Stocker Farms
When walking through the entrance of Stocker Farms, the first thing visitors notice is the giant red barn. There’s two possible paths to take after the barn: one to the food trucks and pumpkin patch and the other to the corn mazes, sunflower fields and farm activities.
Stocker Farms is a family-owned flower, pumpkin and Christmas tree farm located in Snohomish. Throughout the week, it’s a popular spot for families to do countless fall activities. From early September to the end of October, the farm hosts a fall festival with various events and photo opportunities.
Weekend tickets are available online for $21.95 or in-person for $26.95, and weekday tickets are $15.95 or in-person for $19.95. One ticket reserves a two-hour time slot. On the weekends there are exclusive activities like the hayride, which includes a view of the pumpkin cannon, which shoots pumpkins towards an abandoned school bus. There’s also a variety of food and drink options, including fall classics like warm apple cider and kettle corn.
I suggest grabbing a snack or a warm drink first, then wandering around the farm grounds to figure out what to do first. There’s so much to see that just observing is an activity itself. There are also many smaller arcade-like games for visitors (although most are geared towards younger children). Take photos at the various scenic areas scattered throughout the property, and if you go on the weekend, watch kids scramble after candy from the candy cannon which goes off throughout during the day.
The dinosaur-themed corn maze has two routes of different length. It took me about 15 minutes to complete the short route and 20 minutes for the long route, which is in line with the estimated time listed by the farm. During both routes, I hardly saw or heard other people in the maze, which made the experience more private. Rather than a traditional fend-for-yourself corn maze, this maze has a trivia question related to dinosaurs at each fork in the road. Each answer corresponds with a route, although only the correct answer’s path leads to the exit.
After September 30th, Stocker Farms transforms into Stalker Farms, and you can walk a haunted version of the maze filled with jump scares and special effects.
Two other main attractions are the U-Pick sunflowers and pumpkins. If you want to bring home a souvenir, you can fill a mason jar or galvanized bucket with sunflowers and various accent flowers from the fields for $9.95 and $24.95 respectively. The venue lends cutting shears, so visitors can walk around and clip flowers to take home. The fields are a great place for photos, and so big that they didn’t feel overcrowded with people.
The farm also has a big open pumpkin patch filled with pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and colors. There’s no mud to trudge through, and no one has to yank a pumpkin off its vine because the pumpkins are organized into neat rows. Visitors can grab a wheelbarrow and pick the perfect pumpkin for 60 cents a pound.
After a final walk through the pumpkin patch, I reached the end of my time at Stocker Farms. The exit is through the gift shop inside their iconic red barn. There’s a stand next to its entrance piled full of mini gourds (One for $1.99 or 10 for $17.99). The shop is filled with souvenirs of all types and small knick-knacks. I recommend going with friends or family to savor the fall season before it’s over.
Nile Nightmares
From the parking lot of the Nile Shrine Golf Course, screams can be heard from behind the chain link fence. A chainsaw revving up. A few shrieks of terror, then a nervous laugh. I arrived at Nile Nightmares, the haunted house trail located on the golf course, around 8:10 p.m. and the second I stepped out of the car, a chill ran down my spine. The line to the haunted houses was really short and had some live music playing while waiting. I was at the entrance of the first haunted house in only two minutes.
To allow a more private experience one group enters every 30 seconds. There are seven houses and a few outdoor trails to walk through, each with their own theme and cast. Most houses are nearly completely dark and require visitors to walk blindly through them while loud noises go off, lights flash and actors jump out. The actors don’t touch visitors, even while chasing visitors through houses or trails. Potential visitors should note that if they pause for an extended period while on the trail, security will appear and urge you to continue walking so there is not a build-up of people.
It took me 20 minutes to complete the entire trail of houses, but visitors’ speed mainly depends on adrenaline and the size of groups.
The exit leads to the Food and Fear Garden, filled with food trucks and spooky activities. There’s a wide variety of food options from esquites to snow cones. I would recommend eating after the haunted house, when the food is at less likely to come back up. Additionally, there are pop-up shops selling art and other handmade items, as well as activities like psychic readings, visiting magicians and axe throwing.
After finishing the haunted house, make sure to get in line for a free photo. Nile Nightmares provides visitors with some bloody props to pose with and after the photo is taken, it can be sent to either your email or phone number.
Tickets are only valid for the date purchased and can be bought online for $35 or in-person for $45. There’s a group rate for groups of more than 15 people and parking is free.
Nile Nightmares is open Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7p.m.-11p.m. and Sundays 7p.m.-10p.m.. It’s also open on Halloween from 7p.m.-11p.m.. The website states that for two weeks in December, Nile hosts a “Halloween in December” event, with dates and times to come.
This haunted house is definitely not for the faint of heart or those who are sensitive to sudden loud noises, flashing lights, jump scares or gore. I encourage visitors to go in groups, because being surrounded by familiar people with a hand to hold onto definitely makes the haunted house less scary.
