Ready for 'Stranger Things'? Corn maze opens at Lafayette's Exploration Acres

Lindsay Moore | Journal & Courier

Show Caption Hide Caption Exploration Acres opens Strange Things maze Exploration Acres located at 6042 Newcastle Rd is featuring a 20-acre corn maze designed like the "Stranger Things" poster.

LAFAYETTE — The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana is transplanting to Exploration Acres this fall.

The area's Indiana's largest corn maze announced in July that corn maze will pay tribute to the "Stranger Things" gang with 20 acres — that's roughly 15 football fields — shaped like the show's leading lady and the boys of Hawkins Middle School's AV Club.

A special surprise pulled up to the farm this afternoon when an exact replica of Sheriff Jim Hopper's 1980 Chevy K5 Blazer arrived with a caravan of local businesses and law enforcement.

The project was a volunteer effort between Joey's Enterprises, Move Over Outfitters and DeFouw Chevrolet. Sean Henady, co-owner of 3View, lead the charge to find the exact make and model featured in the popular Netflix show.

After bringing the car in from Wisconsin an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 of body paint, parts and labor were put into making the vehicle as authentic as possible. Netflix even gave its own stamp of approval.

The corn maze features 10 miles of pathways, making it Exploration Acres' largest attraction to date, according to the press release in July. The attraction also has photo opportunities with the infamous Shadow Monster, Joyce Byer's iconic string of Christmas lights and the wooden Castle Byers.

"This is the most complete story line that Exploration Acres has ever done," Henady said. "So fans of the show or fans of the corn maze in general should have the most extreme, most elaborate and most enjoyable time when they come out."

The maze itself was built using state-of-the-art GPS equipment. The maze design was planted by dropping seeds in the precise design, similar to an inkjet printer, Exploration Acres co-owner Tim Fitzgerald said.

For those that feel like they'd be better at navigating The Upside rather than a corn maze, there are activities such as the 11-acre pick-your-own pumpkin patch, fire pit rentals and hayrides.

Exploration Acres, located at 6042 Newcastle Rd., will be open through Oct. 28. Tickets are available online, or may be purchased upon arrival. To honor the eleventh anniversary of the corn maze there will also be "Stranger Things" t-shirts sold for $11.