The change from summer to fall means different things to different people. Some live for #PSL and sweater weather while others dive headlong into spooky season and all things Halloween. At Rutledge Family Farm, they’re celebrating 25 years honoring both beloved traditions.
Many visitors stop by for Fall on the Farm but it’s their iconic Haunted Corn Mazes which really set the mood. They’re open select days from September 20 through November 1, 2025, and tickets are on sale now.
Come Have a Scary Good Time at the Rutledge Family Farm Haunted Maze
Third generation family farmer Robby Rutledge says they’ve hosted a haunted attraction since the beginning. The idea was suggested by a customer in the early days of planting for their first maze. Initially nothing more than store-bought costumes and jump-scares, “it was nothing like it is today,” he says.
Designing a compelling maze on paper is hard enough but when you’re working on this scale, it’s tremendously difficult. Rutledge says that in the beginning, staff would just haunt the smaller of the two mazes that make up the overall design.
“The larger maze was about two miles and the smaller one was about one mile with twists and turns and dead ends,” Rutledge explains. “It made a great maze to get lost in but not a great maze for a consistent scare. So, my uncle Rick Rutledge came up with the idea a few years later to do a separate maze.”
Creating a Large-Scale Haunted Corn Maze in Olympia
That gave them three mazes, two in one design plus another completely separate for the haunt. “By doing this we created a better experience, but we still hadn’t learned how to create a maze that was just for haunting,” Rutledge admits. It took several years to design something that maximized efficiency and the overall scary experience.
Today, gone are the days of family members and eager volunteers donning outfits from Spencer’s to jump out from behind a hay bale. “We now have a dedicated team of haunt actors and support staff every year,” says Robby. Over the last six years it has been run by my brother, Danny Rutledge.
Like Robby, Danny grew up helping at the family farm every weekend. But after starting a career as a low voltage electrician, Danny fell in love with the animatronics and design, says Robby. Danny is now the haunt director. “We have four make-up artists, 30 actors and a couple of support staff to keep things running,” says Robby. “Our haunt team is truly amazing and we are so proud to say that 80% of our haunters come back year over year. We even have one haunter who recently celebrated 13 seasons with us.”
Even Corn is Spooky when Rutledge Family Farm Mazes Get Involved
Overall maze design is done by a company from Idaho called Mazeplay who are currently working on 120 such projects nationwide. In 2000, when Rutledge planted their first, Mazeplay’s designer would walk the grounds carrying an oversized GPS unit in a backpack while a member of the Rutledge family would follow behind with a rototiller to carve images into the field.
In 2002, the designer tried planting the maze in its intended design and Rutledge was the first corn maze in the world to try this new style. But this meant starting in the middle of the image and working outwards, trying not to plant over something already seeded.
By 2014, technology took another leap. “Now he is able to plant the maze in straight rows just like a printer,” says Rutledge. “The planter drops seeds only where there is supposed to be corn and it took his time from 12 hours to about 4 hours.”
Come for the Treats, Stay for the Tricks this Halloween Season
Because the farm is family-friendly, the spookiest props are limited to the haunted maze and several on-site photo backgrounds.
On October 4, 11, 17, 18 and 25 they’ll host the Pumpkin King to mingle with visiting guests.
The haunted maze is recommended for kids over the age of 10, and this year includes a new asylum set-up, graveyard, camping scene and upgraded blacklight area. They’ve also updated the paintball shooting gallery with animatronics and a secret target that when hit, activates several bonus targets.
Tickets to the Fall Farm and Haunted Maze are on sale now. Add on a Fire Pit Rental and truly make it a night to remember. Fire pit packages include a two-hour block with 4 picnic tables, tent space, fire pit, firewood and attendant to start or maintain the blaze.
Now dig out your warmest sweater, sturdy boots, plenty of cocoa and a keen sense of adventure. At Rutledge Family Farm, Halloween isn’t just a day, it’s a full season of frights and delights.
Rutledge Family Farm and Corn Maze
302 93rd Avenue SE, Olympia
Sponsored
