Before winter weather and all things Christmas sneak up, there is still time to experience all of the typical fall activities. Clinton Sease Farm, located in Lexington, is a family-run business with a variety of ways to get visitors in the autumn mood.
With various attractions open through Nov. 10, Clinton Sease Farm has outdoor games, campfire sites, a pumpkin patch and hayrides, but what they are most known for is its eight-acre corn maze and a separate part of the farm that turns into a haunted self-guided tour every Thursday to Sunday night.
There is something to entertain visitors of all ages at the farm, which is a goal the Sease family set over a dozen years ago. According to Clinton Sease, owner and operator of the farm, it was his daughter who recommended they add the giant corn maze to draw business in 15 years ago. Every year since 2004, Sease continues to add new activities.
Clinton Sease Farm originally began as Armand C. Sease Farm in 1942. Armand and Roselyn Sease bought 20 acres of land two years prior to that and began building their home there. They would become almost completely self-sustained.
The farm started with sweet potatoes and peas as its main crops, but quickly added green onions, collard greens, mustard and turnip greens. These became its main source of income and some still grow today.
The Seases had two children, Carolyn and Clinton. The latter of the two took over the family farm in 1978, renaming it to Clinton Sease Farm. Along with the new name came a new approach to business. In a time where independent farms weren't making the money they once had, Sease and his wife, Shirley, turned their farm into a year-round tourist attraction.
“I am in the business of farming people,” Sease said.
While some of the operations at Clinton Sease Farm have changed over the years, they remain family-oriented. A couple of Sease's granddaughters sell tickets behind the desk, and a handful of other grandchildren and family members help to maintain the farm, especially during the busy fall season.
One visitor, Karen Campbell, brings her family and grandchildren to the farm every year. Campbell said she likes to bring the younger kids because they get to see how a farm works and where the food they eat comes from.
When it comes to the corn maze, Campbell said she has gotten lost in it for at least an hour before. However, Sease said there is an undisclosed trick to the corn maze. There is one turn that, if missed, could turn a 10 to 15 minute walk through the maze into a couple of hours spent searching for the way out, according to Sease.
For a $14 admission cost, visitors can test their luck getting through the corn maze, take unlimited hayrides and pick some pumpkins from the patch to take home. There are also games like corn hole, gaga ball and Jenga for visitors to play.
Clinton Sease Farm offers group packages that include special events, such as campfires and pumpkin painting. Sease himself takes groups on hayrides to the campfire site, where visitors can roast hot dogs and s’mores over a fire.
During fall evenings through Nov. 2, once the farm shuts down for the day, the haunted side of the farm opens. Deceased Farm is located on a separate part of the farm but at the same address. This haunted tour lets visitors walk through six buildings, three outdoor zones and two acres of cornfields, complete with actors ready to scare people.
Deceased Farm also features a VIP Pass that offers an “I survived!” T-shirt, the chance to play paintball and attempt to get out of an escape room.