There may be something to get hung about if you're going to this strawberry field in Carlsbad this fall.
The family-owned Carlsbad Strawberry Company off Interstate 5 and Cannon Road has opened a frightful maze in 11-foot corn stalks that is sure to thrill.
"We started doing the nighttime maze last year and people liked it and people were asking for it to be haunted," Jimmy Ukegawa the strawberry field's owner said.
As guests explore "Field of Screams," their nighttime maze open Fridays and Saturdays only until 11 p.m., they will be met with haunts right out of your favorite horror movies.
Ukegawa didn't want to give away any of the surprises but said the maze was scary enough that one couple chose to turn around after being met by a popular scene from a 2017 horror film (you guess which one).
"The haunters are enjoying it just as much as the hauntees," he said.
He doesn't recommend the maze for those under 10 years old but Carlsbad Strawberry Company does offer alternatives for those that need less fear and more cheer in their fall-time activities.
Local
A second maze without the haunts, which is in its fifth year, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Guests can also take a hayride tour around the strawberry farm or pick out the perfect pumpkin at the farm's patch.
This year, the Carlsbad Strawberry Company has teamed up with the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation to fund conservation efforts of the watershed down the road from their farm. Half of all proceeds from the mazes will be donated to the foundation.
All the corn from the maze and any leftover pumpkins are donated to local animals farms, Ukegawa said.
Carlsbad Strawberry Company started as a family business more than a half-century ago and has taken a more community-first approach to their business after struggling to compete with global produce production.
"We felt the effects for a long time; we even tried growing our tomatoes in Mexico for a while," Ukegawa said. "It just got to be where the pressure from the imports, we couldn’t afford it anymore."
The farm, which has been with the Ukegawa family for three generations, offers pick-your-own strawberries in the summer and music and food-oriented events throughout the year.
"There’s music, there’s vendors, there’s food -- it's really becoming a community thing. We’re really happy with it," Ukegawa said.
Field of Screams costs $22 per person while Carlsbad Strawberry Company's main maze costs $9 for adults and $7 for children. Kids three and under are free.
