Maris Farms is so much more than a pumpkin patch or somewhere you visit once a year. After years of…read morecoming here with my family--and now getting the opportunity to see it from behind the scenes--I have an even greater appreciation for what they've built.
Maris Farms Throughout the Year
Maris Farms creates some wonderful experiences for families throughout the year. Their spring events, including Springtime Babies and all the baby animals, are fantastic for kids. But obviously, the highlight is the Fall Festival.
There is so much to do: games, apple blasters, obstacle courses, slides, animals, and activities throughout the farm. There truly is something for every age group, and you can easily spend hours here.
And the food is legitimately good--not just "good for an event." The burgers are great, the lemonade is fantastic, and the street corn is easily one of my favorites every year.
Then the sun goes down, and Maris Farms becomes an entirely different experience.
The Haunted Woods
I've gone through the Haunted Woods with my daughter for five years, and it has become one of our favorite traditions.
I've experienced plenty of haunted attractions, and I genuinely believe Maris Farms has one of the best haunts in the greater Puget Sound area. The sets, lighting, fog, animatronics, sound, and especially the way the entire haunt flows are incredibly well done. Every year they change things just enough that there's always something new waiting for you.
But what really makes this haunt special are the actors.
These people absolutely love what they do. From the first guests coming through around 8:00 until the final groups well after 10:30, they are ALL IN. They're performing, interacting, reading people's reactions, staying in character, and finding creative ways to scare you.
Whether you're the first group through or the last, they want you to have an incredible experience.
You can tell this isn't simply an attraction to the people running it. Haunting is a passion for them, and they're exceptionally good at their craft.
Behind the Scenes
This year, for the first time, I joined the Haunted Woods team in a security/safety role, which gave me an opportunity to see everything from the other side.
It honestly affirmed everything I already believed about this place.
The actors are every bit as energetic and passionate behind the scenes, and there are some genuinely great people working here.
But I especially want to recognize the unsung heroes who build, maintain, and operate the sets.
These guys are incredible.
They're there long before guests arrive--building, repairing, adjusting corn and set pieces, testing lights, fog machines and animatronics, and making sure hundreds of little details are working correctly.
When something breaks during the haunt, they're there fixing it.
And after the last guests leave, when everyone is exhausted and ready to go home, they're still there. They walk the entire haunt again, checking everything and making sure it's ready to do all over again.
Most guests will never see that work or know the names of the people doing it, but they deserve a tremendous amount of credit.
Five Stars--From Both Sides of the Haunt
After five years experiencing the Haunted Woods as a customer with my daughter, I already loved this place. Getting to see the actors, builders, designers, technicians, safety staff, and everyone else behind it has given me an entirely new appreciation for just how much work goes into creating this experience.
Whether you're bringing the kids during the day for the Fall Festival, grabbing some street corn and lemonade, launching apples and hitting the slides, or coming after dark because you want somebody hiding in a cornfield to scare the living daylights out of you, Maris Farms is absolutely worth experiencing.
To everyone behind the scenes who makes this place what it is: you guys do an incredible job.
Five stars, without hesitation. My daughter and I will absolutely keep coming back.
