HAHIRA — Everyone should see and walk through a corn maze once in their lifetime, if for no other reason than that it is a unique experience.

I walked through the maze guided by Timmy Browning, who built — or rather grew it, with assistance from Britton Kirkland and Ron Parker, whom I guess you could call his maze apprentices. Britton met us at the entrance and informed me that he had helped “Mr. Timmy,” as the kids call him, come up with ideas for the design, and made sure that Ron Parker got his fair share of the credit so as not to violate his intellectual property rights in the maze.

This was Browning’s second year of doing the maze. He got the idea from Simmie King, who had done a similar maze in Cecil for three years before passing the baton to Browning. When Browning took up the challenge, King gave him some helpful advice to get him started, like planting corn in both directions so it makes a weave pattern and leaves fewer gaps that people can cut through to avoid the maze’s main pathways.

This year’s maze is cut in a pattern that spells “God Bless America,” and as I walked and talked with Browning I couldn’t help recalling the opening strains of “America the Beautiful:” “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain ...”

The skies were spacious and Browning said in the evening you can see every star. And visitors can see the maze at night. Browning equips visitors with flashlights and challenges them to find their way through in the semi-darkness. I asked a lot of questions because that’s what I was expected to do. I found out the maze covers 10 acres. It’s made of full-season DeKalb corn. I learned that Browning didn’t wait until the corn was grown to cut the letters that spell the message of the maze. He waits till the corn is just coming up and measures how many rows it will take for each letter — 37 this year, and sprays the area where he intends to cut the letters with some of that orange paint the road crews use. When the corn is tall enough, he takes his roto-tiller and cuts out the pattern, following the orange paint like a yellow brick road.

Browning and his wife, Tracy, book reservations during the week for schools and other groups to come out, but it’s not just a play experience. He uses it for education as well. Browning has planted patches of soy, peanuts, and cotton, and when school kids come to the maze he uses the opportunity to show them where peanut butter and cooking oil come from, and their cotton T-shirts, so the maze is actually a kind of educational journey.

Last year, some pilots came from Moody Air Force Base and held a contest involving the maze. Browning enjoys finding ways to involve the surrounding community in the maze in ways that benefit schools and other civic organizations.

When maze season is over, the corn isn’t wasted. It’s harvested with a combine and used as feed for his cows. Other attractions at the site are a mini maze for toddlers, a bounce house, a silo with seed corn the kids can play in, a cow-train ride and hayrides, as well as a concession stand with snacks and drinks. Schools and others can call 300-0185 Monday through Friday for reservations. The maze is open to the general public 6-9 p.m. Fridays and 1-9 p.m. Saturdays, and closed on Sunday. It will be available through the second week in November depending on the weather.

To get there: From Valdosta, take U.S. 41 North off North Valdosta Road; turn left onto Union Road; turn left onto Franks Creek Road, past the overpass look for the maze on the right. Admission: $7, adult; $5, children 3-12; free, children under 12. $1 off admissions for groups of 15 or more, and military families.