Albuquerque Fall Festivals

Apple season in New Mexico comes as a surprise to many. There are many orchards throughout the state, and quite a few in the Albuquerque area. Find one near you, and plan to spend a day out with the kids, or just stop by for a bushel, a basket, or a chance to look around. Each orchard specializes in several varieties of this All American fruit.

At local grocery stores and at farmer's markets the fall season means chile roasting time. True die hards look for the biggest bag at the lowest prices, but the flavor of a New Mexican chile pod can't be beat, no matter the price per pod.

Find out about chile roasting, from how to roast and peel, to where to buy the pods.

Heidi's SOLD OUT within hours of opening 9/13. They are closed for the 2009 season.

Many in Albuquerque enjoy Heidi's Raspberry Jams. My personal favorite is red chile ginger. The raspberries Heidi uses in her jams are grown in Corrales, and each year, the farm opens to the public for anyone who loves raspberries.

The farm is open every Sunday from September 13 until the first frost, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you love raspberries, plan to pick them yourself.

Heidi's is a certified organic farm. Cost for the hand picked berries is $4 per pint.

From Corrales Road, take La Entrada East (2.2 miles north of Coors and Alameda, or 4.5 miles south of 528. Follow the signs.

Bring sunscreen and plenty of water.

The Rio Grande Community Farm creates a corn maze each year, always in a different shape. For 2009, the maze is shaped like a monarch butterfly, with an additional smaller maze shaped as a caterpillar. Finding your way through it is a lot of fun, and takes planning, skill and a little bit of luck.

The maze is open weekends from September 29 through November 1st.

Regular Weekend Hours:
Fridays: 6 to 9 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sundays: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Special Event Weekends: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Moonlight Maze
September 4 & 5
October 2 & 3
By moonlight!

Starlight Maze
October 23
Amateur astronomers from the Albuquerque Astronomical Society will interpret the night sky with telescopes.

Haunted Maze
October 30 & 31
Wear a costume!

We've made the annual trek to McCall's in Moriarty since our son was a wee lad. McCall's offers hayrides, pumpking picking, pumpkin chucking, lots of food, a 16 acre corn maze, pedal karts and more.

McCall's opens Saturday, September 26.

Open weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the last tickets are sold at 4 p.m.
Cost is $9.50 per person, which includes entry, all activities within the park, entry to the corn maze, and a hayride to the pumpkin patch.
Children 2 and under are free of charge.

Find out about McCall's Haunted House.