You can "lose yourself" for a little bit, though, even amid the throngs of fall foliage groupies--at a corn maze! In fact, you may just find yourself begging strangers to give you clues as to how to find your way back out!
Then again, perhaps you won't be quite as daunted as Bruce and I were when we found ourselves hopelessly tangled in New England's oldest and largest cornfield maze--the 8-acre Mega Maze at Davis' Farmland in Sterling, Massachusetts.
Each year, Davis' Farmland enlists the aid of English maze designer extraordinaire Adrian Fisher, who creates a new challenge that is fun--if a bit frustrating--for both kids and adults. Never fear--help is available from the Maze Masters who are strategically positioned within the nearly 3 miles of dead ends and detours. They'll at least help you find your way to the snack shack within the maze so you don't become famished while climbing the corn maze's 10 bridges and swearing to your maze-meandering companions that you are sure you've seen every one of the 4 million corn plants that make up the maze... at least twice!
For 2009, Fisher has created The Lost Tomb, a maze surrounding the hidden, treasure-filled tomb of Sir Cough A. Gus. From the air, it looks like an enormous Pharaoh's head. The 12th anniversary Mega Maze is a life-size, 3-dimensional puzzle that offers visitors Egyptian-themed adventure and all new challenges. "Each year since its conception, Davis' Mega Maze has consistently outdone itself and changed the face of mazing," Fisher has said.
Davis' Farmland, a family farm attraction featuring rare livestock breeds and fun activities for small children, and the Mega Maze are located off Route 62 in Sterling in central Massachusetts, just about 20 miles from Worcester. The Mega Maze opened August 6 for the 2009 season and will be in operation until November 15, conditions permitting. For directions and admission prices and to check dates and hours of operation, call Davis' Mega Maze at 978-422-8888.
If you'd rather cut your teeth on one of New England's smaller corn mazes before you venture into the Mega Maze, there are plenty of farms throughout the region that have carved mazes into cornfields for the amusement of visitors.
More Cornfield Mazes in New England
(Note: Call ahead for directions, hours of operation and admission fees. Weather can affect corn maze conditions, so it's always a good idea to call on the day you plan to visit. As a rule, most corn mazes open for the season anywhere from mid-July to early September, and they stay open through late October.)
Connecticut Corn Mazes
Fort Hill Farms
260 Quaddick Road
Thompson, Connecticut
860-923-3439
Foster Family Farm
90 Foster Street
South Windsor, Connecticut
860-648-9366
Lyman Orchards
[Note: Lyman has both a sunflower maze and a corn maze this year.]
Junction of Routes 147 and 157
Middlefield, Connecticut
860-349-6015
Plasko's Farm
670 Daniels Farm Road
Trumbull, Connecticut
203-268-2716
R-Farm
353 Tobacco Street
Lebanon, Connecticut
860-303-2366
Maine Corn Mazes
Pumpkin Valley Farm
135 Anderson Road
Dayton, Maine
207-929-4088
Ricker Hill Orchards
Route 117
Turner, Maine
207-225-5552
Zach's Corn Maze
7 Colby Turner Road
York, Maine
207-475-7857
Massachusetts Corn Mazes
Davis' Mega Maze
145 Redstone Hill
Sterling, Massachusetts
978-422-8888
Mike's Maze
[A Charles Darwin-themed maze honoring the scientist's 200th birthday.]
25 South Main Street
Sunderland, Massachusetts
413-665-8331
New Hampshire Mazes
Beans and Greens Farm
245 Intervale Road
Gilford, New Hampshire
603-293-2853
Beech Hill Farm
[Three Corn Mazes, including one celebrating Yosemite National Park's 100th year.]
107 Beech Hill Road
Hopkinton, New Hampshire
603-223-0828
Coppal House Farm & Corn Maze
118 North River Road (Route 155)
Lee, New Hampshire
603-659-3572
Neighboring New York Corn Mazes
Ellms Family Farm Amazing Maize Corn Maze
[Hudson River-themed maze celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage.]
448 Charlton Road
Ballston Spa, New York
518-884-8168
Fairview Farm
Horsemill Lane
Bridgehampton, New York
631-537-6154
Liberty Ridge Farm
[Henry Hudson's ship-themed corn maze.]
Stillwater Bridge Road (Old Route 67)
Schaghticoke, New York
518-664-1515
Long Acre Farms
1342 Eddy Road
Macedon, New York
315-986-9821
Tucker Farms Great Adirondack Corn Maze
Hobart Road
Gabriels, New York
518-637-1230
Wickham Farms
1821 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road
Penfield, New York
585-377-FARM
Zarpentine Farms
163 Burritt Road
Hilton, New York
585-392-3611
Rhode Island Corn Mazes
Escobar's Highland Farm
133 Middle Road
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
401-683-1444
Vermont Corn Mazes
The Great Vermont Corn Maze
1404 Wheelock Road
Danville, Vermont
802-748-1399
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Photographs of Davis' Mega Maze by Kim Knox Beckius, © 2001, licensed to About.com, Inc.
