FOX Squirrel Corn Maze in Plant City

Well, there's plenty of fall fun activities across Central Florida right now. So if you're looking for some great ideas, oh, David Martin's got a really good one. Silky Chicken's live at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze right off I-4 in Plant City. I never realized there was a fox squirrel, Silky Chicken. Okay, I'll tell you what. We were just talking about the name of this pumpkin, and you said, Kylie, it doesn't have a name. No name. So we now are going to call it Silky Chicken. Okay, that's what we're going to do, Silky Chicken. And by the way, if you're wondering what a fox squirrel is out here at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze in Plant City, we know we just saw one, didn't we? Yes, those little buggers eat a lot of our pumpkins. That's why everybody needs to buy them up. They don't look like your typical squirrel. They've got white hair. So they're a larger breed, and they have a very long tail. It's usually black going all the way down. They're originally called a Sherman's pumpkin, and they changed it over to the Fox Squirrel pumpkin. Or not pumpkin, squirrel. My bad. Fox Squirrel, got it. All right, this is the entrance to the marquee attraction, the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. Paolo's going to walk backwards for a second while you and I walk in. I want to let our audience know that you are very close to the highway off of I-4 here in Plant City. Very easy to get to. You have two weekends of fall festival fun, this weekend and the following weekend. Correct. But not on Halloween weekend. Not on Halloween weekend. Okay, and a weekend here is what, Saturday and Sunday? Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 5, gates close at 6. Yeah, and it really is agritourism with a capital A. You can do a lot on the property. You can play on the swings, you can go fishing, you can eat the corn dogs and whatever. There's so much to do. We have a catch and release pond if you're interested in doing that. There's the corn pit, there's the kiddie area. You've got about five acres to play on. Wow. And so when the kids come out here, they're letting off steam. They're not on their phones. They're enjoying real American fun. Yeah, it's amazing. I mean, you don't see kids on their phones or technology at all when they're here. we actually find a lot of phones that get lost because they just don't care about them anymore. Now that we're out in the open, rural setting, and they get to just let loose like we used to play when we were little. That's right. I love that. All right, so we are amidst your beautiful corn maze. How big is the corn maze? It's approximately four acres of trails. This year we did the 250 in the corn maze to celebrate the 250th year of America. Right, so if you saw from above, it actually has the numbers 250. Yes, yes, it does. So where are we walking right now? Are we in the five or the two or the zero? We're in the lost section right now. We're going to hit a dead end soon, but if we loop back around, we are going to hit the zero on this side. Nice. Should we go left or right here? I wish I knew. Oh, you're lost. Okay, let's go left. Go this way. All right, so what's it take to build a beautiful corn maze like this? So the process actually starts about 10 weeks before the corn maze starts, and they have to test the soil. So the soil, they plant the seeds. there's a giant well that runs the irrigation and then he has to come through and mow the uh the trail through about two to three times a week until the corn maze starts we have a local survey company come out hillsborough surveying inc they're amazing am i walking backwards now let's walk back and then this is going to be tricky and they come out and they are the ones that design the design every year um i can't do this it's hard it's hard to walk backwards and talk Yeah, for sure. Especially in heels. You have on boots. And by the way, it's tall. It is very tall. So I think our highest stalks this year are around 10 feet. This is so great. The kids must love getting lost in here. I bet it's a great place to take family photographs, too. In fact, you have so many spots around the property. We have photo ops everywhere this year. You guys saw the butterfly earlier. We have benches that have autumn floral, garland everywhere, the pumpkin house inside. What else do we have? Just out by the pond, over by the corn maze. I mean, there are photo ops absolutely everywhere, which really piques the interest of the teenagers and the young crowd that can't get in the corn pit, unfortunately. Right. Oh, you said a corn pit. We're going to show that to you a little bit later. But there's so much to do here. It's $15 per person to get in. If you're under three, it's free. No advanced ticket purchase necessary. You've got free parking. You buy your tickets at the gate. Correct. Yeah, and we look forward to seeing everybody here. What is the place to find you online? Facebook or is there a website? Social media is probably the best place to get more frequent updates, but we do have a website at Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. If you want to reach one of us directly, if you have any questions, it's info at Fox Squirrel Corn Maze dot com. I found out John, Amy, and Danielle, they've got two things here that are not open because it's a private property year-round, but they've got an actual old-fashioned swing that goes into the pond. You can't get on that during the festival, and you can't enjoy the bowling ball cannon. What on earth is that about? It's about power, I think. Unfortunately, the insurance companies will not support those attractions, so they are not open to the public. But just keep in mind that we have a lot of fun out here. It's still a great time. That is the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. We're going to try to find you a fox squirrel in the next hour. What do you do with them when you catch them? Do you eat them? I don't know. John, we're going to send it back to you. Amy and Danielle as well. Thank you. Well, there's plenty of fall fun activities all across Central Florida this time of year. And if you're looking for one more idea, you want to check out where David Martin is today. So he's at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. It's right on I-4 in Plant City. And he actually explained what a fox squirrel was earlier. But, David, a lot of people might have missed that. What is a fox squirrel? Well, they shouldn't have missed it. What can I say? Good morning to you. I'm kidding. All right, we'll get to that in a second. But I was just thinking, we do a lot of agritourism on Good Day Orlando. And I realize we have so many great locations to enjoy what we call fall in Florida. And this one's called the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. It's down in Plant City, Florida. They've got all kinds of things for the family, including something called a Hay Ride. And this is the Hay Ride vehicle. It comes with your ticket. No worry about that. No upgrade needed. And look who I found sitting in the hay right now. Miss Kylie Clark. Kylie, how are you doing this morning? I'm doing wonderful. All right. Kate, all aboard. We're ready to go. So, I like hay rides because they're relaxing for my feet and my legs. They are. So, the ladies were wanting a revisit on the word fox squirrel corn maze. What is a fox squirrel? So, a fox squirrel is a local breed of squirrel that is larger than your typical squirrel. It was on the endangered species list. It's recently come off, thank goodness. It's a bigger bodied squirrel. has a long black stripe typically down its back and it's kind of funny because it reminds me of do you remember the sword in the stone disney cartoon right the wizard when it was a gray squirrel it looks just like that wizard when it gets older good reference yes and we have seen him this morning yes yes we've seen two and we heard one getting mad up in the trees yeah indeed all right but this is the hayride and how long is the hayride uh it's about a mile long so it It takes roughly 10 minutes. Okay. And I bet it's a popular item because people like to rest their weary bones. Tell us about what goes on here over the next two weekends at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. So the last two weekends are typically our busiest weekends. Huge crowds. The Hayride runs three tractors to keep up with the crowds. And it's all day long. It's from open until 5 o'clock. Well, actually around 6 o'clock whenever we close the exit gate. You're going to have a ton of things to do. you're going to have photo ops like crazy there's cornhole there's basketball that you had seen earlier you're just going to experience rural country fall festivities yep and we said earlier it gets the kids off the phones off their devices they forget about them actually because there's so much physical activity here you play with your friends your siblings and you kind of experience what life was like back on the farm 100 years ago yeah yeah you i mean we find lost shoes lost socks the kids go barefoot they jump on the dirt mounds nice we have face painting we have a portrait painting pumpkin painting pumpkin painting all the painting we have a ton we have a lot of source so this year we actually took a trip up to georgia and sourced our apple butters and our jellies that are seasonal so i'm excited i think i'm gonna give you a little taste later good all right so super excited for that they're the best i in my experience that we've ever had uh by the way Like, Paolo's got the camera trained on that beautiful corn maze. How big is the corn maze? It gets up to 10 to 12 feet. Yeah, and in terms of size, is it an acre or two? Four acres. Four acres. My goodness. And you do get lost in it, even as adults. Yes, adults get lost. Honestly, if you do get lost, please just walk through the corn and come out. Don't stay in there. We don't want to call the emergency services. And it does get hot. Now, this weekend, the weather's supposed to be absolutely amazing, so I don't think I have to worry about any of that. No, I'm hearing you right. The weather should be sublime, as they say here. All right, what are the hours for the operation of the fall festival? So we open at 10. The last ticket is sold at 5, and then the gates for the exit close at 6 o'clock. Got it. By the way, Paolo, can you train the camera over there on that pond? There's that swing I was mentioning earlier. I know he's standing on a corner. Good luck. That's not allowed. You can't go into the pond. No swimming, no swinging into the pond. you can bring your own pole for the kids and do catch and release uh but definitely definitely nothing that you know is a liability and anyone can get hurt we don't want anybody getting hurt out here speaking of which Paulo's gonna fall sit your bottom down be safe all right so 15 dollars for uh per head but if you're under three you are free free parking is free what's that parking is free that's a big deal that is a big deal it's a huge deal they'll complain about it if you don't give them free parking. No reason to get online and order tickets in advance. Everything is done at the window, and that's very convenient. That starts, again, Saturday and Sunday, this weekend and next weekend only. Kylie, I think you've said it all. I hope I did. We do have camels. I don't think we talked about the camels. We have camel rides. That is additional charge, but we have camel rides, goat feeding, and we have three mini cows. I think two to three mini cows out here at a time that you can pet and take pictures with. So you will have plenty of animals to experience and cuddle with and lots of food. A ton of food. A ton of food. We have some of the best sweet tea, funnel cakes, corn, potato wedges, charcuterie, and then we have our own special apple cider slushie and amazing homemade fresh squeezed lemonade. I can't wait to try all of that in the next hour. All right, ladies, you've heard it all here from the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze in Plant City, Florida, right off of I-4. Easy to get to. Thanks, Kylie. Of course. Thank you. Back to you in the studio. All right, 10-17 here on Good Day Orlando. Lots of fall fun all across central Florida. So if you're looking for another idea to do with your family, check out where David Martin is today. So he is live at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. It's right off of I-4 in Plant City. Hi, David. Well, so much for fall weather this morning there, Amy, John, and Stephanie. It got hot outside, didn't it, Kylie? It got very, very toasty. Very toasty. So we're inside now for this final shot. And there's a good reason, because this is a brand-new marketplace here at the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze. Before we talk and shop a little bit, let's remind our audience what this is. We got some video from the past couple weekends that you shot for us. This is a festival that happens five, essentially five weeks, and we're down to the last two weekends, this weekend and the next weekend. That's correct. So we are one of the top agritourism destinations in Florida. we have an abundance of things to do very family friendly family oriented and it's just a great time it is there's so much for the kids to do and it all comes with that fifteen dollar ticket and kids under three are free and that means we're talking hay rides we're talking corn pits jump pads fishing that giant corn maze and just old-fashioned florida fun yeah and by the way there are multiple photo opportunities around the property for your christmas cards your holiday cards right your new year's cards and a lot of them are focused on the pumpkin and if you're asking can i take a pumpkin home your answer is every pumpkin is for sale yes including the one on this gorgeous tower and they are sourced perfectly my gosh all kinds of colors and sizes yes we have gourds we have corn stalks we have heirlooms I mean, you name it, I love... I don't know what These are, I'm assuming they're a gourd. I think they're a gourd. Yeah. I'm not a pumpkin expert yet, but that's my favorite one. That is a very nice-looking one. And by the way, throughout this live shot, if you're hearing a lot of racket and noise above us, it's because we're beneath a bunch of oak trees. A ton of oak trees, great for shade. And I'm pretty sure that's the fox squirrels telling us they're ready to eat their pumpkins. A hundred percent. The fox squirrels are like, okay, leave us alone. And throwing the nuts down there. All right, let's take a gander here. But wait, what are these adorable things in that pumpkin? So those are all fall festive lollipops. I've never seen a corn on the cob lollipop. Does it taste like corn? No. Probably not. Nope, not at all. Okay. Bye. And your ciders, are these adult-friendly or are they kid-friendly? So they are kid-friendly. There's no alcoholic beverages. Very nice. Besides our alcohol vendor that has alcohol in it. Even our moonshine apple jelly does not have, it's not going to get you tipsy. Understood. You're good. But this, I mean, you're going to show up to the next family event with this in your hand. And this is for the kids. It's okay. But that's old-fashioned apple cider. You'll have to bring a separate bottle if you wanted any spicier. Exactly. All right. So what do we have here? So this is one of our local vendors. This is Honey House. And he has amazing products. So a lot of health, you know, conscientious products. Yep. We have pickled okra. I had my first quail egg. What did you think? Top tier. You liked it? Yes, and I'm not a huge pickled egg person, but I like a spicy quail egg. I would try a pickled egg, a quail egg. I tried it just basically raw. I didn't like it. It was good. Okay, that's pretty good. What's this adorable setup? So this is another vendor that we have. All of these products are made by hand and painted by hand by her. Okay. Yeah. These are adorable earrings right here. Yes. For Halloween if you're lacking an accessory. They've got bats on the orange moon. That is terrific. I love the fact that it's homemade. It is, and she has a whole variety. These are one of her top sellers, these little wine bottles. Nice. Yeah, there you go. Decorations. It's like a flask. You've got jewelry, you've got hats, you've got sweatshirts, you've got swag, and you've got something you want me to taste here. What is over here on this counter? So over here, we actually made a trip to Georgia, and we went to Hillside Farms, and we sourced our butters and our jellies. So this one right here is the pumpkin butter with honey. This one is a pecan apple butter, and that was a caramel apple butter, and you can try any one of you. Which one? Okay, hold my mic for a second. Which one do you recommend? I like the caramel apple and the pecan apple. All right, so we're trying here? Mm-hmm. And what's here? So that is our hot pepper jelly over cream cheese. Oh, Paola said that's spicy. Mm-hmm. Is it? It is spicy, yeah. Can I try that? Of course, yeah. All right. And when you sell the pepper jelly, you have to supply your own crackers and cream cheese. All right. While I'm trying that, tell me about the Facebook page. So the Facebook page is Foxboro Corn Maze, and we also have an Instagram. We do have recently started a TikTok. We're trying to be, you know, more in with the social media. But if you want to contact us directly, the best way to do so is at our email address, and it's info at foxboro Corn Maze.com. That's sensational. Isn't it? My favorite. You know what I need with that? A little bit of moonshine. There you go. Well, you're going to have to go to Tennessee because we don't have any here that's going to help you. All right. What is the Facebook page again? It's Foxboro Corn Maze. Very good. It's Ralph and Byford. Oh, lastly, we don't, you see, I wish we had Smell-O-Vision this morning because it smells divine in here. It is. So, I fought tooth and nail to get Milk House candles in here. This is a candle making station. So, you pick your candle that already has a wick and you fill it with your different flavors all the way around the table. And it just, it's fall. We have people walk past because we keep the doors open during the event and they're just like, what is that? It's strong in a good way. And what flavor is that? So this is Sticky Buns. Sticky Buns. That was Paolo's nickname in high school. Yeah. All right. Very good. This is the Fox Squirrel Corn Maze, John, Amy, and Stephanie. Silky chicken. That's how we talk to each other around here. And I'm silky chicken, apparently.