Pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and corn mazes have come to define the fall season, invigorating our senses and helping us embrace the great outdoors. Natural mazes date back thousands of years as a means for rituals, processions, and art. But in the U.S., mazes carved out of corn fields have become a huge tourist attraction, a source of income for local farms, and a fun way to celebrate the season.
Corn mazes around the country depict festive themes, portray stories, and feature characters to challenge people of all ages. Lots of mazes are family-friendly and are accompanied by petting zoos, picnic areas, and fall treats. But you can also find haunted corn mazes for teens and adults that feel like they’re straight out of a horror movie!
To get a little lost and have a lot of fun, here are a few of the fun and festive corn mazes to explore this fall.
Amazing Maize Maze at Queens County Farm Museum – Floral Park, New York
Queens County Farm Museum has been around since the late 1600s and covers 47 acres in New York State. The museum is owned by the New York City Department of Parks, and its Amazing Maize Maze opens up in September. Come by on weekends through October, weather permitting, and try to find your way out. This is a fun day out in the crisp fall air for both kids and adults.
Dates: Friday – Sunday, September 15th – October 28th, 2023
Official Website
Richardson Adventure Farm – Spring Grove, Illinois
One of the largest corn mazes in the entire world is located in Spring Grove, which is an easy drive from Chicago. You can play several different maze games in 28 acres of corn fields at this farm, and games take between 10 minutes and two hours to play. Some of them are fun and easy for kids, while others really challenge your map skills! On full moon weekends in September and October, the grounds are open until midnight. There’s also a 50-foot observation tower that leads to the 750-foot zip line, as well as a pumpkin patch, live pig races, and jumping pillows. You can enjoy a picnic or sit around the campfire when you visit the farm too.
Dates: September 9th – October 29th, 2023
Official Website
The Great Vermont Corn Maze – North Danville, Vermont
This is the largest corn maze in New England and is well worth a weekend road trip if you live in the region. The Great Vermont Corn Maze is best enjoyed by adults in their 20s to 60s, as well as adults with kids under the age of 14. If you’re up for a challenge, try to navigate your way through the big maze, which takes at least two hours with no spots to sit down and rest. Bring your own water and snacks! This maze spans about 24 acres and three miles of trails, and most people spend a few hours here. Plan to visit early in the day and early in the season so you have enough time to complete the maze and not get frustrated.
Dates: August 1st – October 15th, 2023
Official Website
Sever's Corn Maze – Shakopee, Minnesota
Sever’s Fall Festival has been providing family fun in the Twin Cities for over 20 years and is open in September and October each year. You can spend the entire day here exploring the maze, picking your own apples and pumpkins, and savoring the festive foods. This family farm is now in its fourth generation, and the family cuts its maze each season by hand. Each year’s maze has a theme, such as fun facts about previous maze designs and searching for photos of previous mazes. There are staff members stationed throughout the maze in case you need help.
Dates: Saturdays & Sundays, September 16th- October 29th, 2023
Official Website
The Farmstead Corn Maze – Meridian, Idaho
For over 20 years, the Lowe family has been helping people get lost in their awesome corn maze in Idaho. It’s a good idea to bring a compass with you to this maze that is carved into 18 acres of corn. There are two phases to this maze and over a million ears of corn to navigate through. The family takes a lighthearted approach to the season and aims to make its maze fun for everyone. There’s also a pumpkin patch that you can walk to or take a hayride and pick your own pumpkins.
Dates: September 16th – October 30th, 2023
Official Website
Great Scott Farms – Mt. Dora, Florida
What began as just a seven-acre cornfield has become a big Florida tradition at Great Scott Farms (formerly known as Scott’s Maze Adventures). This maze is open on weekends during the month of October, but there are plenty of other fall attractions here as well. You can explore the half-acre maze and the 6.5-acre maze after watching a short video about the rules. It’s a good idea to break into groups of four to six people, with an adult in each group and complete the game sheet to learn more about the annual theme.
Dates: September 30th – November 26th, 2023
Official Website
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm – Paradise, Pennsylvania
Located in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm has one of the longest-running corn mazes in the U.S. and lots of other attractions to go with it, too. There’s a five-acre maze with over 2.5 miles of pathways to explore here, and your adventure begins once you receive a game board with instructions. It takes most people about an hour to complete the maze, and there are staff members along the way to help you if needed. American Maze Company designer and former Disney Broadway producer Don Frantz creates this exciting maze each year.
Dates: Select dates September 15th – November 4th, 2023
Official Website
Connors Farm – Danvers, Massachusetts
Unlike some corn mazes that are only open on weekends, this one is open every day. Each year has a theme, such as Charlie Brown and Friends, and for 2022 the theme is “Lost In Space.” With numerous daytime attractions, there is something for all ages. On weekends, you’ll find slingshots, a pumpkin blaster, a corn cannon, and pig races.
Dates: Opens September 2nd, 2023
Official Website
McCall's Pumpkin Patch – Moriarty, New Mexico
This New Mexico corn maze is fun for all ages and is on a 320-acre farm operated by the McCall family. Although pumpkins are the big attraction here, the corn maze is a fan favorite too. The maze is located in the farm’s 16-acre corn field, which gets better every year. It’s open on weekends from late September until late October, and admission varies by date.
Dates: September 23rd – October 29th, 2023
Official Website
Treinen Farm – Lodi, Wisconsin
This 15-acre maze is challenging amidst the 10-foot-tall corn and a perfect way to spend a weekend in Wisconsin. Each year’s maze has a theme, like “Rainbows, Kittens, and Killer Baby Unicorns,” which is a living puzzle created by the Treinen family. You’ll walk through over six miles of twists and turns and have the opportunity to win prizes. There’s even a smaller children’s maze that’s much more manageable for little ones.
Dates: Select dates September 2nd – November 5th, 2023
Official Website
Cool Patch Pumpkins – Dixon, California
Just a couple of years ago, Cool Patch Pumpkins set the Guinness World Record for having the largest corn maze in the world that spanned 60 acres. Plan to pick your own pumpkins, take a hay ride, shoot a pumpkin out of a cannon, and enjoy some pumpkin pie and fresh coffee when you visit this farm. The maze is open every day during the season from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting.
Dates: Opens September 23rd, 2023
Official Website