October in Louisiana finally gives you a reason to stand in a field on purpose. From a 12-acre corn maze near Dry Creek to a farm outside Calhoun that sells homemade ice cream next to the gourds, the state’s fall farms cover a lot of ground.
Some are full-day festivals with zip lines and pig races, while others are simple weekend stops with hay mazes and photo walls. Here are seven that earn the gas money, with the details you need before you load up the car.
1. CM Farms | Louisiana Pumpkin & Strawberry Fest, Dry Creek, LA
Twelve acres of corn sit at the center of the fall festival at CM Farms, and that maze alone could fill an afternoon. Out here in the piney country of Beauregard Parish, the farm turns into a full-scale fall fair on weekends, with more than 50 attractions spread across the property.
Wagon rides roll past Longhorn cows and Gulf Coast Native Sheep. Kids bounce on a giant jumping pillow, slide down Dirt Mountain, cheer at pig races, and burrow into the corn box…