Growing up in Minnesota meant spending summers at Valley Fair. We would usually go with school and then my dad would take us at least once during the summer. They were some of the best memories of my childhood. But I don’t remember them being open in the fall back then. Now, they are! And there are two different events that take place – The Great Pumpkin Fest and Valley Scare. Peyton and I took in the Great Pumpkin Fest and are going to share what we thought.
So, first off, it’s fall people. Fall in Minnesota. This means the possibility of it being cold, damp and windy are very real. Be sure to dress in layers. The Great Pumpkin Fest is geared towards the family, especially the little ones. The kids can dress up!! We saw some of the cutest little cows, sheriffs and pumpkins while we were walking around.
All of the water rides are shut down as well as the water park. This should come as no surprise because, again, we are in Minnesota and it is October. No one wants to be chilling in the freezing cold water. But not to worry, there are plenty of rides open for the little ones to ride.
Because The Great Pumpkin Fest is geared toward families with younger children the whole kiddie area was open. Every ride was operating in that section of the park. Other parts of the park were not as active and some rides where closed. We did see the Wild Thing open, however, it was windy and Peyton did not want to get on it.
Valley Fair is also decorated for Halloween! There are huge pumpkins and decorations throughout the park. Skeletons were everywhere. During the day you can see the remnants of Valley Scare throughout the park, but don’t worry, it’s pretty tame. Just be sure to be out of the park by 7 pm when Valley Scare starts. We left mid-afternoon before any of the characters started roaming the park. But if you do stay later you may want to invest in what they call a boo necklace. If your child is wearing one of these and a character is roaming the park they will be sure not to scare your little one.
Peyton and I spent a few hours walking around The Great Pumpkin Fest, taking in all the decoration and riding a few rides. But her favorite part of The Great Pumpkin Fest was finding Squishmallows! They had the whole collection of Halloween Squishmallows so we just had to take one home with us!
While we didn’t attend Valley Scare I do have a little insight on it to share with you all. It is not intended for young children, there are signs up stating it is not intended for anyone under 13. I’ve seen some photos from friends that have attended and some it would scare the heck out of me so I doubt I will ever attend. It’s a pretty intense but fun event for those that love Haunted Houses and that type of fun. Haunted Houses scare the crap out of me so I would not do well at Valley Scare.
To find out more about The Great Pumpkin Festival and Valley Scare you can get all the details, including tickets prices and hours of operation, online at the Valley Fair website.
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