The Farm in the City Is Open: Waterman’s Fall Festival Runs Through Nov. 1

INDIANAPOLIS — Families looking for hayrides, pumpkins, and a giant dinosaur that eats them don’t have to drive out of the city.

Waterman’s Family Farm Fall Festival is open through Nov. 1 at 7010 E. Raymond St. on Indianapolis’ east side, bringing the usual autumn mix of a pumpkin patch, corn maze, petting zoo, carnival rides, games, and hayrides to a working farm that has been in the same family since the late 1970s. 

The festival opened Saturday, Sept. 26. Opening-weekend hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Oct. 3–25 it runs Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., with slightly shorter hours at the end of the season. Parking is free. 

Admission starts at $12.95 and rises to $17.95 depending on the day; children 2 and under are free. Tickets can be bought on site or in advance at watermansfamilyfarm.com/price-hours. Buying ahead locks in the price. Pumpkins are extra (starting at about $5). Animal feed is $5. The apple cannon, which launches apples across the farm, is a small extra charge. Most other attractions — including the hayride, corn maze, rides, games, live entertainment, and the animatronic pumpkin-eating dinosaur — are included. Owner Scott Waterman, who grew up on the farm, said the draw is still the same as when his parents, Bruce and Carol, opened a pick-your-own market in 1978.

“You can pick up a pumpkin at the store, but there’s something special about coming to the farm and choosing your own,” he said. “This is the farm I grew up on, and it’s been in my family for nearly 50 years. We love being able to share it with the community and give families a place to get outside, spend time together and make fall memories, all on a working farm within the city limits.”

Food includes apple slushies, pork tenderloins, burgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken fingers, walking tacos, curly fries, funnel cakes, elephant ears, and ice cream. The farm market, which sells seasonal produce, keeps separate hours: Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. and Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; it is closed Mondays.

School groups can book weekday field trips. Admission is $16 per child and includes a pie pumpkin to take home. Chaperones are free with registration at least seven days ahead.

Waterman’s markets itself as a “farm in the city” — close enough for an after-school or weekend trip without a long drive into the countryside. For current hours, tickets, and field-trip details, see