A local tourism destination near Elkhorn has added a corn maze to their exotic animal attractions this fall.
“We’ve opened the Maize Maze for the first time,” explained Mark Humphries, owner of Westwood Ranch Garden Centre. Last year was too wet, but this year, guests can challenge their sense of direction in a 25 acre corn patch.
The large maze opened in late July and Humphries expects to continue the maze into October. “It takes anything between 40 minutes and an hour and 20 minutes, depending which route they go,” said Humphries. “It’s quite a big one.”
There is a safety measure for those worried about disappearing into the greenery.
Each group is given one lanyard, with a phone number on it. “We can tell when they’re back at the end of the day if all the lanyards are back, then everybody’s out of the maze.”
There is a bit of a destination to try and get to - a draw prize to enter. People are given a slip of paper with their name and address on it. If, and when, they make it to the centre, there is a cache (a bottle with a cork) to place that slip of paper in.
The prize is a free Family Pass for next year. “So, if they get to the centre of the maze, they get into that draw.”
However, there’s something for everyone. “If they don’t get to the centre, they bring the piece of paper back and they are entered in a Day-Pass draw. So they have two chances,” explains Humphries.
There’s another new feature at Westwood Ranch.A new indoor bouncy house has been installed which means the children’s feature is out of the elements – sun, wind and rain. And, of course it’s not just a simple bounce house. This one is an obstacle course bounce house – two rolled into one.
