How Corn Mazes are Made - A Collection of Corn Maze Videos

It is October and that means we are on the road (Elm St.) to Halloween (How about some Halloween mazes?). That also means it is time for haunted houses - typically a type of labyrinth - think about it and also corn mazes. Let’s talk about corn mazes a bit. I spend a lot of time talking about what labyrinths you can visit around the US using the wonderful website Labyrinth locator. Well did you know there is also a website that features corn mazes ? The map can be found here on the mazeplay site. So, hopefully you can find a maze to visit near you !

Previously I went through my favorite labyrinth and maze videos (My Favorite Maze and Labyrinth Videos), and it included some really cool cats, a hamster and lots of information. I enjoyed it. But there was one thing that I didn’t cover in that post and that was Corn Mazes (or Maize Mazes). The reason ? Because there are a LOT of really fun videos to watch on the subject and I thought they needed their own post. This is that post.

My Favorite Corn Maze Videos

Let’s start with the back office look at how these get designed and made (or maybe more accurately plowed). But I love to see them being made ! Really amazing work. This video is of the Treinen Farm in Lodi, Wisconsin. You can plan a visit here and on their site I learned they had won an award as one of the 10 best corn mazes in the USA !

Here is a great story of a family farm with how they have used a corn maze to keep a farm in the family as an additional income stream. Located in Thurmont, Maryland at Lawyer’s Winterbrook Farm the farm also features 30 foot junkbots ! You can plan a trip here.

Here is a quick 3 minute conversation that speaks to how Maze Play uses GPS to cut a corn maze. This features a maze from Mark’s Melon Patch in Albany, Georgia. Their corn maze is open in October and November each year and you can plan a trip here or just visit to pick up some pumpkins !

And this shows some great aerial views of corn mazes that look like art ! Lots of variety and really interesting designs ! Features the work of landscape artist Will Sillin on Mike Wissemann's farm in Massachusetts.

And this is just a small sampling of what you can find about corn mazes on YouTube. Of course now your algorithm is changed and they will pop up for you automatically. Enjoy !! I find myself getting lost in this type of content and then it goes away for awhile….and then months later it is back !

a large difficult corn on the cob maze

A Corn Maze, but not the kind we are talking about today.

download the maze

Want to boost your algorithm even more ? Check out these posts !

My YouTube channel where you can watch mazes being made.

7 Videos on Maze making

The 10 Most Famous Labyrinths from Around the World

4 Labyrinths to Visit in Rhode Island

You want to visit a labyrinth in Rhode Island. I have selected 4 of the best (there are about 20) that are accessible to the public from around the state. If you want a full list of labyrinths in the state check out the Worldwide Labyrinth Finder. There is a wonderful website dedicated specifically to the Labyrinths of New England run by Yadina Clark that is helpful to plan visits in the area.



Why visit a Labyrinth ?

Labyrinths are ancient and mysterious symbols that have been used for centuries for meditation, contemplation, and spiritual renewal. They are also a lot of fun to explore! If you're looking for a unique and challenging experience, walk a labyrinth with intention - it often leads to self-discovery. Personally, I like to walk labyrinths between dawn and sunrise or at sunset until dusk, but any time of day works. You may not realize it, but there is probably a labyrinth near where you live. Today we explore…


4 Labyrinths to Visit in 4 Rhode Island



1. St. Mary's Episcopal Church Labyrinth

A 7 circuit medieval labyrinth located in the grass is located in the rectory garden. It is surrounded by bushes and trees and features a small fountain in the middle. It can be found easily on this map located on the labyrinths webpage of the church website.

Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Address:
324 E. Main Road
Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871


2. The Farm Labyrinth

A medieval 7 circuit labyrinth made from rocks. Park at the top of the path and walk into the the reserve to locate the labyrinth.

Location: West Greenwich, Rhode Island

Address:

80 Division Road
West Greenwich, Rhode Island 02817


3. Pilgrim Lutheran Church Labyrinth

 

This medieval labyrinth is made from cobble stone and compacted stone dust. Easy to find on the Fairway Lane side of the church with this map pin.

Location: Warwick, Rhode Island

Address:

1817 Warwick Avenue
Warwick, Rhode Island 02889


4. St. John Vianney Church Labyrinth

A 7 circuit classical labyrinth has large 3 foot pathways and is made from rocks with a mulch pathway. The labyrinth is located in the field behind the church.

Location: Cumberland, Rhode Island

Address:
3655 Diamond Hill Road
Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864

5 TIPS FOR VISITING A LABYRINTH

  1. Set an intention for your walk so you can walk with purpose. It could be prayer, reflection, meditation, contemplation, or openness.

  2. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking.

  3. Bring water with you, especially if you are visiting on a hot day.

  4. Take your time and enjoy the experience. There is no need to rush through a labyrinth.

  5. Be respectful of other visitors. This includes not making noise and being respectful if walking with other people.


5 BOOKS TO READ ABOUT LABYRINTH WALKING

I wrote a blog post reviewing the following 5 books, each that deals with walking labyrinths. You can check them out yourself at the Amazon links below or read this blog post: 5 Books about the Spiritual Aspect of Labyrinths to learn a little about what each book teaches.

  1. Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Dr. Lauren Artress 201 pages. AMZN

  2. Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery by Tony Christie 312 pages. AMZN

  3. Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth by Melissa Gayle West 209 pages AMZN

  4. Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God by Travis Scholl 240 pages AMZN

  5. Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight by Rev Dr Donna Schaper and Rev Dr Carole Ann Camp 187 pages AMZN


If you are interested in more spiritual labyrinth aspects I suggest the following websites:

  1. Lauren Artress website - For coaching, workshops and classes.

  2. Veriditas - The nonprofit labyrinth group founded by Lauren Artress

  3. Worldwide Labyrinth Finder - Find a labyrinth to walk near you, or while on vacation


I am a maze artist but I have never made any mazes from Rhode Island. If you have suggestions - drop me a note. Otherwise here are some mazes of famous buildings:

Taj Mahal Maze

The Louvre Maze

Santo Domingo Church

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Maze

Let's invent the scariest maze of all time

I have been thinking about what mazes a physical maze scary and I wanted to pull all of those elements together into a blog post to inspire the haunted house makers out there. Hopefully this does not inspire any of my enemies who read this.

The scariest maze of all time would contain a combination of physical and psychological elements to create a truly terrifying experience. I wanted an illustration for this post so I used Bing Image Generator and am impressed with what it came up with !

Scary Maze concept - by Bing AI Image Generator

Scary Maze concept - by Bing AI Image Generator

Physical elements:

  • Darkness: The maze would be pitch black in parts, disorienting visitors and making them feel claustrophobic. This section would end with a light leading you to an evil character. This would be executed best if you saw them from afar and knew past them was the only way through.

  • Uneven surfaces: The maze would be filled with uneven surfaces, such as rocks, roots, and holes, making it difficult to walk and increasing the risk of falling. Well, unless this is a business like a haunted house, then it would have sloping floors that are slightly uneven and lawyer approved with warning signs before you enter.

  • Narrow passages: The maze would have narrow passages, forcing visitors to squeeze through and making them feel claustrophobic.

  • Dead ends: The maze would have many dead ends, leading visitors to backtrack and making them feel lost and frustrated. Combined with narrow passages and groups of people this will create stress as people get crowded together. One thing about Haunted Houses is they are labyrinths with single pathways to take, but what if they were actually mazes ?

  • False Exits: A dead end is one thing, but how about we add a few false exits to frustrate and disorient the solvers ! This is almost cruel. A huge exit sign with a locked door. An exit that closes once you get within 12 feet of it would be fun !

  • No Exit: Not sure if it is still a maze if there is no exit…seems like more of a trap, but I'll leave it here for those horror movie fans.

  • Disappearing Entrance: You enter the maze and you entrance closes and seals behind you, making a quick exit back out impossible. Bonus points if you can figure out a way to make the entrance actually disappear.

  • Temperature Changes: I am not a fan of humidity, but a humid section, followed by a very cold section would be terrible. How about we add some steam coming out of vents.

  • Insects: I would prefer an Indiana Jones level of spiders but you can take this in many directions. Cockroaches ? Mosquitos would be so cruel. Some peanut shells on a dark floor crunching under your feet would be a nice trick.

Psychological elements:

  • Creepy sounds: The maze would be filled with creepy sounds, such as footsteps, laughter, and whispers, to unnerve visitors and make them feel like they are being watched.

  • Surveillance Cameras: I like the idea of cameras set-up showing you in the space, then having a character suddenly pop up behind you. Later you see what appears to be others in the maze on a monitor and things are going very bad for them (and might for you also in the future).

  • Unexpected surprises: The maze would be full of unexpected surprises, such as jumping out scares and strobe lights, to startle visitors and make them feel unsafe. Standard really for haunted houses.

  • Sense of danger: The maze would be designed to create a sense of danger in visitors, making them feel like they could be harmed at any moment.

  • Cryptic Symbols: Imagine a dark maze covered in writing scratched onto the walls from people who didn’t make it out. The eye of providence. Secret codes. Things written in old languages. A group of people that appear to be a cult performing a ceremony.

  • Clowns. Enough said.

  • A Lost Couple: A couple wanders the maze looking distraught and hungry asking everyone for food and water. They have been stuck for days inside….

In addition to these physical and psychological elements, the scariest maze of all time would also be themed to play on visitors' deepest fears. For example, the maze could be themed around a haunted house, a serial killer, or a natural disaster.

The goal of the scariest maze of all time would be to create an experience that is so terrifying that visitors will never forget it. It would be a maze that would haunt their nightmares for years to come.

Have fun with some Halloween Mazes, and this classic maze game !