My friend Jessica and I have a (…semi-annual?) tradition of going to the Calgary Farmyard (formerly the Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm) together, wandering the maze, visiting the petting zoo, and taking cute fall photos. We first did this in 2013, and then in 2017, and we went again this year in October.
This year was the busiest I’ve ever seen it (which doesn’t make it very appealing in the midst of COVID…), however we still had a great time in the maze (for the first time ever we actually made it all the way through and exited at the proper spot!), and we got to pet some cute farm animals (and take our goat selfies!), so we were satisfied. The Farmyard was selling advanced timed tickets online and limiting the number of visitors, but I think further reducing the amount of people allowed in at once, or encouraging a more structured environment might have helped guests (or at least me) feel a little more comfortable.
Typically, we would explore more of the area, ride the grain wagon, and try out some of the farm / autumn themed activities, such as their arcade-style games, pumpkin picking, a low ropes course, hay bale lift, potato sack slide, and pedal carts. This year, between the pandemic, Jessica being pregnant, and me running off of about 2.5 hours of sleep, we cut it a little short and went out for an early sushi dinner afterward (which neither of us was complaining about).
That being said, I think we’ll definitely try to go back next year, for a (hopefully) less crowded experience (and perhaps with Jess’ baby in tow!) This is always a fun activity, and it really gets me in a “fall” mood, and the colours in the photos end up being so pretty! Plus, we’ve gotta keep up with our goat selfie tradition…
The Calgary Farmyard is located a 25-30 minute drive from the city centre, at 284022 Township Road 224, Rocky View County, Alberta, T1X 0J6.
It’s open spring, summer and fall with varying hours, which can be found on their website at the beginning of the 2021 season.
Tickets this season ran at $17.95 per person, with free admission for kids 3 and under.