You hand over $15, grab an undecipherable map and march straight into a field designed to confuse you. Welcome to corn maze season, where Americans collectively decide that paying to get lost sounds like a perfect weekend plan.

Corn mazes, once a novelty, have become a fixture of the fall calendar, part puzzle, part tradition and part business. What started as farmers clearing paths through their crops has turned into a large industry of intricate designs and excited visitors. Data from 2024 indicates more than 500 businesses nationwide had a mention of their corn mazes in reviews.

From curiosity to tradition

In 1993, in Pennsylvania, Don Frantz and Adrian Fisher created the first known corn maze in the country when they carved some winding paths through a cornfield. They hoped

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