By day, Blowing Streams Farm is a peaceful attraction featuring the “Enchanted Corn Maize,” a rollicking hayride, and sweet treats like funnel cakes and deep fried Oreos. When nightfall comes, the sprawling farm is transformed into Blowing Screams Farm, where the Forest of Fear and GhostRide are the main attractions at this very scary locale.
Blowing Streams/Screams Farm is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rock City’s Enchanted Maize on its grounds this year. Through October 30, this farmstead property aims to delight its young guests and families during the day with serenity, scenic views and a hearty fall spirit centered around the cornfield. Before dark, the Enchanted Maize offers guests the opportunity to “get lost” along the twists and turns of the maze, modeled this year after a Coca-Cola bottle cap. Blowing Streams has corn cannons, where guests can take aim at targets to blast with ears of corn. The event has also partnered with the Girl Scouts to do a pumpkin painting and scarecrow design contest that judging will be ongoing for during this maze season. Then there is the not-to-be-forgotten hayride that pulls visitors along in their wagons by a tractor along the corn maze, into the corn maze and back again.
On site, there’s a Pet Maze for the pooches to run through and there is the Re-Maze, the first ever recycled maze, made up of almost all reclaimed/recycled materials. Visitors are encouraged to bring their empty plastic bottles to help build the Re-Maze. The more bottles people bring, the more challenging the maze will be to find a way through. The plastic bottle that guests bring also serve as a $1 off coupon for the Enchanted Maize. The Re-Maze will show just how quickly recycled products can accumulate and that every piece does make a difference.
The daytime hours also lend themselves to trying some of the traditional fair type food at this venue with hot dogs, chicken fingers, funnel cakes, deep fried Oreos, kettle corn, slush puppies and more. When darkness falls, the younger family members may want to head on home, as things get more than a little creepy on the transformed Blowing Screams Farm. Those a little less faint of heart can first try the Forest of Fear. This is a self-guided haunt through the woods of the property, around the inferred glow of the property’s pond, and through the shrieking noises that are coming from the corn.
At last year’s haunt, guests reported being followed by mysterious phantoms and watching what they thought was a fellow guest of the Forest hit their head on a branch and fall to the ground. Upon inspection, they found that the thing lying on the ground was not entirely human, and the guests made their rapid departure from the scene in accordance. If this haunt doesn’t pack enough terror into guests, they also have the option of going on the GhostRide. This attraction may start off like the daytime hayride, but it soon turns sinister. The safety of the wagon will soon be left behind as guests exit the hayride and find themselves stranded in the midst of the dark cornfield with whatever nighttime apparitions may be lurking there as well.
For those who are horror fans, haunted house enthusiasts, or ghost hunters, there’s even more at Blowing Screams than these two terrifying attractions. Guests can gather around the bonfire and listen to a storytelling of the history of the 165-year-old house on the property from Georgiana Kotasski’s book, “Ghosts of the Southern Tennessee Valley.”
The house is visible on the property, lurking behind the vegetation and tucked behind the Rock City barn. Dark inside with only lighting shining on its exterior, it isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination to conjure up the supernatural goings-on within this property.
There’s also live music on Fridays and Saturdays at the property. On October 21 and 22, Glowing Bordis; and on October 28 and 29, Prophets and Kings plays. Also ongoing during the fall season is Rock City’s Rocktober Fest and Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern. All of these are RockRuby events, and together provide something for any age group.
Admission to Blowing Streams Farm is $9 for adults and $7 for children ages 4-12. For the haunts, there is a two haunt combo deal of $25 or $15 a piece. A Forest of Fear Front of Line Pass can be purchased for $30 and an all You Can Scream Pass that includes 15 percent off food/beverage, 50 percent off kettle corn, 50 percent off face painting and 50 percent off daytime maze tickets can be purchased for $39.