Fall in Florida comes in many colors.

Yellow, orange and purple zinnias in Plant City gracefully dance in the warm autumn breeze. Yet, what’s growing behind the flowers is a little more rigid and tough to see through.

  • The "Fox Squirrel Corn Maze" is up and running
  • Five-acre corn maze is located at 3002 Charlie Taylor Road in Plant City
  • Admission is $11 for adults, $10 for kids, and free for children 2 years and under

"You kinda get confused at first,” admitted Katelynn Lobuono. “It gets really fun, and you're like, 'I found it! I found it!'” she said.

Finding “it” is easy. Getting out of “it” is more difficult.

“It” is a five-acre corn maze, just a minutes-drive off I-4 along the Polk County and Hillsbrough County line.

Wear a comfortable pair of shoes, or follow Katelynn’s style. Her boots weren't made for walking. She runs through the "Fox Squirrel Corn Maze".

Here, the fall sorghum grows nine feet tall.

"We've had extremely good weather and been blessed with a good crop,” said Carson Futch, who joins his brother Wayne and sister Janet in staging the festival.

From above, you can see a pattern emerge that honors first responders, like police, fire and medical personnel.

"It usually takes people 15-20 minutes, sometimes 30 minutes, to make their way through,” Carson said.

He's proud to offer families a place to celebrate fall.

"Several years ago, we wanted to create a family friendly atmosphere for people to come out and enjoy our beautiful ascetics of trees, and the pasture."

When your boots get tired after running through the corn maze, you can always take a load off and enjoy the hay ride.

Two tractors are ready to pull families through native Florida, under strong oak trees and past traditional farm animals like goats and cows.

Eighth-grader Phillip Futch is happy to teach the finer points of lassoing cattle. Not real ones, rather plastic molds in the shape of steer.

Meantime, Katelynn is ready to race ducks in a homemade aqueduct of sorts. Again, not real ducks, but rubber ducky’s.

"When you put the ducks on the little pipe,” she explained, “You then pump the water, and it goes down to the other end.”

Kids of all ages use a water pump to send water into a gutter, which in return carries the ducks to the finish line.

Vendors, a butterfly garden, food trucks and a pumpkin patch round out the experience. Together, the activities make fall in Florida.

"I want them to try to have a good time here, and maybe the next year, they can come back and have more fun,” Katelynn said with purpose.

NOTE: The Fox Squirrel corn maze is open Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 to 23 and Oct. 29 to 30.

Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.

Scott Fais joins Travel Monthly
Catch our own Scott Fais as the Florida Correspondent on the On Demand travel magazine, Travel Monthly. Each month, Scott joins other travel reporters from across the United States as they showcase a wide variety of attractions, diners, parks and landmarks from across America. See Travel Monthly nationally on Time Warner Cable channel 411. And here at home on Channel 999. Or see more of Travel Monthly here, courtesy of NY1, a service of Charter Communications.