Why Families Flock to This Fall Festival

September 15, 2025

By April Pearson

“We strive to make our farm something people will travel for,” says Sammy Petersen, who represents the sixth generation to call Bloomsbury Farm home. “A lot of Iowans are very far removed from agriculture and family farms, so we want to be that family farm for them. We want them to come out, enjoy the farm, build memories, then come back again.”
 
Founded in 1856, Bloomsbury Farm is a Heritage Farm and a must-see destination location in Atkins. Thousands of Iowans visit year after year to experience the beauty of a real working farm along with family-friendly festivals.
 The Seed of an Idea
“My dad has always farmed — he still grows corn and soybeans — but my mom always wanted to start a business,” says Petersen, “so she opened Bloomsbury Greenhouse and Floral in 1995.” Soon after, Petersen’s first-grade class visited for a field trip. “My mom thought, ‘Well, if Sammy's class likes it, why wouldn't everybody else?’” They planted a small pumpkin patch, and the idea took root. What began as a single greenhouse has grown into a thriving agrotourism business run by the whole family — parents Karen and Dave, and daughters Sammy and Jessica.  

Bloomsbury Farm hosts events throughout the growing season. The Bunny Bash welcomes spring with a visit from the Easter bunny and an Easter egg hunt. Next comes the Iowa Tulip Festival, featuring hundreds of thousands of beautiful, fresh tulips. Then there’s the Fields of Flight Kite Festival with bright kites to fly and baby farm animals to pet. Rounding out the summer is the Tractor Festival — perfect for farm implement enthusiasts who like to party. Summer closes with the Iowa Flower Festival, which involves acres upon acres of gorgeous zinnias, wildflowers and pumpkins in bloom. And finally, it’s time for the Iowa Fall Festival, Bloomsbury Farm’s biggest event of the year.
 Fall Festival Fun
Open weekends from mid-September through October, the fall festival offers fun for the whole family. “We have attractions for little kids, but we also have things older kids will like. And we try to make it fun for the adults, as well,” says Petersen. 

Little ones love the petting zoo, truck slides, jumping pillows, mini-zipline and giant corn palace — a huge, covered sandbox filled with corn instead of sand. “What we really like about the corn palace is that it's not just a fun attraction — it’s also a unique experience for kids to touch and feel what grain corn is,” says Petersen. “When kids think of a corn farmer, a lot of times they think about the sweet corn on their dinner plate, but what we're growing is much different. So we like the educational aspect of the corn palace.” New for small children this year is the birdhouse boardwalk — a playground made of giant birdhouses up on high decks.
 
Older children enjoy the apple cannons, pumpkin blasting, hayrack rides, mini golf and cornhole, but the most popular attraction is the super slide. “It's huge. It's probably 45 feet tall. So that's a fun one for older kids,” says Petersen. “The flower fields are also big draws for older kids. They're very Instagram worthy.” Bloomsbury Farm is adding a paintball shooting gallery this year to appeal to teens and adults.
 
Adults also appreciate the finer things at the festival: The wine room, beer garden, gift shop and live music. And who can resist the pick-your-own pumpkin patch and corn maze?

Fall Festival Food
Beyond fun things to do, Bloomsbury Farm has fun things to eat. These robust refreshments are hard to resist. “We make a lot of our fall treats in-house, including our apple-cider donuts, fresh fudge, hand-dipped caramel apples and kettle corn,” says Petersen. Visitors with voracious appetites can also find pizza, slushies, specialty drinks and more.  

With all the tasty treats, exciting attractions and the beautiful backdrop, it’s no wonder the Bloomsbury Farm Iowa Fall Festival is a yearly tradition for so many families. “I think the festival experience itself is the draw,” says Petersen. “It's the experience of being on the farm and having so many different things to choose from — eating an apple cider donut or heading out into the pumpkin patch — and kind of checking off that core memory in the fall.”
 
You can find more info about Iowa Fall Festival dates, times, attractions and tickets at bloomsburyfarm.com.
 

Scream Acres: The Dark Side of the Bloom

Looking for a bit of fright on the farm? Seeking the spooky side of the fall festival? Hunting for haunting in a creepy cornfield?
 
Every evening after Bloomsbury Farm closes, it’s transformed into Scream Acres, an immersive scream park experience.
 
From the moment guests enter the grounds to the moment they make it out (alive, hopefully), they’re at the mercy of 120 actors hired specifically to scare their socks off. “We have professional artists who do special effects makeup, we have costume managers and designers; it’s quite a production,” says Petersen. “And the haunters are just awesome.”
 
There are four haunted attractions: The Dread Shed is an iconic two-story corn crib that was built in 1908. Carnival Chaos 3D is an unused corn bin that’s clown-themed and requires 3D glasses. Cell Block Z is a zombie jail. And then there’s the Haunted Cornfield. “That’s probably what we're most known for,” says Petersen. “On a dark, autumn night, it’s pretty scary. Mostly pop scares, and a little bit of gore…I would expect to be pretty terrified when I step in there.”
 
But there's lots of fun to be had before and after the haunted attractions, too. “We're trying to make it entertaining from start to finish so you’re not just standing in line for a haunted house,” says Petersen. “We want you to enjoy the entire experience.”
 
The midway is crawling with haunters. There are games to play on the way to each haunted attraction. The beer garden, concession stand and gift shop are open. There’s a live DJ. “The atmosphere outside is basically like a big, haunted Halloween party,” says Petersen. “It's a lot of fun.”
 
While Bloomsbury Farm is open to all ages, Scream Acres is recommended for individuals 12 and older. Tickets for Bloomsbury Farm and Scream Acres must be purchased separately. For safety reasons, only staff members are allowed to wear costumes in the park. Check out screamacrespark.com for more info.

Photo credits: Bloomsbury Farm