ALTO — It just doesn't seem like fall in north Georgia if you haven't taken a trek through the twists and turns of a corn maze.
Pumpkin patches and apple orchards have been an autumn staple for generations in our part of the state, but corn mazes became popular fall entertainment a little more than a decade ago. And with each passing year, the mazes grow more elaborate, and thus more challenging.
When the Echols family decided to try a corn maze on their property in northeast Hall County in 2006, little did they know Jaemor Farms would become one of the premier corn maze destinations in the state. Along with hay rides and a pick-your-own pumpkin patch and numerous other attractions, Jaemor draws tens of thousands of visitors to the foothills of the mountains each fall.
AccessWDUN reporter B.J. Williams and videographer David Cook paid a visit to Jaemor this week, and you can see a bit of their adventure in the accompanying video. (One thing you won't see is how many boiled peanuts they consumed before they left the property.)
Other corn maze locations in north Georgia:
*Uncle Buck's Corn Maze is one of the newer mazes in the area, situated on a 20-acre field next to Cochran Creek on New Hope Road outside of Dawsonville.
*The Buford Corn Maze is the brainchild of Rodney Miller, an Illinois-born farmer, who maintains a farm in his home state and a small farming operation in south Georgia. You may recognize Miller as the co-host of the TV show "Small Town Big Deal." The Buford Corn Maze is located on Bennett Road just off I-985.
*One of the longest operating corn maze attractions in the area is in Dawson County. Uncle Shuck's carved out its first pumpkin patch on Highway 53 in 2002 and has been going strong ever since. In addition to regularly scheduled festivities, owner Mike Pinzl has planned the annual Free Foster Family Day at Uncle Shuck's on November 14. That day, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., foster families will be able to enjoy the maze and hayride at no cost. No identification is needed, according to Pinzl.
