ELBERTA - A third-generation farming family has added a new fall attraction to Baldwin County’s landscape - a life-size maze that twists and turns through row after row of one of the county’s most popular crops, corn.

Scott Feely and his wife, Kim, opened Maizing Family Fun Farm on Sept. 19, but not after a lot of careful planning and hard work.

“I’ve wanted to have a corn maze for a long time, but finally decided this year to do it,” Scott said.

In between growing row crops, sod and other produce, as well as getting ready to harvest soy beans, the family decided to devote their spare time to Scott’s idea.

“Scott has always wanted to do this, so we decided to try it out for the first time this year,” Kim said. “We’re having a great time and are now planning to do it annually.”

When talking about the farm’s Elberta location, Kim said, “This whole area was farming at one point, so this was a great place to have a corn maze.”

Kim said the logistics of developing the maze was quite a task, adding that many places with corn mazes are made using GPS.

“I sketched out the pattern and drew it to scale. Then, actually called out the coordinates, how far to go and what direction to turn,” she said.

Kim added that her brother, who is a pilot, flew over the farm and took an aerial photo.

“I was really happy to see that the photo really looked like my sketch,” she said.

In addition to the corn maze, the Feely’s also incorporated a playground, picnic area, corn cannons, antique tractor display, tractor-pulled wagon rides, pumpkin patch and a petting zoo.

“It’s fun to hear kids squeal with excitement when they touch a cow for the first time in their life,” Kim said.

The farm also has a hay bale maze for little kids, but Kim said adults like it just as much as the little ones.

During the week, the Feely’s have hosted school groups and clubs and on the weekends, Kim said they have a steady stream of visitors.

“We just want to get kids outside and away from the TV’s and video games,” she said. “This is good, clean family fun. Let the kids get outdoors and get dirty like they are supposed to.”

Kim went on to say the best testimony she’s had is hearing kids saying they don’t want to go home. “That’s what we did this for,” she said.

Beginning Oct. 23, the corn maze will be haunted with ghosts and goblins at night for those who like a little added excitement.

Maizing Family Fun Farm is open Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours beginning Oct. 23 to 10 p.m. On Oct. 31, the attraction will be open until midnight. The farm is open by appointment only on Tuesday through Thursday and is located at 27695 Woerner Road, Elberta. Admission is $8 for ages 4 and up. For more information, call (251) 747-1368.