Craft stores stocking their shelves with Halloween decor, coffee shops releasing their fall-inspired drinks, clothing boutiques advertising new arrivals of sweaters and booties—it seems everyone is ready for fall. And who could blame them?
Luckily for those looking to get a head start on autumn-themed activities, Luckett Farms has debuted its first-ever corn maze and pumpkin patch at Rosedown Plantation next to its farms. The site features two corn mazes with different difficulty levels, a real pumpkin patch where visitors have the opportunity to pick pumpkins off the vine, hayrides around the site, a corn pit for kids to play in and, of course, many spots for Insta-worthy moments.
That said, while it may seem a simple fall hangout, the true focus of the event is agricultural education. Within the maze and surrounding areas, participants can find small stations featuring games centered around agricultural topics, infographics explaining important aspects of growing food like worms and ladybugs, and explainers on why eating local is important.
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“A lot of people that buy vegetables from us don’t know how a lot of things are grown,” says Kacie Luckett, wife of farmer Derek Luckett and co-owner of Luckett Farms. “All the different fruits and vegetables are kind of a foreign concept to them because they’re just used to seeing them in the grocery store. I also wanted to share with the public what it’s like to be on a farm since there’s not very many farmers right now.”
Luckett Farms opened in 2012 as a community-supported agriculture farm, or CSA. Luckett Farms provides homegrown food for Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, selling at local farmers markets and through its CSA Program, in which members can sign up to receive weekly boxes of fresh produce throughout three growing seasons.
While the CSA program provides the local produce, the corn maze and pumpkin patch is centered around the work that goes into actually growing food. And with a large maze that takes about 45 minutes for most adults to complete, and an additional smaller maze for younger children to enjoy, the Lucketts have created a site for all ages, hoping to provide an atmosphere that will leave people wanting to come back. The farm already has multiple events planned for the future, such as a sugarcane growing event later in the year and strawberry picking event next spring.
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“Ultimately my hope is that everybody that comes out here can really just take something home that they didn’t know before,” Kacie Luckett says. “That they can learn something different about farming or agriculture, even if it is just a fun fact, and bring it home with them to share.”
Luckett Farms’ Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is at 12501 LA Highway 10 in St. Francisville. It is open to the public on weekends, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., until mid-November, and for field trips by appointment during the week. Tickets are $12 per person, and kids 2 and younger can get in for free. For more information on booking an event, check out luckettfarmstours.com.