Lone Creek Farms: Pig Races, a Candy Cannon and a Whole Lot of Goats in Franktown

There's just so much you can do at Lone Creek Farms. It's crazy.

I went out to Franktown on Sunday, September 27, the festival's first weekend, with pretty good weather, and it wasn't way too crowded. It's a farm, a pumpkin patch, a western Main Street and a whole barnyard of animals all in one, and you could literally spend all day there.

The live shows

Check the schedule when you get there so you see what you want to see. I missed the mutton busting (it doesn't start until October 17, so that one's on me) and a couple of the other shows, but here's what I caught.

The pig races. So hilarious to watch. The pigs take off and somebody runs behind them ringing a bell. A guy explained the whole thing while making such bad dad jokes about pigs. They ran two heats, one with the potbellies and one with the other pigs (I'm not entirely sure what they're called), and then one with all of them together.

The little guys were so cute. When they're not racing, they're all just cuddled up on top of one another.

The Candy Cannon. Probably the most exciting thing of the day. They blast it off and candy just showers down, and it's a mad rush by kids and, embarrassingly enough, parents getting very intense and getting after it. It doesn't last very long, but it's exciting.

Lone Creek also runs the Fire Truck Pumpkin Drop (Friday to Sunday) and the Main Street Shootout (weekends only). Mutton busting runs Saturdays and Sundays from October 17 through November 1, for kids 4 to 7 and under 50 pounds.

Everything else to do

They have a ton of attractions. Look at their website for the full list, because it's pretty expansive, but here's some of what we saw:

• The giant slingshot
• Tires: tire swings and Tire Mountain
• Slides, a few different kinds, including the mega slide and an inflatable one
• Rat rollers, the big black barrels you run in
• Hay wagon rides and the cow barrel train
• The Lone Creek Matchless Mine, with a mine cart ride and panning for gold
• Some big trucks out there, and the paintball shooting gallery going off in the background

A heads-up: some attractions are add-ons you pay for on top of your ticket. Per Lone Creek, those are the trampoline bungee, the apple cannon, the paintball shooting gallery and the escape rooms, and they're closed on Thursdays.

The animals

All types of animals. Horses, and the goats, which are hilarious and climb over everything. The ducks were flapping their wings and paddling around the pond. There's a separate chicken coop, plus a turkey, a peacock, cows, sheep and donkeys. Literally everything.

Main Street

There's an old-town area with a saloon, a candy store and a jail, plus an old piano. The saloon is where you can grab a beer, wine or cider, per Lone Creek's food page.

There are pumpkins, of course, and you can get food and drinks there too. Their concessions page lists everything from burgers and turkey legs to homemade apple cider donuts and fudge.

Tickets and the season pass

They've got a bunch of different ticket levels. The one to think about is the season pass: $55.95, against $27.95 for a regular ticket. If you're looking to entertain your kids for the next five weeks or so, until the season wraps on November 1, and you plan on going more than twice, it makes sense.

New this year: Harvest Glow Lights, which Lone Creek describes as "a walking, ground level light show with glowing character cutouts and colorful lights." It runs Friday to Sunday nights starting October 2 and is included with admission. I wasn't able to go on a day with the light show, so I'm not entirely sure what it all entails yet.

Overall, a really good fall activity for families looking for some fun. Great for kids, great for a family day out, and great for recurring fun if you go the season pass route.

If you go

Lone Creek Farms, 3879 N State Highway 83 (Parker Road), Franktown, CO 80116.
2026 season: Thursday to Sunday, September 25 through November 1, plus Wednesday, October 14 only for Douglas County Fall Break (10am to 5pm).
Hours: Thursdays 10am to 5pm, Friday to Sunday 10am to 9pm.
Tickets: $27.95 ages 4 and up, free for 3 and under, $25.95 military and seniors, $23.95 Thursday-only, $23.95 groups of 10+, $55.95 season pass.
Pumpkins: $6 to $16 by size and type. You don't need admission if you're only buying a pumpkin.
Getting in: no left turns into the farm, so come in from the southbound side of Highway 83. Parking is free.
Good to know: bring your own food and drinks if you want. No pets (service animals only).
Full details, photos and map: Lone Creek Farms on the DougCo Directory. Season listing: Lone Creek Farms Fall Festival 2026.

More for the season: every patch compared in our Pumpkin Patches guide, including our visit to Gilly's in Castle Rock, the rest of fall in the Fall Events guide, trick-or-treat and haunts in the Halloween guide, and year-round ideas in Things to Do With Kids. Or see what's on this weekend.