Georgians Fall into a New Season

Get Lost in the Maize

Each autumn, select Georgia farmers put out their welcome mats and convert their corn fields into giant puzzles, daring labyrinth lovers to find their way through the mazes. Getting lost in these “corny” creations is fun and entertaining for families, scouts, church and civic groups. Visitors pay a nominal fee to become disoriented in specially designed, corn field mazes. The bigger the maze the better it is, and farmers say the mazes are becoming larger and more complicated each year. The entertainment is in the complexity of the maze and in people’s reactions. Corn maze designs throughout the state range from Georgia peaches to antebellum ladies.

One of the most elaborate and artistic mazes this year can be found at Cagle’s Dairy in Canton.

“Despite our maze’s difficulty and intricacy, each year we try to pick a theme that has importance to us and this time we chose to help promote our state and its tourism effort,” said Scott Cagle, co-owner of Cagle’s Dairy.

The Cagle family and maze designer Brett Herbst, a designer of 206 corn mazes worldwide, hope to challenge the wits of those seeking to find the one exit from their mind-boggling puzzle. Though the correct pathway can be walked in only 45 minutes, most wandering maze-goers will require more than an hour to travel through miles of twists, turns and decision points.

“It’s definitely a challenge, but our visitors really have a ball,” said Cagle.

Cagle is especially pleased that they can offer something for everyone. “It’s a great feeling to see entire families together having fun at our farm. From children to grandparents, guests can go from spending hours puzzled by our maze to relaxing on an evening hayride and marshmallow roast.”

In true fall fashion, Uncle Shucks Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is another popular attraction that surprises its visitors each year with an outrageous corn creation. From famous Georgian settings to this year’s Native American headdress, fall fun abounds at Uncle Shucks in Dawsonville.

Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin

Mazes are not the only craze in Georgia this fall. The time-honored tradition of visiting pumpkin patches is as popular as ever and drawing crowds. Whether it’s walking through a sea of orange to pick your prize pumpkin or carving the scariest jack-o-lantern, Georgia has fun-filled activities for all ages.

Challenge your family members to finding the biggest, littlest or even ugliest pumpkin in the patch; or choose from thousands of pumpkins, gourds and fall decorations at pumpkin harvests throughout the state. Take a drive to Dawsonville and explore the pumpkin patches of Bradley Weaver, Dawson County’s youngest chamber of commerce member. Since age 5, Bradley has been the proud operator of this business offering educational field trips, fun and more to church youth groups and other organizations.

Mazes and pumpkin patches are just another way to allow “city folk” to escape to the country for some fall frolicking, and also provide an opportunity for farmers to generate additional revenue. For the outdoor lover there is no better time than this fall to meander through Georgia’s fields and foliage.

Georgia’s Ghosts

From Georgia’s coast and rural lands to the most metropolitan of cities, ghosts are alive in the South. Southern folklore and Low Country legends are told time and again during walking and carriage tours fully narrated by supernatural researchers. Pull up a chair or gather around the campfire to hear of the creepy tales and eerie happenings from times past throughout southern towns, hard-to-reach islands and sparsely populated backwoods.

Perhaps no other city in the country is as haunted as Savannah. Beneath the town’s romantic, Spanish mossy façade lies peculiar beginnings and a multitude of tumultuous tales. Be prepared to meet ghosts, witches and even pirates during one of the many spine-tingling strolls through this restless spirit world.

The ghost stories of Savannah are only the beginning. Another coastal area, St. Simons Island, is also known for its ethereal tales. The island’s lighthouse is particularly famous for its spirits and supernatural sightings.

There is no shortage of scary spots in Atlanta either. There are legends of the ghost who now resides in the Uncle Remus House or you can visit a fleet of haunted houses throughout the month of October.

In Fayetteville, learn why the infamous gunslinger Doc Holliday still waits outside the home of a lost love. And wonder about the identity of the mysterious man responsible for Georgia's own version of Stonehenge located near Elberton.