The Hanes Corn Maze is, quite simply, awesome! I had never before been to a real corn maze (though I've played in corn fields before and it's fun!) and didn't really know what to expect of this family owned maze in Dundas, Ontario. What I found was an October experience everyone should have.
The maze itself is about 10 acres, and to make it more interesting they have incorporated a crossword puzzle game into the fun. Before venturing in you are given a clipboard with a map and the crossword. The map indicates where in the maze you can find the "Clue Stations" to figure out the puzzle. If you make it out alive with the puzzle solved, you can spin a prize wheel to be rewarded.
While the crossword puzzle is fun, I had more fun scaring my friends and other patrons! There is just something sinister about a corn maze at night. On a number of occasions I crept away from my group and camped out in the corn to one side of the cut path. As a victim passed I would rise up quickly and hiss, which almost always resulted in screams, and then laughter. That is a rush. I asked Shelly (one of the owners) why they didn't have people in the corn to scare us, and she told me that they tried it once, and it resulted in a couple of bloody noses for the scare-actors.
The maze itself is absolutely huge, but you can't really get lost in it. Though it is open from July, it takes on a Halloween theme for October with pumpkins, halloween lights, a monster display near the entrance (perhaps guests who died in the corn?) and spooky music and sounds.
The music and sound effects are played from a speaker on a tall post near the centre of the field. Some of these sounds were great, like the screaming girl, or the man who alternates between moaning and calling for help. Depending on where you are in relation to the speaker, it actually sounds like someone in the corn is calling to you! My only complaint was that there was only one speaker, so if you ranged too far from it, you could barely hear it.
The maze is not the only attraction here, however, as they offer a pumpkin patch, farm animals, a mini-maze and a play area. We were too late to see these other attractions, but really, when you get in to this maze, you won't want to come out!
Unfortunately they don't yet have a web site of their own, but you can see some arial photos by clicking on the thumbnails below. Each year the maze is different, and Shelly plots each one on graph paper. The maze is cut by hand using precise measurments and by counting rows and paces. I can only imagine how long it must take.
I was completely blown away by this attraction, though most of my fun, I must admit, was from scaring others. ;-) If you want an alternative to haunted houses, try out this (or another) corn maze.
For more information, contact the Hanes Corn Maze at (905)628-5280. Admission is $8.00 for persons 11 and up; $5.00 for children aged 5 to 10; $2.00 for children aged 2 to 4. They do offer special family and group rates, and will host birthday parties, scout/cub/brownie/guide troops and more.
