball wars. Thursday-Sunday, thru Oct. 31, 11010 Havana St, Brighton, 303.702.1844.

Miller Farms Corn Maze
Miller Farms has everything you’d expect, plus all the veggies that come from a genuine working farm. The regular fall festival runs through November 24. It includes a farm tour hayride that teaches guests about farming and lets them harvest a few crops of their own. The Haunted Hayride is a slightly spooky yet family-friendly tractor-pulled hayride. It’s also a late-October exclusive. Daily thru Nov. 24, 9040 CO 66, Platteville, 970.785.6133.

Pumpkins & More Farms
You don’t need to scare folks into getting lost; just send them through five miles of cornfields shaped after a wizard at Pumpkins & More. No haunts here, just 100-plus acres of pick-your-own pumpkins and the usual assortment of fuzzy farm animals and carnival games. Daily thru Oct. 31, 104th St, just north of Dillon Rd, Louisville, 303.913.9182.

Rock Creek Farm
Looming above Rock Creek Farm’s 100 acres of U-Pick-’Em pumpkins, Binky The Great Pumpkin is impossible to miss, beckoning drivers on 287 to wander among the gourds. This patch is huge, giving pumpkin connoisseurs plenty of room to prowl. There’s also three corn mazes totaling six acres—we suggest picking a pumpkin after your walk. Daily thru Oct. 31, 2005 S. 112th St, Broomfield, 303.465.9565.

GET DRESSED!

Area Rent-Alls
Considering the number of costumes they have, you’ll feel as though you’re in a corn maze just browsing. Literally thousands of choices—if you show up to any Halloween event in a plain-old ketchup bottle costume, we’ll know you missed out. 7930 N. Federal Blvd, Westminster, 303.412.9705.

Boulder Halloween
A seasonal phenomenon, every fall this costume cache open its doors just long enough to dress Boulder Valley trick-or-treaters and grown-up partiers alike. Props to paint, masks to monster fangs, Boulder Halloween has you covered. Covered in glitter, spirit gum, fake fingernails and anything else you can dream up. 2700 N. 28th St, Boulder, 303.443.0919.

The Ritz
A mainstay in downtown Boulder, The Ritz has been a hot spot for the best costumes (to buy and for rent) in the area for years. They have everything from a simple wig to a sexy French maid costume to that ape suit you’ve always wanted. 959 Walnut St, Boulder, 303.443.2850.

GET FESTIVE!

Cottonwood Farms
Tucked into the valley at 75th and Arapahoe roads, Cottonwood Farms is a microcosm of the usual fall festival. The corn maze is a cozy acre and a half, but its diminutive dimensions make it perfect for parents in search of a quick kid-friendly outing. The hay bale maze gives the youngest participants a pint-sized challenge. Pumpkin pickers and farm animal petters are equally served. Unique to Cottonwood is a 1906 Case steam tractor that every adolescent wants to ride. Daily thru Oct. 31, Boulder, 303.890.4766.

Ellis Ranch Pumpkin Festival
A day at the pumpkin patch is a family event, and Loveland’s Ellis Ranch encourages all that wholesome goodness. Make friends while playing farm games like apple-bobbing before hopping in the saddle for a horseback ride. Afterwards, navigate a hay maze, or toss some iron in the horseshoe pits. Kids can race on the tricycle track and even summit a giant sand pile. Weekends thru Oct. 31, 2331 Waterdale Dr, Loveland, 970.593.9570.

Loukonen Farms
The Loukonen family has been farming East County since 1930, and selling pumpkins for almost two decades. Pick pumpkins of all sizes, from cute little desk decorations to forklift-worthy monsters. Then spend hours carving them up. Daily thru October, 10558 N. Foothills Hwy, Longmont, 303.823.6158.

Munson Farms
Weekend hayrides, U-pick ’em pumpkins and legendary sweet corn. No flash, just fall food. Daily thru Oct. 31, 7355 Valmont, Boulder, 303.442.5330.

Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch
The Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch is more carnival than farm. They don’t have a corn maze, but as they cater to the younger crowd, their hay bale maze suffices. The petting zoo has enough barn critters to fill an ark, and pony rides, slides, bouncy rooms and other carnival activities abound. Educational farm tours add a little hidden learning, too. Daily thru Oct. 31, 9057 CO 66, Longmont, 303.684.0087.

Sunflower Farm
The October Family Farmfest gives local suburbanites a taste of rural Longmont history. This 55-acre farm is practically in downtown Longmont, across Highway 287 from the Prospect neighborhood. Kids will be kept busy decorating scarecrows, feeding baby animals, picking pumpkins, and playing on tractors and tree houses. Parents can take everyone on a horse-drawn hayride, and afterwards enjoy live music, dancing and a late afternoon bonfire. Sundays thru Oct. 31, 11150 Prospect Rd., Longmont, 303.661.0954.