One of the Creepiest Places on Earth: The Corn Maze

A couple weeks before Halloween, I was ensconced on our couch, watching "The Top Ten Creepiest Places." Being a fan of frightening ghost stories and the like, I had already heard of most of them. But number two on the list really caught my attention. The first reason was that it was a haunted corn maze, something I had never heard of before. The second reason was the maze they were featuring was only 150 miles from my home. After a quick conference with the rest of the family, we decided we had to go see it and decide for ourselves how scary it was.

Arriving at the corn maze

Upon arriving, it was immediately clear that this was more than just a maze; it was more like a Halloween mini fun park. There were a couple of rides for the little bitty kids and hay bales decorated like animals all around. A large shed was set up to serve food and drinks including some wonderful hot cider that we needed before the night was out to fend off the cold. But we were anxious to get started on our frightening pre-Halloween experience.

An amazing experience

We were given punch cards before we entered the maze. A different shaped hole punch was at several locations within the maze, and we could find the numbered pedestals that held them and punch the corresponding spot on our card to know where we had been and when we had completed the thing. It was great fun. We split into teams and tried to race to certain locations. There were enough choices of where to go that it was possible to get separated from each other. More than once we found ourselves back at a point we had started from. It didn't seem quite so daunting until we got in there and realized none of us could see over the tops of the corn. We also noted that it was a 30-acre maze, the largest in the state. But it wasn't really frightening, even when we got separated from each other.

Then it got dark.

It's amazing the sounds that come from the corn. It was difficult to tell where the various noises were coming from and if they were from other people, ourselves, or something more alarming. Being close to Halloween probably made it more frightening. While we didn't run screaming from the corn maze, we were rather relieved to get out after finishing our cards.

Amazingly more frightening

Halloween night, the corn maze becomes a haunted corn maze, filled with frightening figures and noises meant to terrify. We've decided we're not that brave. It was a creepy enough experience without people with pitchforks jumping out at us.

You'll be amazed

But it was a really great experience, too. Corn mazes have sprung up everywhere now, it seems, although we have moved and have trouble finding one near our home that takes more than five minutes to navigate. But if you can find a large one, well-made, and traverse it at night, you will get a taste of why the corn maze was included on this program of the creepiest places.