Woodhaven, MI Outdoor Activities

Talladay Farms ushers in cool air and the smell of drying leaves with harvest-season festivities near an apple orchard. Each year, staff members chart out complex mazes that illustrate an annual theme—this year, it's pirates—across roughly 7.5 miles of twisting paths carved into 26 rolling acres of golden corn. When they're not meandering through the complex mazes, guests gather around bonfires and picnic tables or head next door to Wasem Fruit Farm's apple orchards and pumpkin patch. As Halloween nears, they convert the twisting and turning paths of one maze into a haunted labyrinth, where actors leap from the rustling dead stalks of corn wearing terrifying masks or shirts with facts about how often paper cuts happen. Conscientious staffers place several checkpoints throughout each maze and hand out maps to keep guests from getting lost.

The Earehart clan, boasting fourth- and fifth-generation equestrians and members of the United Professionals Horseman's Association in its ranks, shares their immeasurable equine knowledge with visitors during Liberty Stables' horse-riding and driving lessons. Liberty Stables' 40-acre facility––which includes an observation lobby, tack and feed rooms, and indoor wash racks––has served as a fruitful breeding ground for world and national horse-riding champions over the last 20 years. The seasoned equestrians also house four-legged companions available for sale, specializing in such breeds as american saddlebred, shetland, and ponies painted to look like zebras.

Extensively trained in the Hunter/Jumper riding tradition, Great Escape Stables owner Robyn Schamante harnesses her equestrian knowledge to guide students of all ages toward expert horsemanship and riding skills. During private and group lessons, Schamante and her amiable staff instill in their students the values of traditional horsemanship, such as kindness and respect for the stable’s docile mounts or gentleness when french-braiding a horse’s tail. Schamante also hosts special events, such as horse shows, throughout the year and day camps during the summer.

One empty school bus, twenty-seven abandoned cars, and a desolate two-story house are the only refuges for combatants roving an expansive urban field. Fourteen additional playfields set the stage for games, surrounding players in open fields and dense forests. It's at Futureball Paintball's 115-acre facility that friendly paintball and Airsoft battles unfold each day and have unfolded for more than 20 years. While vehicle carcasses characterize the urban landscapes, two airfields exhibit red inflatables that mimic the ruins of ancient bounce castles. Between games, a 5-acre picnic area serves as neutral ground to strategize and nibble snacks.

To ensure fair play, Futureball Paintball's staff leads brief orientations and monitors all action. They can also repair and upgrade guns.