Maybe it’s our sick infatuation with Overlook Hotel’s creepy hedge maze in The Shining.
Maybe it’s our fascination with the Man in the Black Hat’s quest to find Arnold’s maze in Westworld.
Or maybe it’s because the election of Donald Trump has us feeling lost and that takes us back to being lost in corn mazes as a kid. Whatever the reason is, we’re crazy about labyrinths and mazes.
If you live in a big city, it’s easy to forget that these winding hedges and frustrating courses can be found in real life. But if you’re on vacation, and you’ve got a couple of hours to spare—probably several more if you’re high—why not try one out! Just try to dance, magic, dance your way through these trippy labyrinth courses all over the world.
Hampton Court Maze, Surrey, England
Image via Google Earth
Just 11.7 miles outside of London is Hampton Court Palace, a 16th-century estate that has hosted royal guests like King Henry VIII. The garden features a hedge maze (built in the 1690s) with a half a mile of paths. Though it may look small from a bird’s-eye view, its trapezoidal “multicursal” construction can cause visitors to make several closed loops if they err in their path. Hint: To beat this maze, make sure to always keep one hand on the wall to your right.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
Ashcombe Maze, Melbourne, Australia
Image via Visitmelbourne.com
Built 40 years ago, using over 1,000 cypress trees, the Ashcombe Maze features extraordinarily tall hedges. The labyrinth walls are up to nine feet high! Don’t be fooled by the friendly rounded shape—this maze is difficult. If you’re lucky to visit during the yearly Great Gnome Hunt, you could have a chance to track down garden gnomes for an added challenge.
Dole Pineapple Maze, Oahu, Hawaii
Image via Reddit
Stoners love pineapples, so this maze is right up our alley. But don’t expect this labyrinth to be Hawaiian chill. At over three acres, it was the largest hedge maze in the world between 1998 and 2015. Situated on the Dole Plantation, and comprised of over 14,000 original Hawaiian plants, it takes over an hour for the average person to reach the center.
Villa Pisani Labirinto, Stra, Italy
Image via Villa Pisani
It’s a maze so difficult it stumped Napoleon. Designed in 1720, and situated in the garden of the 18th-century castle, it has many frustrating twists and turns. So frustrating that when Hitler and Mussolini met at the Villa in 1934, they weren’t feeling brave enough to try this maze’s 12 concentric circles on for size. If you can get to the center without giving up and climbing over the wall, there’s a turret you can climb to plot your next moves.
Andrássy Castle, Tiszadob, Hungary
Image via Wikimedia Commons
The boxwood maze in the gardens of Andrássy Castle is known as the most beautiful maze in the world. Designed in the 18th century for a Hungarian count, this castle is found near the Slovakian-Hungarian border. If you look closely, the labyrinth resembles a squid.
Masone Labyrinth, Parma, Italy
Image via Domus
Completed in 2015, this giant stretches 20 acres and is comprised of over 200,000 bamboo trees. It was the result of a promise that Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci made to his friend, Argentinian author and labyrinth lover Jorges Luis Borges, in 1977. The star shape is meant to symbolize the human path through life.
Richardson Corn Maze, Spring Grove, Ill.
Image via Richardson Corn Maze
Thirty-three acres of live corn make up this gigantic network of five-mazes. It’s so massive that the Richardson farm has succeeded in creating the World’s Largest Corn Maze for several years. The 2016 design celebrated 50 years of Star Trek—good on them for deciding to stay out of the election—and featured five separate mazes. Past mazes on the farm have included a Beatles theme and a tribute to the Chicago Blackhawks.