Navigate the pathways of Howell Living History Farm’s Corn Maze this month with team building, trivia, and crossword puzzles. Visitors will search for map pieces and clues to complete a number of challenges throughout the 4-acre maze.
The maze this season forms a picture of a honeybee en route to its hive, a familiar site at the nearby Howell Farm. Those willing to enter will match the creators of New Jersey’s longest-running corn maze by solving its four-way board game and will be eligible for prizes, boasting rights, and top billing on the maze’s big scoreboard. Guests seeking the ultimate challenge can try solving the maze in the dark, when moon, stars, and lamplight are needed to find the way out. Team-building challenges for schools, community groups, and businesses are available on weekdays by reservation.
General admission is $10 for ages 10 and older, $8 for children ages 5-9 and free for children 4 and under. Entry hours are from 5 to 8pm Fridays, noon to 8pm Saturdays, and noon to 4pm Sundays in October. The maze is also open on Columbus Day, October 8, from noon to 4pm. On all dates, the maze closes one hour after the latest entry time.
The maze includes a courtyard with music, games, photo-ops, and pedal tractors for kids. Hayrides, food, a farm stand with pumpkins and the farm’s traditional hay bale maze is also offered. On the afternoons of October 6, 7, 13 and 14, maze admission comes with a ticket to ride on the farm’s “steam-powered wagon train,” a hayride pulled along the scenic slopes of Belle Mountain.
The maze is the annual fundraiser of the all-volunteer Friends of Howell Farm, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Proceeds from the maze are used to support the farm’s historic preservation projects and its educational programs for schools.
Howell Farm is owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission. The corn maze is located on Valley Road, one mile west of the farm. GPS address: 17 Valley Road, Hopewell Township, N.J. 08530. The farm’s Visitor Center and historic site are located at 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Visiting hours at the farm are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, call the farm office at (609) 737-3299 or visit www.howellfarm.org or www.mercercountyparks.org. On weekends, call (609) 397-2555.
