Hometown Tourism: Lafayette, Indiana, Part 5
In this post on what to do in my current hometown of Lafayette, Indiana, I will write about two different attractions: Exploration Acres and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette.
First, Exploration Acres is located south of Lafayette in the middle of farmland. This attraction is only open in the autumn months and features a corn maze. Each year, the corn maze details a more intricate and detailed design! One year, the maze featured characters from the hit Netflix show, Stranger Things! In a different year, it paid tribute to the 150th anniversary of Purdue University, which is located in nearby West Lafayette.
As Indiana’s largest corn maze, you can see their past designs on their website. Their attraction also features a pumpkin patch, pedal carts, a tube slide, and much more. It is mostly geared towards kids. So for the adults, there is really only the corn maze and the pumpkin patch. When you go into the corn maze, you get a flyer, and you walk around the maze trying to find different points on the map. When you get there, you punch a hole by the point’s number. That punch unlocks a coupon from a local business! It is fun to try to get all the punches, and even more fun to redeem the coupons for free things or discounts! I am looking forward to see what design they make for their corn maze this year!
In 2018, I wanted to visit as many corn mazes as possible with my then boyfriend, now husband. I forget how many we ended up going to, but it wasn’t that many. I think we were only able to go to three. We would have gone to more had it not been so cold and rainy throughout the fall.
In August 2021, Exploration Acres decided to add a new attraction to their venue: a sunflower maze! The sunflowers were gorgeous, and it was fun to walk amongst the tall beauties! I didn’t realize before going here that there are several different varieties of sunflowers, and they can come in different colors other than yellow! We did see one sunflower that was looking away from the sun though, which was hilarious! Unfortunately, due to low rainfall, there won’t be a sunflower maze this year.
Next up is the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. It is located just south of downtown Lafayette. I remember visiting the museum with my parents and then boyfriend, now husband. It was laid out very well and was quite a spacious museum! It is free to visit, and I absolutely recommend that you do so! It can be a nice afternoon outing for you and your family! There are also events held at the art museum, as well as classes including classes on pottery, glass, and painting.
I definitely recommend you check out these two attractions if you live in or near Lafayette, Indiana. If you do not live nearby, then I recommend you check out the attractions in your own hometown! In fact, I also recommend you sign up for the emails that your local visitor’s center or tourist center sends out! You will learn a lot about what your hometown has to offer! For the Greater Lafayette area, you will want to check out the website, https://www.homeofpurdue.com/
