LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is hosting a corn maze that is open to the public every Saturday in October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event includes many activities other than the corn maze. Other activities include pumpkin decorating, face painting, a petting zoo and a zip-line. For those who make it through the maze, there is a slingshot at the end where visitors can attack opponents of the LSU football team. 
Jeff Keuhny, director of the Botanic Gardens, said this is the tenth year the Gardens has offered the corn maze, which is one of its most popular events. The event attracts around 2,000-3,000 people every Saturday, Keuhny said. 
The theme of the corn maze this year is a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing. The corn maze has a moon and rocket in it, and some of the hay bales that are placed around the maze are painted with images reminiscent of the moon landing. 
Stacey Ferrier, who runs the petting zoo, said she brings her selection of animals every Saturday from her farm south of Plaquemine, Louisiana, called Goula Paradise Farms. She has alpacas, goats and miniature horses she brings with her. 
Ferrier, who served 21 years in the Army, said bringing a selection of her animals to petting zoos and having visitors on her farm is her form of therapy. 
“Kids don’t see farm animals anymore,” Ferrier said. “They get confused, they think a sheep is an alpaca.”
Ferrier said the animals she brings are ones that like the attention. She has many other animals, such as a goose and turkey, that she doesn’t bring to petting zoos because they did not seem to enjoy the attention. 
Every year, the Botanic Gardens highlights a different commodity of Louisiana agriculture. This year, the chosen commodity is sweet potatoes. Stop by the corn maze, and you’ll be able to learn about six different types of sweet potato, which were all releases of the LSU AgCenter.
“The LSU AgCenter has the top sweet potato breeding program in the world,” Keuhny said. 
While learning about the historical accomplishments of the LSU AgCenter can be entertaining for some, others can find enjoyment at the pumpkin decorating station. 
Kuehny can be found working at the corn maze every Saturday dressed in overalls and enthusing about Louisiana agriculture. He said part of what’s amazing about the corn maze, and the Botanic Gardens as a whole, is the feeling of being in the countryside while being in the middle of Baton Rouge. 
The remaining dates for families to enjoy the corn maze are Oct. 19 and Oct. 26. On Oct. 26 from 6:00-9:00 p.m., there will be a Night Maze which will feature a bonfire, s’mores, a Witch Dance and a bat walk.
Admission to the maze is $10, which Kuehny said is to ensure the attraction is accessible to families of all means.
Click here for more information about the corn maze and here for information about Ferrier’s farm.