PORTLAND, Ore. — The intricately designed, seven-acre Topaz Farm Corn Maze is back open on Sauvie Island.
Farm owners Kat Topaz and Jim Abeles bought the property on NW Sauvie Island Road before COVID-19 blew up. They worried the pandemic would deter visitors, but had a busy season last year.
"It's a perfect pandemic location," Abeles said. "We're lucky we've got 130 acres, it's outside, everybody can socially distance."
The maze is open 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Entry is $10 for ages 13+, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and seniors 65+, and free for kids ages 5 and under. On Tuesdays, maze entry is two for the price of one.
In addition to the corn maze, Topaz Farm has offered a wide variety of outdoor activities, including a produce market, outdoor concert series, goat yoga, pumpkin picking, and farm-to-table dinners.
On Saturday's reopening, Topaz estimated 300-400 cars came through.
"Feels really exciting now that fall has started," she said, describing the farm as a safe escape. "It was really special for us to be that for so many families."
Other Halloween events are returning this year to the Pacific Northwest, including the Spirit of Halloweentown in St. Helens.
The city asks visitors to wear a mask during self-guided tours, which run through the end of October. People can buy tickets for weekend events to guarantee they won't be turned away. The outdoor Little Trick Or Treater's Parade is scheduled for Oct. 30.
The Oregon Zoo is also moving ahead with Howloween events this year, starting Oct. 23.
However, the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin is canceled this year.