Fall Family Outing 2011

This year for our family fall outing we decided to try a corn maze. Not the little ones that pumpkin patches have on the side of their pumpkin sales to try to draw in more people, but the big corn mazes where the maze is the main attraction. We went to Shafer’s Corn Maze which is one of the biggest corn mazes in the state of Minnesota. I have seen the intricate designs on the news every year, but have never made the trip out to Shafer to walk the maze before.

So on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon we made the trek after church. Because we had just come from church, we were all wearing long pants, which normally wouldn’t be an issue this time of year. But we have been having an unusually warm fall this year in Minnesota, and it was 83 degrees and no clouds to help cut the heat (normal high is 61 this time of year). By the end of the day, my little guy ended up finishing the maze with no shirt on. It was a fun, but hot afternoon at the corn maze, here is the breakdown of the Shafer’s Corn Maze.

Prices:
Adults (12 and up): $8.00
Kids (5-11) $5.00 – must have adult present
4 and under: free

Hours:
Friday 3pm to 9 pm
Sat-Sun 12 noon to 9 pm


Location:
The Maze is located just south of Highway 8 in Shafer, Minnesota. As it is a field, there is not an official address to enter into your GPS system. You can enter the intersection of Hwy 8 and Quinlan Lane which will bring you right to our location.

Corn Maze:
2011 "Welcome to the Dragon’s Lair" Maze with over 4 miles of paths cut into 12 acres of corn. Complete the challenge by finding all 12 checkpoints. New challenge this year: FIRST person every Saturday and Sunday to locate the "Princess" will receive a free pass for this years "Stalkers of the Corn" Haunted maze!
Back for 2011: FSI - Farm Scene Investigation. Farmer Joe is missing. There was an incident, and it appears to be foul play. Collect the evidence to find the weapon, the suspect, and the location where the crime took place. Every week in October the solution will change!

Other Activities:
Adrian Fisher Rope Maze (survivor style)
Farm Animal Petting Zoo including: pigs, goats, sheep, geese, calf and miniature horse
Pony Hop Races
Classic Corn Bag Toss (corn hole)
Milk the "Cow"
Picnic Area
Stalkers of the Corn Haunted Maze

Pumpkin Pile

In My Opinion:

It was a fun afternoon of having the kids trying to guide us through the checkpoints in the corn maze. We only got lost once and quickly found our way again. When we got to the end of the maze and asked what to do with our punch cards, she told us “Nothing, they are your souvenirs”. So to be honest, I would have rather walked through the maze without the punch cards and just had fun walking the paths. There are no prizes, drawings or giveaways for completing the maze. The kids had fun with the Pony Hop Races because it was something new that we had not seen before. The kids were having fun taking on their Dad in Corn Hole until little kids came over and started stealing the bags and the parents thought it was funny and didn’t stop them. The pumpkin pile was sad, there were about 30 pumpkins to choose from, and none of them were worth picking. My little one enjoyed petting the animals and jumping in the hay pile. I would have enjoyed more concessions.