Braving the World's Largest Corn Maze, with a Little Help

OK.

I get it now.

When they say the World's Largest Corn Maze, they ain't playin'. This thing is a beast. An adventure. An afternoon if you aren't in a hurry. 

Nearly impossible to get through without a map, I took the family out for a fun-filled afternoon of navigating behemoth of a corn maze and saw what all the fuss is about.

We began the corn maze in high spirits, at 2:09 p.m., on Saturday. We were energized at the prospect of finishing this thing in a reasonable time.

The corn maze is comprised of three sections, marked off by three checkpoints. Ducati, being the first, is the easiest to get to. From there, the difficulty level increases.

With little effort, myself, wife Crystal and daughters Olivia, 6, and CeCe, 3, navigated our way to Ducati Island. Things seemed promising. From high above the station, we peered into the sea of corn that awaited us -- confident that we would make it to the next checkpoint Starbucks Station with as little effort as it took to get to Ducati.

We were wrong.

I held the map (it's impossible to navigate the maze without it) and was doing fine. My wife didn't think so. And she soon took over the navigation duties. I'm glad she did. It's hard to shoot video, keep up with two very active girls, and read the map.

In about an hour, after a few dead ends and moments to appreciate the critters that call the maze their home, we made it to Starbucks Station.

NOTE: No coffee, scones or Frappuccinos at the station.

Feeling the cool wind above the station made us want to stay there for a short rest before heading off to Ford Fort, the final checkpoint.

After our rest, it seemed we were even more determined to make it to the final station before the end of the maze. With this urge propelling us, we made it to Ford Station with little whining (the girls were very tired at this point, asking us to hold them while we walked through the maze).

We didn't rest too long at Ford Station, not with the last leg of the adventure before us.

We finished the corn maze in about two hours, starting at 2:09 p.m., and ending at 3:59 p.m. After braving the corn maze for the first time, we felt accomplished, felt as if we had a lot of fun, and were proud that we didn't bust through the corn and cheat.

Here are some tips you can use to finish the corn maze and have the maximum amount of fun:

• Wear comfortable shoes and clothing (sweats or shorts if possible). The corn maze is a maze, but it's still made of corn, which means there are mounds of corn that must be crossed. You will need to make wide strides when crossing these.
• Bring something to drink (water, coffee, or Gatorade). There are no magic Starbucks stands, no refreshments or snacks inside the maze. If you do decide to bring these things DO NOT throw your bottles inside the corn maze. We saw quite a few of beer bottles, cans, and water bottles thrown inside the maze and it's not cool. Hold the bottle until the end and throw it away in its proper place.
• Go to the bathroom before hand. No bathrooms in the corn maze, so go to the bathroom before.
• Do the maze on a cooler day. The corn provides a bit of shade from the heat, but not all of it. It's better to take on the maze during cooler temps.
• Do not bring small children into the maze. They will get tired, you will get tired because they will want you to hold them (no strollers in the maze) and it's no fun. Our youngest daughter is 3 going on 4 and she had a hard time going through this thing.
• Be well rested. This thing is as challenging as they say it is. You are going to need your rest.
• Use the map and the markers to your advantage. The maze is impossible to navigate without the map and the markers inside. Know what direction you are facing and use the markers in conjunction with the map to know where you are.
• Bring a pen, to map beforehand where you are going. This makes it easier to navigate. We didn't bring a one and picked up a piece of dirt to map our way through the maze. This helps big-time.