Enjoy fall fun just outside Sioux Falls

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance

With gorgeous weather ahead this weekend, make a little road trip outside of Sioux Falls to see the fall foliage, take the kids to a farm to have fun, get lost in a corn maze, pick the perfect pumpkin or have the daylights scared out of you.

Here are just a few fun things to do:

This weekend is the final farm party for Willow Meadows Farm just south of Dell Rapids. Kids will find plenty to do with train rides, a petting zoo, zip line, ninja course, corn pits and more. Little kids can play in a fenced-in playground. Three food trucks will be there Saturday and one on Sunday, along with a couple of baked goods vendors. South Dakota Aerial Arts will be offering mini lessons for kids on Saturday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for everyone older than 3. The address is 24769 475th Ave., which is also Highway 115.

Our Farm north of Parker has a corn maze, petting zoo, zip lines, corn pit, bounce house and more. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday through October. Admission is $10 for kids older than 2 and $5 for adults, with an extra fee for gourd launching. There’s also a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. On Saturday, there’s a Halloween party with The Table Ministry. Kids can come in costumes for trick-or-treating, crafts and a photo booth in additional to the regular activities. The address is 27253 455th Ave.

Head to Centerville on Saturday for the Fall-O-Ween Festival. The event downtown will feature live music, carnival games, hayrides, a petting zoo, touch-a-truck, haunted house, face painting, photo booths, vendors, food trucks and booths and shopping at local businesses. There will be a “Boo”s Garden for the adults will bloody marys, beer and wine. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m.

Also downtown that day, the auto class at Centerville High School is hosting its third annual Fall Auto and Tractor Festival from 3 to 6 p.m.

While there aren’t any apples to pick off the tree this year at Country Apple Orchard on the west edge of Harrisburg because of the drought and pests, there are apples from other orchards in the store and lots of pumpkins in the patch to pick.

If you’re looking for additional family fun, the Fall Festival on Friday through Sunday this weekend and next offers a variety of activities for an admission fee. There are jumping pillows, a corn pit, zip line, hay bale and corn mazes, a petting zoo, kiddie train rides, a hay ride and more.

Hours for the festival are 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store is open longer on Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the same hours as the festival on the weekend.

To pick apples, head to Hoversten Orchard north of Brandon. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with picking closing at 5:30 p.m. The orchard hasn’t set a closing date for the season yet; it typically tries to stay open through October.

For pumpkin picking, That Pickin Patch west of Sioux Falls on Highway 19 has lots of pumpkins to pick from in the field or the self-serve patch. The farm also grows acorn and amber cup squash and pumpkins for cooking or baking. Appointments are needed for the you-pick patch, otherwise stop by anytime during daylight hours. Say hi to the goats while you’re there. The address is 26711 455th Ave.

Head out to the Big Sioux Recreation Area west of Brandon on Saturday, Oct. 28, for Trick or Treat Trails. Costumed kids can trick-or-treat through the campground. The fun starts at 3 p.m. near the picnic shelter. You’ll need a South Dakota State Park sticker or pay the daily fee. If you’re looking for something a little more educational that day, Good Earth State Park southeast of Sioux Falls is offering a Creepy Critters meet-and-greet at 2 p.m. Snakes, spiders, cockroaches and more will be there.

Heartland Country Corn Maze on Highway 11 between Sioux Falls and Canton is in its 24th year. It’s the creation of Bob and Karen Sproul, who years ago went through a wooden maze in the Black Hills and thought it would be fun to have one on this side of the state, Karen said. Bob read about corn mazes, and they grew corn on the farm, so that’s what they started.

This year’s animal design for the 11-acre field is a zebra and resting foal. Find all 10 checkpoints, and win a free treat from the concession barn. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, with final entries at closing time and the grounds closing one hour later. Heartland wraps up its season Oct. 27 and 28 with a haunted maze. It opens at 6 p.m. both nights with final entries at 9:30 p.m.

Other corn mazes in the area include Cherry Rock Farms south of Brandon, which also has a pumpkin patch and is open through Sunday, and Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park along Interstate 90 between Sioux Falls and Brandon, which is open Friday through Sunday through Oct. 29. You don’t have to stay at the campground to enjoy the fun.

The Haunted Farm northeast of Worthing has an expanded Haunted Woods area this year along with several other changes. “I don’t even recognize it,” owner Paula Bell said. Guests follow a trail for nearly a quarter of a mile with scares all along the way. There’s also a Haunted Barn. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday through Oct. 28.

Other haunts include Terror 29 in Brandon, the Twisted Nightmare Haunted House east of Sioux Falls and the at Jaycees Feargrounds’ Circus of Horrors at the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls.