Sussex County’s most amazing maze
Sandyston. Find your happy place: More than one million sunflowers, in 50 different species, are blooming now on about 200 acres at Liberty Farm.
| 10 Sep 2021 | 12:31
The Crane family of Wantage came out to the Sussex County Sunflower Maze for the first time on Labor Day. (Photo by Sammie Finch)
AJ Schmitt of Chester, N.Y., came to visit the Sussex County Sunflower Maze with little AJ, his 21-month-old son. (Photo by Sammie Finch)
Raj Sinha (Photo by Sammie Finch)
There are many spots to stop for photos along the maze, including the Liberty Farm overlook farm stand. (Photo by Sammie Finch)
“They make you happy,” says owner Raj Sinha. “You can’t walk through the field and not smile.”
Father John’s Animal House came to promote pet adoptions (Photo by Sammie Finch)
There is magical time in late summer, right between the warmth of August and cool breezes of September, where sunflowers bloom in abundance. It’s a sight to see, and one available right in Sussex County.
Liberty Farm, home of the famous Sussex County Sunflower Maze, invites you to walk through the largest sunflower maze on the East Coast.
The maze opened for the season with more than one million sunflowers, in 50 different species, blooming on about 200 acres.
“People just love sunflowers, and they come from all over the country, all over the world to see it” said owner Raj Sinha. He said the sunflowers are happy, and “they make you happy. You can’t walk through the field and not smile.”
The idea of a sunflower maze came to Sinha 11 years ago, three years after the family farm first started to grow sunflowers not knowing if they would be able to here in Jersey.
With that, the seed was planted, literally, of what the maze would flourish into starting with just 10 acres and growing each year. The Sussex County Sunflower Maze became the first in New Jersey and offers an amazing display that is now a tourist destination as well as local wonder.
“We found the maze on Instagram” said the Crane family of Wantage. “It’s our first time, and we like it a lot”
While the maze does not allow “pick your own” due to safety concerns, there are abundance of not only sunflowers but other local wildflowers like zinnias and cosmos, available for purchase. In addition, the Maze offers live music, sunflower themed goods, and host other events to help support the local community.
This past Labor Day weekend, Father John’s Animal House came to promote pet adoptions. On Sept. 11 the maze will host a food truck festival and live music.
The sunflowers have also been the backdrop of many people’s happiest days, from engagements to birth announcements and everything in between.
“My favorite part is seeing people share their special life moments,” said Sinha. “People choose us to share their special life moments, that’s really special.”
Sinha and his family expect peak season to end next weekend but will keep the maze open for as long as the flowers remain smiling.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Sussex County Sunflower Maze begins planting in in the spring and harvest in the fall. While the season and conditions vary, peak season is usually late summer and sometimes extends into early fall.
Each year the maze adopts a new theme. From the skies you can see this year’s message, “God Bless America 2021.”
For more information about the maze, visit sussexcountysunflowermaze.com or follow the maze on Facebook for updates and upcoming events.
“They make you happy. You can’t walk through the field and not smile.” Raj Sinha