What an amazing adventure

TIM DOMINICK/The State

The corn maze at Clinton Sease Farms in Lexington is a fall tradition for many in the Midlands. For the Carroll family of Blythewood, it was a time to meet the challenge of finding their way through the maze and solving the puzzles along the way. Here, Brent Carroll shows his joy for making it through the maze.

• AUDIO SLIDESHOW | Inside the corn maze

When John and Sue Carroll took their four children from their Blythewood home to the corn maze in Lexington, they made only one wrong turn getting there. But the errant turns multiplied once they began their trek through the Pirate’s Treasure Adventure maze at Clinton Sease Farms.

Cut into an 8-acre corn field, the maze has become a fall tradition for families and groups since its inception in 2004. It was the idea of Clinton Sease’s daughter, Carrie, to create the maze. With a little more than three miles of paths, the maze is open in September through the middle of November each year. This year, more than 10,000 people visited.

Each year’s maze has a theme. This year, it was shaped like a pirate’s ship. As visitors make their way through, they carry a map that is red to the naked eye. But with the help of special decoding glasses placed throughout the maze, their location and path are revealed. At other locations, visitors learn about the history and customs of Caribbean pirates.

Left, right, left, right, right, left. ... For John, Sue, Rachel, Ann, Brent and Amy Carroll, the 1½-hour Saturday afternoon adventure brought excitement, frustration, laughter, tired feet, a sense of accomplishment and a little bit of concern.

“I thought it was going to be nighttime when we got out,” 6-year-old Amy said.

Her brother, Brent, was a bit more exuberant. The 8-year-old celebrated completing the maze with a leap and a shout.

— Tim Dominick

tdominick@thestate.com