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 (click the image for a slide show) .
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 12 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 2008, Fisher has created the Go For the Gold Maze; from the air, it looks like an Olympic torch surrounded by rings. The 11th anniversary Mega Maze is a life-size, 3-dimensional puzzle that offers visitors athletic-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. Co-owner Larry Davis reveals in a press statement: "This is the first Morphing Maze, meaning it has the capacity to change its pathways and solutions every day. There are countless ways to play and many different intensity levels," he adds.
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 July 31 for the 2008 season and will be in operation until November 9, conditions permitting. For directions and admission prices and to check dates and hours of operation, call Davis' Mega Maze at 978-422-6666.
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
Foster Family Farm
90 Foster Street
South Windsor, Connecticut
860-648-9366
Lyman Orchards
[Note: Lyman's maze is actually a sunflower maze this year.]
Junction of Routes 147 and 157
Middlefield, Connecticut
860-349-1793
Plasko's Farm
670 Daniels Farm Road
Trumbull, Connecticut
203-268-2716
Quintessential Gardens at Fort Hill Farms
[Appalachian Trail-themed maze!]
260 Quaddick Road
Thompson, Connecticut
866-919-2204
R-Farm
353 Tobacco Street
Lebanon, Connecticut
860-303-2366
Maine Corn Mazes
Pumpkin Valley Farm
135 Anderson Road
Dayton, Maine
207-929-4545
Ricker Hill Orchards
Route 117
Turner, Maine
207-225-3455
Massachusetts Corn Mazes
Davis' Mega Maze
145 Redstone Hill
Sterling, Massachusetts
978-422-6666
Mike's Amaizing Maze
25 South Main Street
Sunderland, Massachusetts
413-665-8331
New Hampshire Mazes
Beans and Greens Farm
Route 11B
Gilford, New Hampshire
603-293-2853
Beech Hill Farm
[Three Corn Mazes, including the Red Sox Field of Dreams.]
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
448 Charlton Road
Ballston Spa, New York
518-884-8168
Fairview Farm
Horsemill Lane
Bridgehampton, New York
631-537-6154
Harbes Family Farm
Main Road (Route 25)
Jamesport, New York
631-722-8546
Liberty Ridge Farm
[Election '08-themed 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
Western New York's Original Corn Field Maze
3901 Niagara Falls Boulevard
Buffalo/Niagara, New York
716-542-6854
Wickham Farms
1821 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road
Penfield, New York
585-377-FARM
Zarpentine Farms
163 Burritt Road
Hilton, New York
716-392-3611
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.
