the mommy avenger

On Friday the 13th, we decided the best way to spend the evening was to go to Syracuse, Utah and explore Black Island Farms Nightmare Acres. This family run farm has been in business for 18 years and is a local favorite, you can tell. We had never been there before, so we were excited to check it out.

I love haunted corn mazes and Black Island Farms is known for theirs. But before exploring the scarier side of the farm, you could explore all the fall fun they had. The spacious farm has a three phase 16 acre corn maze to get lost and found in. It’s massive! They also have a courtyard filled with family friend activities like the straw mountain, slides, corn box, Jumping Jack O’ Lantern, Goat Mountain, pig races and tons more. We loved the live entertainment and fire pits throughout the farm to relax and unwind at after getting your heart rate up traipsing through acres upon acres of corn.

When we had had our fill of those fun diversions, we geared up to explore the Nightmare Acres portion of the farm. This is what I had been looking forward to. When we arrived there were huge crowds. It is clear this is a very popular place to visit in October. If you don’t love waiting in lines, opt for the Fast Pass so you can jump to the front of the line. If you don’t mind waiting, their actors were there to get you pumped up and excited for what was to come.

Most haunted mazes I have been to have a clear path to take. This one was not like that. They actually let you explore the maze just as you would a regular corn maze. While you were navigating the unfamiliar and uneven terrain in the dark, you ran the risk of being scared by actors lurking between corn stalks. Always so much fun!

They recommend saving the haunted maze for those older than 12 years old or for brave adults. This was a fun maze, but definitely on the milder side of haunts, so I would not worry about being overly frightened. If you are looking to go to one to break the ice this is a great beginner haunted maze. If you are easily scared, this is probably the best scenario of a haunt for you. If you are a haunted house connoisseur, you may wish there were more actors and scares. However, Nightmare Acres had a feature that I have never experienced before that was an absolute blast to participate in.

Midway through the maze, we came to a stop. Here we were given laser tag guns and directed how to use them. We then went through an entrance where actors wearing laser tag activated collars could jump out at us. We, having laser guns, were able to shoot their collars to get them to stop attacking. This was seriously so much fun! Everyone in our group loved this portion. It made for a very exhilarating experience! I found myself wishing we could do that throughout the entire maze, but we thoroughly enjoyed it while we were in that section. Fantastic idea!

Black Island Farms was a really fun destination for fall fun with our family. We really enjoyed the entire experience we had. Our fun was all had in the dark, but you can experience both daytime and evening attractions, depending on your preference. To learn more about Black Island Farms visit them online.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own*}