Cool Patch Pumpkins’ maze on Interstate 80 near Dixon opens as tribute to farmers
The capital region’s largest corn maze is days away from opening, marking a symbolic start to the fall season for pumpkin patch fans.
Cool Patch Pumpkins, famed for its annual enormous corn maze and its Minion-shaped hay bales inviting Interstate 80 travelers to the farm, is preparing for the fall 2025 season near Dixon with a 35-acre maze celebrating the nation’s farmers.
“The percentage of Americans who were farmers in the 1700s was so high, and now it’s like 2%,” said Tayler Cooley, a spokesperson for Cool Patch Pumpkins. “If you think about it, everyone has farming in their heritage somewhere if you go back far enough.
“It’s something that can unite us all, like where we all have a bit of farmer in us, so that was our inspiration this year,” she said.
According to Cooley, the maze development process is relatively quick, with initial designs laid out in an Excel spreadsheet in early July, weeks before corn is planted. The maze’s pathways are carved out when the corn seedlings are only a few inches tall, which takes about a week.
The tribute features a likeness of a farmer standing in front of his field — with a tractor, a large barn, a windmill and some flowers representing the farmland. A cross is embedded into the image, a nod to the Cooleys’ religious beliefs.
Cooley said the portrait etched in the negative space of razed corn rows is meant to resemble Matt Cooley, her grandfather-in-law and founder of Cool Patch Pumpkins.
According to the pumpkin patch’s website, the eldest Cooley started the family-owned farm in 2001, selling pumpkins directly out of his Dixon field. Nearly a quarter-century later, it expanded to include a slew of fall activities, including the maze that was certified twice by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest in the world.
The Cool Patch corn maze is carved out in a different design every year, sometimes with a specific theming. Last year, it honored the United States, with a flag pattern and text inscription reading “God Bless America” and “A House Divided Shall Not Stand.” A few years prior, the farm gained the NBA’s attention for inlaying a massive Sacramento Kings logo in the maze.
The corn maze didn’t quite reach world record magnitude this year due to space constraints — Cool Patch Pumpkin’s various crops must be rotated annually across the swath of farmland just west of Dixon to preserve the soil’s nutrients. In addition to corn and pumpkins, the family grows tomatoes, tree nuts, alfalfa and other crops, which Cooley said are sent out for commercial use by companies like Campbell’s and Mariani Nut Co., which have packaging facilities nearby.
“(What) I think is unique about us is that this is a working farm,” Cooley said. “Everything that is out here, we bring in and set up, and it is a glimpse of like, this is what it’s like on the farm ... I think it’s just special that people can come out and experience that.”
Cooley said the family is now raising the fourth generation of farmers, with seven children between her and her sister-in-law, ranging from 5 months to 9 years old. During pumpkin patch season, Cooley said the oldest kids enjoy helping out where they can — handing out drinks at the beverage stand, collecting tickets in front of the corn maze and even selling homemade bracelets.
“There’s three boys and four girls, and some of the girls say, ‘We want to be farmers,’” she said. “(The kids) always just want to be out here all year long, so it’s really sweet to see ... how excited they are about it, and special that they just see the vision.”
Cool Patch Pumpkins, at 6150 Dixon Ave. West, opens for the 2025 season on Saturday, operating from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Halloween. Corn maze admissions cost $22 per person over 5 years old, and tickets for the corn bath and hay ride attractions are $5 each. You-pick pumpkins and other concessions are available for an additional cost.
What I’m Eating
With the last flickers of summer weather comes the end of traditional seafood boil season. Although Sacramento is fortunate with lovely weather throughout the year, there’s just something about cracking a crab leg or a crawfish that feels emblematic of summertime. To celebrate the close of the season, I dined at Firehouse Crawfish, a firefighter-themed regional seafood boil chain with three locations in the Sacramento area.
I arrived roughly 10 minutes before the end of happy hour — which is all day on Monday and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday — and was able to place a last-minute order of six $2 raw oysters, which were a very generous size for their discounted price. While slurping down the briny shellfish, I formulated my ideal seafood boil bag.
The majority of Firehouse Crawfish’s seafood options come in one-pound options, with the exception of shrimp and prawns, which rack up quicker than you would expect. The restaurant’s mussels and clams ($17 per pound each) are chewy and absorb lots of flavor from the sauce and spice blends mixed into the bag, while the impressive portions of snow crab (market price) stand out on their own.
The bowls come with six options of sauces and spices and five levels of heat, ranging from “mild” to “melting point.” While chowing down on the ocean’s finest offerings is enjoyable on its own, donning a pair of plastic gloves and a bib always elevates the experience.
Firehouse Crawfish
Address: 6519 Savings Place, south Sacramento
Hours: 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; noon-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Phone: 916-429-9034
Website: firehousecrawfish.com
Drinks: Soju cocktails, beer, soft drinks, Thai iced tea
Vegetarian options: Practically none
Noise level: Loud
Outdoor seating: None
Openings & Closings
• Fast-food chain Sonic opened a new Sacramento-area restaurant Monday. The new eatery, at 5873 Antelope Road in Citrus Heights, is the capital region’s fourth outpost, serving quintessential American drive-in fare from hot dogs to hamburgers and super-sweet flavored sodas and slushies.
• A new Indian-style pizza shop opened its doors in the foothills on Saturday, slinging pies topped with Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala and chilli paneer, as well as ingredients more commonly found in American pizza parlors. Indian Pizza and Bar, 512 Main St. in Placerville, held an opening party over the weekend, its website said.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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