Ready for Halloween? Check out these Rhode Island corn mazes
There’s more than just corn in the local fields this time of year – there are wanderers toting flashlights against the darkness, trivia buffs in search of questions to answer and even ghouls leering from behind the stalks.
Corn mazes are a favorite fall pastime as farmers transform their fields into winding mazes that can keep adventurers of all ages busy for hours.
Where to get pumpkins in RI: With Halloween around the corner, here are 10 Rhode Island pumpkin patches to visit
Salisbury Farm, Johnston
Check out one or more of these local corn mazes where you’ll find tricks and treats, depending on the location:Salisbury Farm, Johnston, has transformed a 5-acre field into an elaborately carved maze with more than a mile of paths outlining a man playing a giant pinball machine for the theme “Vintage Pinball Fun.” The maze is open seven days a week through Oct. 29, for daytime fun and, on two nights, for moonlight maze walking. You can also find snacks like candy apples and popcorn for purchase, as well as pick-your-own pumpkins.
Details: Salisbury Farms, 11 Peck Hill Road, Johnston, salisburyfarm.com. (401) 942-9741
Scary Acres at Confreda Greenhouses and Farms, Hope
Scary Acres at Confreda Greenhouses and Farms in Hope combines the challenge of finding your way through a maze in the dark with frights that lurk around each corner. If ghosts and monsters aren’t your thing – their slogan is “Fear Lives Here!” – the maze is also open during the day for a more family-friendly trip. Tickets must be purchased online.
Details: Confreda Farms, 2150 Scituate Ave., Cranston, scaryacresri.com. (401) 823-3327
Escobar Farm, Portsmouth
Escobar Farm, Portsmouth, is larger than most, offering dizzying twists and turns over eight acres. This year’s theme is “Field of Dreams,” and visitors are encouraged to make a wish when they enter. The maze is open Fridays through Sundays until Nov. 5. Other features include hayrides, a hay play area and snacks such as a butterscotch lollipop in the shape of an ear of corn for purchase.
Details: Escobar Farm, 255 Middle Road, Portsmouth, escobarfarm.com. (401) 835-8813
Clark Farms, South Kingstown
Clark Farms in South Kingstown invites meanderers of all ages into their corn maze on Saturday nights for flashlight trips, complete with make-your-own s’mores stops. This year’s theme is "Alice in Wonderland." The maze is also open during the day the rest of the week, and other adventures include corn cannons, a petting zoo and a mountain slide.
Details: Clark Farms, 2984 Commodore Perry Highway, South Kingstown, clarkfarms.com. (401) 783-8844
Cucumber Hill Farm, Foster
Spend hours at Cucumber Hill Farm in Foster wandering through the corn mazes – one themed “Who Invented It” that’s open for daytime trips and flashlight adventures on Saturdays and a kiddie maze made out of hay bales – and answering the trivia questions peppered throughout. Add rides on a pony or hay wagon, try your hand at ax-throwing and pick some pumpkins. The farm is open weekends through October.
Details: Cucumber Hill Farm, 39 Cucumber Road, Foster, cucumberhillfarm.com, (401) 397-7500
Fort Hill Farms, Thompson
Just over the state line in Thompson, Connecticut, Fort Hill Farms invites you to “Walk the Freedom Trail” in its 7-acre corn maze and learn about Major Robert Thompson, the town’s namesake and the fifth non-indigenous person to walk into Boston. Plan about 90 minutes to get through the twisting rows. There’s also a mini-maze for young children and people with disabilities, and flashlight nights are planned this season.
Details: Fort Hill Farms, 260 Quaddick Road, Thompson, Connecticut, forthillfarms.com, (860) 234-1153
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Where to find the best corn mazes in RI: Salisbury, Confreda, Escobar
