Corn isn’t just for eating. In many fields across the United States and all over the world corn mazes have been created to extend the harvest season, offer fun and recreation and provide profit to the farmers.. When the corn reaches heights in which adults can no longer peer over the tops, or around 6 feet, curious and astounding patterns can appear in many fields. Mazes carved into the fields are an even more popular attraction during the fall months, and farmers have become dependent on the income that these tourist-attractions bring in each year.
Growing a maze became popular in 15th century England among the nobility. Garden mazes were grown to entertain the aristocrats. The maze at Hampton Royal Court Palace in West London is the oldest garden maze and is nearly 300 years old. The first corn maze in today’s age was the Amazing Maize Maze, created by Don Frantz and Adrian Fisher. Adrian Fisher is from England, and he is considered the “world’s leading maze designer.” Don Frantz is the owner of the Amazing Maize Maze Company, and he continues to run the company today. Mazes have become a favorite fall tradition for many families. Some mazes can be very complicated, and it takes working together to solve the puzzle. Each family or group is equipped with a flag, however, if they find they need a little extra help, or if they need out, they can wave the flag above the corn stalks for rescue.
- Corn Maze History & Animation Fun by Brownielocks.: This article offers a history and background of the garden mazes dating back to England through the corn mazes that have become popular today.
- Historic Royal Palaces>Hampton Court Palace>The Maze: Home page to the site of the oldest English garden maze, the Historic Royal Palaces in West London.
- The Amazing Maize Maze Homepage: The Amazing Maze was the first corn maze brought to American, and it boasts that it is still the best.
- Adrian Fisher Design – home of the world's leading maze designer: Adrian Fisher is known one of the best maze designer’s in the world. This is his home page.
- Rural Hill - Center of Scottish Heritage: Brief history of corn mazes.
Realizing the profit and positive publicity corn mazes have created, many farms have gotten into the corn maze business. These tourist attractions have become quite popular and there are many organizations that now create awe inspiring corn mazes for their customers. Some mazes are open after dark around Halloween and have “haunted” themes complete with ghosts and goblins. These are not recommended for younger guests, and many facilities will have both family-friendly mazes as well as the haunted versions. Even after-dark flashlight mazes are available in the “non-haunted” variety. Many companies wish to attract families by inviting them to spend a day at their farm. They offer hayrides or petting zoos. Often there will be opportunities to take rides through pumpkin patches to purchase a pumpkin for jack-o-lantern carving at Halloween. The goal is to provide entertainment for everyone, from the young to the young at heart.
- The MAiZE - World's Largest Corn Maze Company:
- Maze Quest Corn Mazes
- Sever's Corn Maze - America's Largest Corn Maze
- Corn Maze Directory - Home Page
- Welcome To The Great Vermont Corn Maze
- Corn Mazes America
- Corn Maze Coatesville Chester County
- Jacob's Corn Maze
- Meadows Maze , Corn Maze , Petting Zoo, Family Fun
- Cool Patch Pumpkins
Most of the mazes use modern-day technology to create the elaborate and intricate maze patterns found today. A GPS, or Global Positioning System, is used, with the coordinates of each corner of the corn maze being inputted. The maze is then drawn on a computer and inputted into the GPS system as well. When the corn is a couple of feet tall, the GPS unit is utilized as well as a lawn mower to cut down the corn in the pattern laid out in the computerized system. The stalks are cleared out, and weed killer is placed on those areas that were cleared so that corn does not grow on those particular areas. As the corn grows higher and higher, the mazes and designs within the fields grow more and more pronounced.
- Bradford Research and Extension Center: Making a Corn Maze: Explanation as to how a corn maze is planted, designed, and cut.
- Corn Maze History: A pictorial “history” of one cornfield’s process of planting and creating a corn maze.
- The Boiler Mazer Maze Diary! - A Corn Field Maze (Purdue University): A step-by-step routine maze maintenance schedule to keep the corn in the design it was intended.
- Corn Maze Design & Cutting Using GPS Technology: A corn maze design company that can be hired to design and create a maze for farmers. They utilize GPS technology for their process.
- The making of a corn maze - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register: Feature news article about one particular corn maze at a local church and the process they undergo to create their maze.