A Corn-tastic Off-Cape Maze

by Julie Brooks

It's fall, Cape Codders! Vaccuum the sand out of your car, put away your sunscreen, and enjoy the mums, pumpkins, apple picking, and corn mazing. Wait, we don't have any apple picking or corn mazes on the Cape. Not to worry, I recently discovered the ultimate in corn mazing, apple picking, and petting zoos at Davis' Farmland, located in Sterling, Mass.  It's a lovely day trip and well worth the 1.5 hour drive. (It was 1.5 hours for me from the mid-Cape area.  Most of the drive is on usually zippy I-495.)

For those of you who have never experienced a corn maze, it's a great way to get a lot of exercise in the crisp fall air.  Davis' Mega-Maze is designed each year in England by Adrian Fisher, the world's leading maze designer. This year's theme is The Great Movie Maze  and there are stations paying homage to great movies throughout the maze, as well as rest stops.   About halfway through, there's a great place for do-it-yourself face painting, should you wish to camouflage yourself to blend in with the corn.

For those who are competitive-minded, there is a whole scoring system to go through the maze at different intensity levels.  I saw kids of all ages racing through the maze, burning off energy and having a great time. Kids never seem to mind being lost and disoriented.  I must admit, at first I had creepy flashbacks of Jack Nicholson in The Shining, but of course, the maze was not frozen in ice.  There are assistants posted throughout the maze and you can ask them for directions out at any time.

After the maze,  it's fun to visit the petting zoo across the street, which is part of Davis Farmland.    The zoo is the largest petting zoo I have ever seen and is clean, spiffy, and has many adorable animals, including some rare heirloom species of farm animals.     If you have any energy left, Davis' Farmland also offers apple-picking to round out your perfect fall family day.

Davis Mega-Maze is open through November 13th, weather permitting.  Check here for hours and always call ahead.