Country October/November 2022

A troll statue made of discarded wood. Pumpkins arranged in a spiral. A wave-activated sculpture that plays the sounds of the sea. Sound intriguing? You can read all about them starting on page 7, thanks to Dana Meredith. She is the talented editor who crafts Top Finds, a regular column that features an eclectic mix of places and events you’ll want to add to your bucket list. It’s our mission to bring unique experiences and places to you. Luckily for us, America has plenty to explore—and this issue is full of them. On page 26, we serve up a stunning visual feast of 10 destinations that dazzle in fall, from the rocky bluffs of New York to the deserts of Arizona. Over in Ohio, writer Rich Warren takes you along…

VISIT THE HOME OF THE TROLLS Must-sees at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky FOREST GIANTS Meet the larger-than-life trolls constructed of recycled wood from the region by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. SENSORY GARDENS Individuals with unique learning abilities can immerse themselves in five gardens focused on taste, small, touch, sight and hearing. BIRD’S-EYE VIEW View the forest floor from 75 feet up on the Canopy Tree Walk, a short boardwalk that takes you into the treetops. LEARN MORE AT BERNHEIM.ORG.…

PENNSYLVANIA This year’s 5-acre corn maze extravaganza at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Ronks is designed by a former Disney Broadway producer and celebrates the beauty of America’s national parks. Get a game board and navigate the interactive 2½ miles of pathways at your own pace to solve clues, with Maze Masters standing by to help. Color-coded Challenge Chooser levels—from easy to difficult—let you tailor the experience. Come back at night with a flashlight for the Flashlight Maze and explore in the dark. (They haven’t lost anyone yet!) cherrycrestfarm.com WISCONSIN The 15-acre corn maze at Treinen Farm Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Lodi is the ultimate outdoor escape room. Get a map puzzle and navigate to seven mailboxes to find the missing pieces. For an even greater challenge, hunt…

FOR A NEW SPIN on fall, take a lovely pumpkin walk through Creekside Gardens in charming Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Spread across the property are more than 10,000 pumpkins and gourds swirled into eye-catching patterns. Look for dozens of pumpkins painted with silly faces or designed as a black cat or a butterfly. Throw in a scavenger hunt—quite a challenge—and you have a fun family event to enjoy throughout October. MORE TO EXPLORE BROWN HILL FARMS Visit this Tunkhannock farm to see more than 400,000 tulips in the spring, 30 acres of sunflowers in late summer, and a pumpkin patch and a corn maze in autumn. brownhillfarms.com RICKETTS GLEN In nearby Benton, this all-season state park has 26 miles of hiking trails and 22 waterfalls, the tallest of which is 94-foot Ganoga…

WAVE ORGAN SAN FRANCISCO, CA Listen closely at high tide for a liquid symphony of rumbles, gurgles and sloshings at the Wave Organ, a quirky acoustic sculpture conceived by artist Peter Richards and installed in collaboration with stonemason George Gonzalez in 1986. Rest on a bench while enjoying a view of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge as pitched tones are created by the impact of waves moving in and out of the pipes. exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ…

QUARTZITE ROCKS CREATE STUNNING FORMATIONS. Formed by glacial activity during the Ice Age, the moraine-speckled and densely forested landscape of south central Wisconsin has some of the prettiest scenery in the Badger State. In this area lies Devil’s Lake State Park, the crown jewel of Wisconsin’s park system. Known as Sacred Lake by the region’s indigenous Ho-Chunk tribe, the pristine, spring-fed waters of Devil’s Lake make it a must-visit for nature lovers. With more than 29 miles of hiking trails, including a portion of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the state’s largest park welcomes visitors in spring, summer and fall (trails are not maintained in winter). Today, I focus on what is perhaps the most famous pathway in Wisconsin, one of just 11 National Scenic Trails in the United…