The Halifax County Corn Maze is now open in a new location, next to Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park.

Turn onto Lees Meadow Road off Highway 258 in Scotland Neck.

The Corn Maze is open during regular park hours Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As a tribute to Sylvan Heights as the world's largest waterfowl park, the maze, created by the work of the Halifax County Cooperative Extension Service, is in the shape of a peacock.

There is an activity that can be completed in the maze as well, whereby maze-goers locate 13 numbered poles within the maze and find a letter. Once they find all 13 poles, the letters will spell a certain phrase.

“I think the corn maze is a wonderful new addition for visitors of all ages to Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park,” said Brent Lubbock, director of marketing and membership development for Sylvan Heights. “We are really excited to work with the Halifax County Cooperative Extension Service on this project and feel that having the corn maze adjacent to the park will expose a large number of visitors to what a corn maze is and the importance of agriculture to our area.”

Sylvan Heights staff look forward to the fall when the corn maze will take on a haunted persona.

How’d they do it? John Celiga, Sylvan Heights groundskeeper, drew a picture of what they wanted the maze to look like and then sent the picture to the Halifax County Cooperative Extension office. 

Ron Heiniger, extension corn specialist with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, then plotted the field coordinates for the maze using a GIS system.

Finally, Heiniger came to the 4-H Rural Life Center and marked the design of the maze using a hand-held GPS, while a volunteer mowed the corn stalks in the designated pattern.

 “The corn maze is a way to bring agri-tourism to life in Halifax County and a means to apply modern technology,” said Stacy Sink, Halifax County livestock and grain crops extension agent.

Maze admission is $3 per child and $5 per adult, but Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park visitors will receive $1 off their corn maze admission, making admission $2 and $4. The corn maze will be open from now through the end of October. Call 252-826-3186 for more information.