The short answer is mostly yes, but there were a few key differences.
Before we could enter the maze we were herded with a bunch of other people in to a large barn area to watch a "safety" video. The kids and I wondered what the heck would be the reason for this except to ensure people understood that the corn stalks should not be damaged and the corn not to be picked.
And then I wondered about snakes. I am aware that the snake population is encouraged in many orange groves to keep them clear of critters and insects that damage the crop. We have visited and done the pick-your-own citrus fruit in an organic-practicing farm (they're still working on their official organic designation) in the area and know to keep a close eye out for movement on the ground.
But I was wrong. That was not what the safety video was about. It was about signal flags in the maze.
Every group is given a long pole flag to wave in the air in the case they are feeling ill or simply need assistance. There is a flag look-out on the top of the bridge inside the maze to offer assistance if needed. The video assured visitors would be on the way in a matter of minutes and to make sure they stayed in one place once they waved the flag.
All this seemed a bit strange to us because the maze isn't any bigger than the ones we've been to in Maine.
But there are two key differences with Florida and Maine.
The Heat.
The Sun.
We realized at that point our visit on an 85+ degree day with nary a cloud in the sky was unlikely ideal conditions for this particular activity.
Comparing our distance and time-spent in the Florida maze, it was *exactly* the same (1.3 miles) as our Maine corn maze visit last month.
But unlike our Maine maze adventure, we were absolutely exhausted by the time we returned back to the car!
Long & Scott Farms Corn Maze at EveryTrail
The girls and I felt the dust was hard to take (it had been a dry month for Florida and the sand/dust was really heavy - the you-can-taste-it-after-a-minute kind) and the 85+ degrees in direct sun was just too much for our Maine blood.
But we got lost as promised and had a great time (and had no need to wave the flag that L. carried for us).
A few non-weather related differences from our usual maze experience included the game kiosks. These were Florida's agricultural-specific and it was great to learn more about the local economy and agriculture of the state.
There were handouts for all the kids that included boxes for the pencil rubbing stations...
...questions to answer on our handout with the trivia station kiosks as well as a word scramble to complete based on those answers...
...and red de-coders at various stations to help re-orientate us in the maze.
The red de-coder was tough to see with the bright Florida sun though.
The bridge had employee lookouts but we didn't see any flags waving the day we visited. There were employees pimping cold water for $1 on the bridge. You can actually hear the sales pitch in the video below.
A few open spots in the maze were especially dusty... but also very cool to see open spaces in the middle of the corn stalks.
At the end of the maze there was a farm-made wind tunnel to catch a breeze (there was none the day we visited) to cool off a bit.
To enter the maze area you could walk through the tunnel or go down the pipe slide. The girls opted to walk the tunnel BUT Fino and I went down the slide. It was really fun and Fino and I laughed all the way down. We told the girls they really missed out walking instead of sliding. They're "too old" now so have no need for these little kids thrills. I told them when they were really old they'd think it was fun again.
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