Head to Ottawa for a Scary Good Time This Fall

Finding the perfect place to entertain family travelers for Halloween can be a bit tricky. Big ticket amusement parks offer over-the-top scares that can be way too much for younger audiences and older teens don’t have any interest in activities designed for a younger audience. As the spooky season rolls around, parents often find it hard to find just the right spot for family fun. That’s exactly where Ottawa comes in to save the season with Saunders Farm.

The farm began as a strawberry farm many years ago, before current owner Mark Saunders and his wife took over from his parents and turned it into a family-friendly attraction for the community. Over the years, it has evolved into an incredible space that has plenty in store for every age.

© Eugenia Lazaris

Starting Sept. 20 and running until Oct. 26, the farm hosts Pumpkin Fest to celebrate all things fall. With pumpkins everywhere and fall-themed food and activities, there are plenty of things to do. The farm is also well known for its hedge maze, farm camp for kids and Farm Shop filled with great finds (including sweet treats like fudge and ice cream). They also put on an original live show that changes every year and is entertaining for all.

While having fun on the farm, you’ll want to also visit Cider House for some of the farm’s very own cider and wood-fired pizza (the Rhu-BBQ pizza with its rhubarb barbecue sauce is an absolute must!).

Things get a bit spookier when the sun goes down as the farm welcomes a fan favorite, FrightFest. The farm hosted a one-night-only preview over the summer to give the community a taste of what was to come, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Visitors from all over came out to experience the haunts and get a little bit of off-season Halloween fun. The whole affair returns starting Sept. 20, alongside PumpkinFest. Expect haunted hayrides and some of the most creative and well-crafted haunts around. Staff and actors are well-versed in creating spooky scares, but you won’t have to worry about anyone crossing the line — they are strictly hands-off.

There are three separate scare zones that score between two and four chainsaws on the farm’s chainsaw-o-meter (out of a possible four chainsaws), great for older teens who want a good scare, but the Cemetery Scare Zone and the nightly live show on Ghost Town Stage (complete with fire and sword swallowing) are great for a wider audience.

© Eugenia Lazaris

Visitors go all out, dressing up in costume and coming out for a whole day of festivities, and each year, the crowd grows along with the decorations and attractions the farm offers.

Owner Mark Saunders loves this time of year on the farm, “My favorite thing about it is seeing people enjoying themselves and being amazed,” he said. Saunders and his team work hard all year long to see FrightFest come to life. “The first thing people do (when they encounter a scare) is scream, and the second thing they do is laugh. I love watching those moments.”