A 2022 fun guide to corn mazes, pumpkin patches in Western North Carolina
ASHEVILLE - Farm fall festivities are in full swing across Western North Carolina. And pumpkins are piled high and ready for picking whether to be used for making a snack or adding to the seasonal décor.
To top it off, a visit to a local corn maze and pumpkin patch could further support an outreach program or community-based service.
Visit these Asheville-area corn mazes and pumpkin patches for good times and a good cause.
Abernethy United Methodist Church
For more than 20 years, Abernethy United Methodist Church members and volunteers have pitched in to make pumpkin season a success.
“We put a lot of effort and a lot of hard work into it and it’s very rewarding,” worker Martha Lowe said.
The Erwin High School Marching Band has been assisting this season, she said.
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Truckloads of pumpkins are grown by the Navajo Nation in Farmington, New Mexico, and transported to Asheville. Proceeds support the church and its mission work, Lowe said.
Pumpkins are sold through the end of October. Cash and credit cards are accepted.
“We enjoy it. We have a good time,” she said.
Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze
The Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze will open on Sept. 30 and run through Oct. 30.
“It’s definitely an Asheville tradition,” co-organizer Tara Campuzano said. “We have been a part of the community and it’s really something people seek out, and every year we try to add a little bit more.”
All proceeds will benefit Eliada Home and it’s the center’s largest fundraiser of the year.
Eliada Home, a 119-year-old facility, aids children and families in areas including child and youth development, high-level intervention and prevention services, and residential and day treatments. It also offers foster care, youth homeless and workforce development services and programming.
The Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze covers nearly 8 acres of the property. This year’s theme event sponsor is Pratt & Whitney and the maze features the company’s eagle logo and an airplane.
A QR code for a GPS model is available on smartphones to assist with maze navigation.
Last year, nearly 6,500 people attended the event, Campuzano said. Although Tropical Storm Fred destroyed the corn maze, the organizers added more amusements for guests, such as lawn games and bouncies.
Other activities include a children’s straw maze, corn cannons, bouncy pillow, hayrides, slides and a spider climber. Also, a kiddie, medium and long trails.
Food trucks will be in rotation on most weekend days. Face painting sessions are available for scheduling. Pumpkins are in abundance and ready for picking and purchasing.
“We’re so excited for this year. The response has been great. People are ready to get out and have some fun,” Campuzano said “We’re just happy to see everybody and maybe have them learn a little bit about what Eliada and what we do.”
Cold Mountain Corn Maize
Open since 2005, Cold Mountain Corn Maize in Canton is welcoming guests for another year of corn maze adventures, pumpkins, concessions, hayrides, haunted attractions and nightly bonfires.
The corn maze will be family-friendly by day and creepy by night.
“After Oct. 1, it will be haunted after dusk,” owner Skipper Russell said.
S’mores kits, hot coffee, hot cocoa and hot apple cider will be available to purchase to elevate the bonfire experience.
Entry age is at the guests’ discretion.
“Some small kids are braver than adults and they can handle it better than some adults can,” Russell said.
The younger guests get excited about visiting the farm in the daytime, too, he said.
“Kids are actually talking about seeing a field of corn and being in corn, whereas a lot of us around here take it for granted,” he said. “Kids away from here don’t ever get to see anything like being in a field of corn.”
Partial proceeds will go to Hearts with Hands, a disaster relief organization based in Asheville that came to the aid of Haywood County residents impacted by Tropical Storm Fred in September 2021.
“Last year when the flood hit in the area where our farm and all those houses got washed away and people had to move and lost basically everything. … The roads were closed but they came to Haywood County,” Russell said.
Hearts with Hands provided meals and other resources for nearly two months following, he said.
“It was real helpful for them to come into action to help all the people that were affected by the flood. They were real instrumental to that,” Russell said.
The corn maze was designed to show gratitude, too.
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Corn mazes and pumpkin patches
Cold Mountain Corn Maize: Through Nov. 2, 4168 Pisgah Drive (NC 110), Canton. Maze, hayrides, campfires, pumpkin patch, corn box, mini-maze. Maze becomes haunted after dusk on Oct. 1. $12. Free for kids under age 4. Hours: 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 1-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit the new Facebook page, Cold Mtn Corn Maize, at facebook.com/Cold-Mtn-Corn-Maize-111773231656890
Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 30-Oct. 30, Eliada Home, 2 Compton Drive (off New Leicester Hwy.), Asheville. $12 age 4 and older, season pass $30. Hours: 3-7 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Visit eliadacornmaze.mazeplay.com.
Grandad’s Apples: 2951 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville. Corn maze, apple orchard, market, bakery. The corn maze is open daily. Cow train and apple cannon open on the weekends. Prices vary by activity. For details, visit grandadsapples.com.
Stepp Farm’s Hillcrest Orchard. Open through October. 170 Stepp Orchard Drive, Hendersonville. Corn maze, pumpkins, apples, market, bakery and self-guided tours. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12-6 p.m. Sunday. Visit steppapples.com.
Hickory Nut Gap Farm. Open on weekends through Nov. 13. 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview. Hayrides, pony rides, apples, cider, pumpkins, kid's play area, food trucks and handcrafted specialty sausages. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit facebook.com/hickorynutgapmeats/.
Abernethy Pumpkin Patch. Open through Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (around 12:30 after church service ends on Sundays). Abernethy United Methodist Church, 1418 Patton Ave., Asheville. Visit abernethy.org.
First United Pumpkin Patch: Oct. 1-31, First United Methodist Church, 566 S. Haywood St., Waynesville. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Visit fumc-waynesville.com.
Groce United Pumpkin Patch: Oct. 3-31, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Road, Asheville. 12:30-7 p.m. Sunday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. Visit www.groceumc.org.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: A 2022 fun guide to corn mazes, pumpkin patches in WNC
