How Do You Design a Corn Maze? Behind the Scenes at Fresh Acres
Updated: Sep 19
One of the questions we get asked every year is, "How do you decide what your corn maze will look like?"
The answer starts with choosing a theme.
When we started Fresh Acres in 2018, we decided we wanted each year's maze to tell a story. Rather than choosing random themes, we made the decision to celebrate an important anniversary each year. It gives each maze a purpose, makes every season unique, and gives our guests something new to discover when they visit.
Some years, choosing a theme is easy. Other years, it takes quite a bit of brainstorming.
Step 1: Choose a Corn Maze Theme
For our very first maze, the decision came somewhat naturally. Since 2018 marked the 100th Anniversary of 4-H in Wright County, Minnesota, and our kids were already pretty involved in the 4-H program, we thought it would be a great way to celebrate an organization that has meant so much to agriculture and rural communities.
That maze set the tone for everything that followed.
Each year, we toss around ideas, research upcoming anniversaries, consider what might be meaningful to our guests, and imagine how each concept might look from the air.
Some ideas sound great at first but don't translate well to a maze. And sometimes we learn there are other issues we hadn't even considered.
Can You Use a Company Logo in a Corn Maze Design?
We learned that lesson firsthand when we considered celebrating Target's anniversary.
Since Zeke and I met while working at Target, we thought it would be a fun way to tell a small piece of our own story while recognizing a Minnesota company.
Before moving forward, Zeke contacted Target's corporate office to learn what would be required. That's when we learned an important lesson about copyrights and trademarks. Target told us we could not create a Target-themed maze, and our maze designer explained that using protected logos and artwork without permission could create legal issues — even after the maze had been cut.
The last thing we wanted was to spend months planning and creating a maze only to be asked to remove it before opening day.
We quickly crossed that idea off the list and went back to brainstorming.
Step 2: Turn the Theme Into a Corn Maze Design
Once we have settled on a theme, we send our ideas to MazePlay, the company we work with to design and create our corn maze. We give them a general idea of what we are looking for, and they take it from there.
In most cases, MazePlay will find a maze design they created in the past that fits our theme and then they tailor that design to fit the dimensions of our field. Since they have created mazes all over the country, they have a large library of previous designs to work from.
We can make changes, too. If there is a particular element of a design we don't like, MazePlay can remove it or make adjustments.
But we have to be somewhat careful about how much customization we request.
Using and adapting an existing design is less expensive than having an entirely custom maze designed from scratch, so there is a balance between getting exactly what we want and keeping the cost reasonable.
Once we are happy with the design, MazePlay takes care of the technical side of turning that image into something that can actually be created in our field.
And then comes the fun part — getting that design into the corn!
If you're curious about how that works, check out How Do You Plant a Corn Maze? A Minnesota Farm Owner Explains to see how MazePlay uses GPS technology to turn the maze design into the paths our guests eventually walk through.
Our Corn Maze Themes throughout the Years
Looking back, it's fun to see how each maze tells the story of a different milestone.
Year 1 - 2018 - 100th Anniversary of 4H in Wright County, MN
Year 2 - 2019 - 75th Anniversary of the NFL
Year 3 - 2020 - 20th Anniversary of the Monarch Butterfly becoming Minnesota's State Butterfly
Year 4 - 2021 - 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001
Year 5 - 2022 - 5th Anniversary of Fresh Acres!
Year 6 - 2023 - 50th Anniversary of Charlotte's Web (the movie)
Year 7 - 2024 - 85th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz (the movie)
Year 8 - 2025 - 250th Anniversary of the US Army
Year 9 - 2026 - 250th Anniversary of the U.S.A.
As we begin planning future seasons, we're always looking for meaningful anniversaries and creative ideas that would make a memorable maze.
Have an idea for a future Fresh Acres corn maze? We'd love to hear it! Share your suggestion with us on social media or during your next visit. Your idea might inspire a future maze.
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