LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A century old Indiana farm is having great success as a place for families to have fun, judging by the tens of thousands of people going there during late summer and fall.

Exploration Acres outside Lafayette claims to have the largest corn maze and pumpkin patch in the northwest part of the state.

As many as 54,000 people during a season have come to find their way out of several mazes formed inside 22 acres of corn and venture into the 11-acre patch featuring close to 30 varieties of pumpkins, said Tim Fitzgerald, president of Exploration Acres.

The corn maze, which is also open at night, is annually ranked as one of the best ones in the country by USA Today. “I tend to think they’re among the most sophisticated ones in the nation,” Fitzgerald said.

People are also welcome to take a hayride during their visit.

Children can play in separate piles of hay and sand or hop on pedal carts and tractor trains. There’s plenty of other activities for children such as a 35-foot-long tube slide, pony swings and tumble tubes.

Guests can also operate a corn cannon using compressed air to hurl ears of corn up to 500 feet into the air. More laid-back options include sitting around an open fire and playing a game of corn hole.

Fitzgerald said a 10-acre sunflower maze added this year drew close to 6,000 people during the three weekends it was open through Aug. 29.

Several paths up to four and five miles long were cut into the field of more than 20 types of sunflowers for people to try and find their way out. “It’s a real beautiful experience for people. We had a lot of happy customers,” Fitzgerald said.

The farm is now gearing up for opening the corn maze and pumpkin patch from Sept. 17-Oct. 30.

His grandparents, Lewis and Hazel Beeler, started the once 550-acre farm in the early 1920s. They raised chickens, sheep, hogs and cattle along with corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.

The family began experiencing financial problems in the 1990s, when buildings on the farm were no longer useful for the upgraded machinery now required and fell into disrepair.

Eventually, Fitzgerald said his father sold a chunk of his land for new housing development to pay off some debt.

Before his father passed away, Fitzgerald said he came up with the idea for Exploration Acres in 2006 when the family began discussing ways of saving the farm.

He used his trade show design and marketing skills from the private sector along with contacts at Purdue University to develop what he described as a family fun and friendly business model.

Fitzgerald said food and drinks are available for people to purchase but they can also bring their own lunches and refreshments.

“We’re not trapping and saying you got to utilize the vendors we have on hand and we’re going to gouge you. That’s not how we run our operation,” he said.

Exploration Acres is also a venue for weddings and other large private gatherings.

Other attractions include the original gambrel barn and corn cribs, which have been turned into air conditioned and heated restrooms containing solid countertops.

There’s also a store offering items such as crafts, flowers and food inside an old seed cleaning structure.

Fitzgerald said moving the store into a new “Cracker Barrel” type facility is part of the 10-year master plan for the property.

He and his sister, Mary Branstetter, operate the farm, which still has about 400 acres in corn and soybean production.

Exploration Acres drew about 13,000 people when it first opened in 2018. Fitzgerald said his attendance goal for next summer and fall is 80,000 since adding the sunflower maze.

In a way, the farm could be described as sort of a Disneyland, but Fitzgerald said there are no carnival rides or anything else fancy about it.

He said the farm is more of a grassroots experience. “Everything we do, we want it to be something a 90-year old grandma can do and a toddler can do and everybody in between,” he said.