Nothing sets the mood for autumn better than the approach of Halloween. Get into the spirit of the season as the Nathan Hale Homestead hosts the Haunted Corn Maze on Friday and Saturday, September 27th and 28th, and Friday and Saturday, October 4th and 5th, from 7 to 9 pm. Every year, with the help of the Young Friends of Hale, a new maze is put together full of spooks and surprises in the dark! All new scenes may prove somewhat scarier than in past years.
Beware of the witch in the candy house because Hansel and Gretal did not satisfy her appetite!
Bring your flashlights and leave your scaredy-pants at home as the maze is taken over by things that go bump in the night. Not recommended for very young children. In case of rain, the maze will also be open on Sunday, October 6th. Admission is $8 per person; $25 per family.
The corn maze, minus the ghosts and goblins, is open during regular museum hours through the beginning of October. Admission is $5 per person, or $15 for families. Connecticut Landmarks enlisted the help of local dairy farmer David Buscaglia to seed a full acre of the Hale property with animal-feed corn. The CTL maze-masters carefully plotted the course directly on the ground with spray paint. As the corn grew, seedlings in the pathways were pulled and kept clear, to create the elaborate maze.
About the Nathan Hale Homestead
The Nathan Hale Homestead is located at 2299 South Street in Coventry, CT 06238. The
Homestead is open for regular tours from May through October. Hours are: May: Sat & Sun 12 – 4 pm; June – October 14th: Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, 12 – 4 pm, Sun 11 am – 4 pm; Oct 19th – 27th: Sat 12 – 4 pm, Sun 11 am – 4 pm. Open Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day. The Hale Homestead grounds are open year round from dawn to dusk. Admission is $7 for adults; $6 for students, teachers and seniors; $4 for children age 6-18; children under 6 and CTL members are free. Families – 2 adults with children – are $15; groups of 10 or more are $5 per person. For school groups and special curriculum-based programming, please call Beverly York, Site Administrator, at (860) 742-6917 or email, hale@ctlandmarks.org. In addition, the Homestead hosts the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market on Sundays, 11 am to 2 pm, June through October.
Nathan Hale Homestead is the birthplace of Connecticut’s State Hero, Nathan Hale, who was hanged as a spy during the Revolutionary War. The house, built in 1776, belonged to Nathan’s parents and family, and is located on the only site he ever called home. Its furnishings include several Hale family possessions and other collections amassed by Connecticut lawyer and philanthropist George Dudley Seymour, who purchased the Homestead in 1914 and began a program of restoration that is largely preserved today. The Hale Homestead is situated on 17 acres, adjoining the 1500-acre Nathan Hale State Forest, lending to the site’s substantial rural character.
About Connecticut Landmarks
Founded in 1936, Connecticut Landmarks is the largest statewide heritage museum organization in Connecticut. The historic landmark properties span four centuries of Connecticut history and include: the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem; the Butler-McCook House & Garden and Main Street History Center, Hartford; the Buttolph-Williams House, Wethersfield; the Hempsted Houses, New London; the Isham-Terry House, Hartford; the Nathan Hale Homestead, Coventry; the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden, Suffield. Connecticut Landmarks’ mission is to inspire interest and encourage learning about the American past by preserving selected historic properties, collections and stories and presenting programs that meaningfully engage the public and our communities. For more information, please visit www.ctlandmarks.org.