Mind Games: 18 Garden Mazes and Labyrinths

These gorgeous landscape designs will engage your mind.

By: Jeff Stafford

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Photo By: Image courtesy of Longleat Safari & Adventure Park

Photo By: Image courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Photo By: Image courtesy of Davis Mega Maze

Photo By: Image courtesy of The Garden Maze at Luray Caverns, Va.

Photo By: Image courtesy of Richardson Adventure Farm

Photo By: Image courtesy of Longleat Safari & Adventure Park

Photo By: Image courtesy of Dole Plantation

Photo By: Image courtesy of Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

Photo By: Image courtesy of The Garden Maze at Luray Caverns, Va.

Photo By: Image courtesy of Cathy Kornfield

Photo By: Image courtesy of Suzman Design Associates

Photo By: Image courtesy of Cathy Kornfield

Photo By: Image courtesy of Marini Farm

Lost in Yew

Composed of more than 16,000 English yews, the Longleat Hedge Maze, located near the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England, is a stunning creation that was first laid out in 1975 by the renowned designer Greg Bright.

Misty Maze

This impressive hedgerow maze is located behind the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg and is popular with children who like to get lost within its 6-foot tall walls.

Bird's Eye View

Modeled on the famous maze at the Hampton Court Palace, the Governor's Palace maze in Colonial Williamsburg was restored in 1999-2000 with yaupon holly replacing the less vigorous American holly.

Find the Clue

Every year the Davis Mega Maze in Sterling, Massachusetts presents a different theme with its corn maze. This past year the elaborate design by Adrian Fisher was based on the popular board game Clue and required participants solve a number of mysteries and puzzles while moving through the maze.

Green Puzzle

The Garden Maze at Luray Caverns challenges visitors to discover the secret of the maze through a series of twists, turns and tunnels.

Maze Explorers

A group of brave adventurers enter the Garden Maze at Luray Caverns in Virginia, which is composed of over 1,500 dark American arborvitae that stand eight feet high.

John, Paul, Ringo and George

A corn maze tribute to The Beatles? Yes, the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' U.S. debut was the theme of this unique 2013 tribute at the Richardson Adventure Farm and Corn Maze in Spring Grove, Illinois. The popular tourist attraction included four separate mazes that winded through 33 acres of cornfields.

Aerial Artistry

The Longleat Hedge Maze in England is part of the 8,000 acres that belong to the historic 1541 estate of the Marquesses of Bath. The maze is considered the longest, but not the largest, one in the world and covers 1.48 acres and 1.69 miles of pathway.

Raised Expectations

Visitors to the Longleat Hedge Maze take advantage of the observation tower and elevated bridges to try to figure out how to maneuver their way through the pathways.

Pineapple Fantasy

Billed as the world's largest maze, the Dole Plantation Garden Maze in Hawaii extends over three acres and includes pathways crafted from 14,000 colorful native plants.

Contemplating Perfection

Designed as a place of meditation, The Harmonist Labyrinth in New Harmony, Indiana was reconstructed between 1939-1940 with privet hedge on the site of the original design. The Harmonists believe that the labyrinth symbolizes the difficult path of life to reach true perfection.

Hidden Fountain

If you make it to the center of the Garden Maze at Luray Caverns, you'll discover a refreshing surprise. This one-acre ornamental garden is open year round on weekends, weather permitting.

Corny Complexity

Every year The Amazing Maize Maze at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Ronk, Pennsylvania creates a new theme for its interactive 5-acre corn maze and this aerial photograph displays their 2011 theme, "Once Upon a Time."

Engage the Mind

This labyrinth design by Stephen Suzman of Suzman Design Associates displays the aesthetic difference between a labyrinth and a maze. "Labyrinths were designed to concentrate the mind," says Suzman, and are "more of a progression to a center, sort of like a walking meditation." A maze, on the other hand, requires hedges or vegetation that are tall and prevent you from seeing through them, which creates a sense of mystery.

The Amazing Maize Maze

This overview of the corn maze at Cherry Crest Farm gives you some idea of the unique and creative agricultural experience awaiting visitors during its active season between May and October.

Lost in Space

Can you find the flying saucer in this corn maze? This photograph from 2000 showcases the theme of that year's maze exhibition at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm: "Lost in Space."

High as an Elephant's Eye

Corn mazes can be even more challenging than hedge mazes since the corn can grow to heights of ten feet or more and even viewing your location from an elevated bridge is no guarantee you can figure out how to get out of the maze. These intrepid explorers at the Cherry Crest Adventure Farm are armed with a flag that they can signal for help if they get lost.

The Dino King

The age of the dinosaurs was the theme at Marini Farm in Ipswich, Massachusetts, for the 2013 season and if you look closely, you can see the head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the corn maze design.