In this post we were in Abbotsford, at the tail end of our mini staycation. Two days and one night accumulated to a trip down to Maan Farms. They are a third-generation family-owned and operated farm, dedicated to creating memorable and innovative experiences. There is always something new at the farm and I have never been anything short of impressed.
They were the firsts in BC to do stand up strawberry picking, the first to do goat yoga, the first to make pumpkins into a wine, and the first to turn their corn maze into haunted house experience, which is now deemed Canada’s scariest.
Today we were checking out the return of their Fall at the Farm experience running from September 13th to November 2nd, 2024. It promises to be the most magical season yet with an an autumn wonderland, chockablock with photo opportunities. This includes their newest addition – a life-size pumpkin-shaped house, towering at 18 feet tall.
This is just one of the handful of “homes” in their Forest Pumpkin Patch. Others include a toadstool red and white mushroom house.
A White House for the bees in black and yellow, and a sea of white pumpkins before it.
There is also an orange house with black butterflies, overlooking a sea of classic orange pumpkins.
Their literal pumpkin house is a frame of a house with shelves for storing actual pumpkins on.
There are also photo props like frames to take pictures within.
And one that gives you black and orange monarch butterfly wings.
I especially liked all the puns spelled out in giant lettering like “Fall in love” and “Life is Gourd”
The forest swings were both a fun accessory and a whimsical photo op. You could spend hours here getting the perfect shot.
A new attractions is the Dinosaur Den, which comparatively has not been well flushed out. It was basically dragon statues rounding out a forest clearing. There was so much dead tree and plant material that the experience felt like an after thought. There were no lights or sound effects, despite this being described as having“animatronic dinosaurs”. The dinosaurs didn’t roar or move. The only interactive moment was their name and information card beside each statue to read and learn.
So much more could be done to improve this, including giant ferns and swamp plants to blend into what a historic Jurassic period could have looked like. Or at least a more believable proximity of it.
Sadly, we were late for their paintball experience which allowed you to buy pellets to shoot into a contained area. There was a collection of items strung up and set up that you could aim and shoot at. This one looked fun and I am sure is popular with the kids.
Much like their expanded playground.This is Barnyard Adventureland and it includes a zipline, climbing walls, a tricycle tack, jumping pillows, play fort, and tire mountain.
The most farm-like attraction is the Petting Patch where guests can step into a pen with Highland cows, alpacas, goats, and sheep. Apparently when the time is right, you can also get pony rides.
I, myself am most excited for their seasonal treats like the Double Pumpkin Spice Cream or Double Pumpkin Cheesecake Spice Cream.
This is their own house made soft serve ice cream swirled into a hallowed out mini pumpkin c in place of a cup. Topped with a single ginger snap cookie and plenty of whipped cream. A lot for one, it is best shared, especially given the ticking time clock on the ice cream melting.
Sadly, they were out of the Apple Pie Samosas and Apple Pie Nachos. In their farm shop they sell samosas stuffed with potato and peas, so I thought the dessert version to be a lovely compliment.
Instead, I got a Bag of their Mini Donuts. Crispy and fluffy with grains of cinnamon and sugar. They had a nostalgic feeling about them.
For drinks you can get a Pumpkin Sipper. This is a small bottle shaped like either a Jack-o-lantern or red apple. It can filled with either wine or apple juice. However, if you are going to order any of their house grown and produced wines, it is more novel to have it poured into one of their “IV blood bags” for easy travel drinking. I likened it to having a caprisun juice pouch.
In short, there is plenty to do a Maan Farms and you can spend hours trying to get to it all.
Maan Farms Market and Estate Winery
790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 7N4
(604) 864-5723
maanfarms.com
