Amazing Maize Maze
By Lloyd Beckford
The Queens County Farm Museum’s Amazing Maize Maze is a three-acre interactive corn maze and challenging map puzzle.
The maze cuts through the farm’s cornfield and has interactive elements, like a crossword puzzle and maps to engage visitors throughout. The maze is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from September 22 until October 27, with a moonlight maze on October 13 and 20.
The maze is totally manageable, even for little kids, according to Jake Livingston, 8, of Brooklyn, New York. “I loved finding the boxes and running with the flag pole they gave me to hold up if I get lost,” said Livingston.
Michael Mena, 21, has worked at the maze for the past 4 years. “I love to see the kids having fun finding the puzzle pieces and running around,” he said.
The maze staff is made up of actresses and actors, says staffer Gregory Sanchez, 22, who has worked at the maze for the past three years. When he doesn’t work the maze, Sanchez acts in Broadway plays, along with some of his coworkers. He has to travel two hours on train from the Bronx to get to work, but he doesn’t mind the journey. “The thing I like the most about the maze is that it cuts through an actual corn field with real corn,” said Sanchez.
Bronx native Stephanie Rogers, 42, has worked at the maze for the past six years. “It’s a blast working here and an adventure every season because I meet so many different people from all over the world,” Rogers said. “At the end of the maze the parents look so exhausted even though the kids are still full of energy.”
Helen Darroch, 48, originally from Yorkshire, Bradford, England, who now resides in Brooklyn, said she was invited to the maze by her friend and she loved it. She and her son finished the maze in 35 minutes.
The Queens County Farm Museum’s Amazing Maize Maze started in 2002, and though the theme and route changes annually, the end game remains the same-making it out of the maze. In addition to the maze, the farm has animals and other activities.
