Field of screams: Haunting old Salem Village

For more than a century, Connors Farm has cultivated crops, cared for livestock and connected communities to agriculture. Today, the Danvers, MA, operation is also a standout success story in agritourism and agritainment, blending traditional farming with family-focused fun and fright-filled fall festivities.

At the center of the operation is owner Robert Connors, a fifth-generation farmer who has spent 43 years working in agriculture. His family’s farming legacy stretches back to 1904, giving Connors Farm deep roots in a region rich with both agricultural and historical significance.

That combination of heritage and hospitality has helped transform Connors Farm into a destination that draws visitors from across New England and beyond. While many farms focus solely on production, Connors Farm has built a business model that balances growing crops with creating memorable experiences.

The farm grows more than 100 acres of fruits and vegetables and operates a farm stand along with a popular U-pick program featuring apples, berries and peaches. Visitors can stroll orchards, fill baskets with fresh produce and enjoy a firsthand connection to farming.

Yet crops are only part of the story.

Over the past two decades, Connors Farm has steadily expanded its agritainment offerings, creating attractions that keep guests coming back year after year. During daylight hours, visitors enjoy farm animals, games, a historic carousel and the Putnamville Railroad, a farm train attraction that has become a favorite among youngsters. The farm’s sprawling corn maze and seasonal activities add another layer of appeal, especially during the busy autumn season.

“The farm operates year-round,” Robert explained. “We do firewood in the winter and take care of our farm animals. The farm stand opens in early June and runs through November 1. Our busiest time of year would be September and October, between apple picking and our corn maze. The haunted fields during weekend October nights bring in a lot of people. We also offer a non-haunted flashlight corn maze that families with younger children enjoy.”

That blend of harvest-time hustle and Halloween excitement has become a defining feature of the farm. Supporting that activity requires a sizable workforce. Connors Farm employs approximately 200 seasonal workers each year, helping manage everything from customer service and farm operations to entertainment and event staffing.

Their venture into agritainment began in 2008, a pivotal year that also marked the debut of one of its most popular attractions. What began as a simple seasonal experiment has since evolved into a major attraction.

“‘Hysteria’ started by haunting our corn maze with a few actors and props and morphed gradually into a stand-alone venue. We reinvested each year with more props and infrastructure. We have thousands of patrons each year,” Robert said.

That gradual growth reflects a strategy that many successful agritourism operators share. Rather than making massive investments all at once, Connors Farm expanded carefully, adding new elements and improving the guest experience year after year.

Today, “Hysteria” is a far cry from a haunted corn maze populated by a handful of actors. It has become a sophisticated seasonal production designed to deliver genuine scares. “People really enjoy ‘Hysteria.’ We have over 50 haunt actors, use animatronics, sounds, fog and lights. It is really scary. It’s a one-mile haunted trail with plenty of scary surprises along the way.”

The attraction takes visitors through cornfields, orchards, woods and swampy terrain, creating an immersive experience that combines natural landscapes with theatrical effects. The result is a unique agricultural haunted attraction that leverages the farm’s existing environment rather than relying solely on constructed sets.

Location has also played an important role in the success of “Hysteria.”

Danvers is just a few miles from Salem, MA, one of the nation’s most famous Halloween destinations. Every autumn, Salem draws enormous crowds eager to explore its witchy history. Connors Farm benefits from that tourism traffic while offering visitors a distinctly different experience.

“We do see a large number of patrons travelling from all over the U.S. and visiting Salem. Danvers, the town where we are located, was once called Salem Village and was the epicenter of the 1692 Salem witchcraft hysteria. The trials themselves took place in the city of Salem,” Robert noted.

That historical connection gives “Hysteria” an added layer of authenticity. While visitors may flock to Salem for museums, tours and historic sites, they can travel just a few miles farther to experience a modern haunted attraction in the very landscape where the events that inspired centuries of fascination unfolded.

For other ag operators considering a move into agritourism, Connors offered straightforward advice: “Start out small and don’t over-extend your operation too early. It has to be manageable.”

That lesson is particularly relevant as more farms look for ways to diversify revenue streams and strengthen connections with consumers. Agritourism can provide valuable supplemental income, but it also requires careful planning, staffing and investment. Connors Farm’s measured expansion demonstrates how steady growth can create long-term success without overwhelming the core agricultural business.

Perhaps most importantly, Connors Farm shows that agritourism does not have to come at the expense of farming. The operation remains firmly grounded in agricultural production while creating opportunities for visitors to engage with the land in meaningful ways. Guests can pick fruit, meet livestock and learn about agriculture during the day, then return at night for a completely different experience filled with suspense and scares.

Whether visitors arrive for peaches and pumpkins, corn mazes and carousel rides or the chills and thrills of “Hysteria,” they are participating in a farming story that spans generations. That enduring connection between agriculture, entertainment and community may be the farm’s greatest attraction of all.

To learn more, visit hysteriaatconnorsfarm.com.

by Enrico Villamaino