REVIEW: Boccali Ranch Pumpkin Patch and Haunted Hayride
October 28, 2019
REVIEW: Boccali Ranch Pumpkin Patch and Haunted Hayride
It was a long journey to get to Ojai from Los Angeles. We drove for hours past dark farms and through mountains en route to our most anticipated destination: the Boccali Ranch’s Haunted Hayride. This attraction takes place at Boccali’s, a resturaunt that for fifteen years has been seasonally transforming their property into a local Halloween attraction. The property becomes filled with pumpkin patches and offers live entertainment and delicious food. The big attraction, however, is the haunted hayride which takes place within their eerie cornfield. This was evident by the very long line of people who were awaiting their turn on the hayride.
The layout of this event is very family friendly. There is a live band that plays acoustic Johnny Cash covers, entertaining people who are waiting in line outside the enormous corn field. The vibe of this event is noticeably more relaxed than L.A. events, which could be a result of less annoying traffic, a smaller local population, and the fact that the scare actors were confined to the corn maze. Families were casually walking around, eating and shopping for the right pumpkin for their jack-o’-lanterns. The only indication of what was to come came from the multiple screams within the distant corn field.
As we were loaded onto the back of the hay-filled wagon, which was hitched to a farm tractor, we were grateful that we weren’t packed in too tightly with other people. This gave everyone more room to squirm and react during the subsequent frights. The heightened elevation of the hayride was also very enjoyable as we were able to fully experience the zombie children running out of shacks, hanged corpses swinging above, and witches hovering over cauldrons as they stirred up mischief. The design of the hayride journey was extremely clever. For example, on our return through familiar scenes we were surprised by monsters and chainsaw-wielding maniacs who appeared unexpectedly. Everyone who sat with us on the hayride really enjoyed themselves and audibly delighted in all the scares.
Boccali Ranch’s Haunted Hayride is the closest you’ll get to the classic cornfield ride in the Los Angeles area. You will encounter classic scares which are wonderfully paired with ghostly lighting and a perfectly paced ride. The trip to Ojai is well worth a visit to experience Boccali’s Haunted Hayride and to see the beautiful sights the town offers during the autumn season.
VC
October 28, 2019
Hauntsofla.com