Fall is such a beautiful time in Columbia. With the abundance of trees, it’s always nice to see the leaves change colors and feel the crisp autumn breeze. Not only does Columbia offer beautiful fall scenery, but also offers many activities to keep you busy during this season.
Shryock’s Callaway Farms
Corn mazes are a classic activity in the fall and Shryock’s arguably has the best in the Columbia area. Located in Callaway County, this corn maze is large enough to have your group struggling to find their way out.
Every year, the corn maze is cut into a different design. This year, the theme is “Shryock’s 25” because the corn maze is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Past designs included MIZ-ZOU, Pac-Man and even a space theme.
This corn maze is significantly larger than it looks, and takes visitors roughly 90 minutes to go through the entire thing. The corn maze is $13 for adults, $11 for kids and free for children four and under. This admission price includes the other activities Shryock’s has to offer besides just the corn maze; additional activities include a jumping pillow, the Barnyard activities and the “Fun Barn,” which consists of all sorts of games.
One of their most popular attractions besides their corn maze is the gumball coaster. Visitors place a gumball in the coaster and watch as their gumball travels down three stories of obstacles and tracks. These games are sure to be a blast and a great way to spend time with friends and family!
Missouri Nightmare Haunted Attraction
With fall comes Halloween, and what better way to get into the spooky season than with a haunted trail? Located in Callaway County, this trail is sure to fulfill all your frightening desires!
The haunted trail includes a fictional backstory centered around Morgan Hurst who was branded an outcast just because she was born into a family of morticians. While working on a body with a scalpel one night, thick black ooze began to pour out of the body. Morgan had no idea that she had just cut open a blood witch.
Before she could react, the ooze had evaporated into her skin, turning her into a monster. With her newfound powers and years of pent-up rage for how the town had treated her, Morgan wreaked havoc on the villagers of the town that had wronged her.
As you go through the haunted trail, you will experience scares pertaining to Morgan and the chaos she has created. Explore the cursed town and the unexpected frights that follow. Ticket prices are $25 for general admission and $40 for fast passes, which allow you to skip the general admission line.
Lloyd’s Family Farm
Located just outside of Columbia in Ashland, Lloyd’s is a pumpkin patch with fun activities for all ages. For the younger kids, they have bikes, slides, a petting zoo and so much more! For children who are a bit older, there’s basketball, football and baseball-throwing, plus an area where you can try to lasso a bull horn.
The farm also features many areas that are great for taking photos, such as a giant swing and a house decorated with pumpkins. If you get hungry, have no fear! There are many food and drink options available. Their standout drinks include apple cider and lemonade; they offer their cider as a slushy as well. For food, they have kettle corn, apple cider donuts and ice cream, just to name a few.
In addition to activities and refreshments, they have a hayride that you can ride to pick out pumpkins. It delivers guests to the pumpkin patch where you can pick out your favorite pumpkin to carve for this spooky season. Tickets for Lloyd’s are $12 online and $14 onsite.
With fall in full swing, these are some great places to go with friends, family or even on a date. All these local spots offer such a fun and unforgettable time where you can enjoy all the wonderful things autumn has to offer.