Huttonsville Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch prepares to open
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HUTTONSVILLE -- With the first day of autumn officially arriving later this month, one local farm is gearing up for an annual tradition in Randolph County that provides fall fun for the entire family.
Since 2020, Snyder Farms in Huttonsville has been the place to be when it comes to enjoying and exploring a local Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch. The farm, located at 15631 Seneca Trail, will officially open for the season on Sept. 27.
The Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch will remain open on Fridays (6-9 p.m.), Saturdays (12-9 p.m.), and Sundays (12-6 p.m.) through Oct. 27.
"For the last five years we've stayed busy on the weekends," Snyder Farms' Kerrie Snyder told The Inter-Mountain. "Before we started doing it here on our farm, we designed the Corn Maze that the Randolph County Fair did, and we did that for probably four years. People really enjoy coming out and visiting the farm and we have field trips booked almost every day during the week, so it is a very busy time for us."
Students from area schools and other local organizations make up the guest list for the field trips, which also includes a bit of educational information.
"We have local school groups and organizations like the Boy Scouts come back to see us every year," Snyder said. "When we do the field trips, we try to include something educational for all the kids. My dad (Randy Snyder) always goes over the process of planting the corn, growing the corn, and everything that we do. He also likes to show them all of the farm equipment as well."
Snyder said a hay ride will take visitors from one area of the farm to the Corn Maze, which is larger this year than in the past.
"If you do all of the dead ends in the Corn Maze it's a good distance and probably takes about 45 minutes for most people," she said. "Everybody also gets to go through the pumpkin patch and if kids want to take a pumpkin home with them to carve out for Halloween, they can for an additional price separate from admission."
Guests will also be treated to additional activities and games at the barn and at other areas of Snyder Farms.
"We have tons of things that little kids enjoy, like pools of corn that they can play in," Snyder said. "We will also have concessions in the barn and a lot of home-made items for sale. It's really a nice experience for everybody and a good way to spend some family time together and enjoy an afternoon."
Snyder said the farm not only receives visitors from the area, but from outside Randolph County as well.
"We have an older couple from Webster Springs who are always here the first night that we are open," she said. "They always go through the maze and they like to try and figure out what the maze design is. We have a lot of fun stories like that."
Snyder said the drought in West Virginia this summer did slightly affect Snyder Farms' pumpkin crop, but noted there will still be more than enough pumpkins to go around.
"The drought definitely affected us, we did not have as many pumpkins as we've had in the past," she said. "We are very lucky, though, that we have formed some partnerships with some other farms in Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, so we are planning on bringing in some pumpkins so we have them so people don't have to go somewhere else and get them if they don't want to. There just won't be as many home-grown ones as we've had in the past."
For more information about the Snyder Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch, call 304-704-7603 or visit the Farms' Facebook page.