Driving down Tulin Road a robust cornfield hides an intricate maze in the shape of an orca whale leaping out of the verdant earth. It’s a sign that Sunrise Hill Farm is taking a leap of its own – into agri-entertainment – and offering a unique and quintessentially autumnal, get-back-to-the-farm, family outing in Kingston.

The 100-plus-year-old barn and farmstead, encompassing 23 acres of fields, pasture and a small pond, are vibrating with new life as Sunrise Hill is now open to the public, offering a two-acre corn maze, snack shack, u-cut flowers, u-pick pumpkins, a mini hay maze for little kids, live music with the Kingston techno band, All of the Olives, and a jump in the hay inside the old barn. Later in the month, there will be a ‘pumpkin slinger’ set up to fling pumpkins airborne.

The maze itself is an a-maize-ing creation and perfect place for older kids, teens and adults to explore from beginning to end, which takes about 40 minutes. The maze was planted in spring in the shape it’s grown into now by a company specializing in corn mazes. Explorers start out the maize quest with a punch card and try to navigate through, stopping at six stations along the way to punch their cards (that way, they’ll know if they’re literally running in circles).

The farm is the former homestead of the Arness family who built the barn and house in the 1890s. In addition to boarding horses, three years ago, the u-pick flower garden was planted and began attracting a lot of brides who wanted to create their own special bouquets and arrangements. The idea to provide other activities grew from there.

Now a new generation is hoping to make the farm self-sufficient again with this foray into agri-entertainment. But amongst the buzz of new activity, the history of the farm still resonates in the sturdy frame of the red barn and 100-year-old gravenstein apple trees laden with a taste of the past.

“It’s a wholesome place for families to come and have fun,” said Kim Williams. Her mom, Chris Plummer, has owned the farm about 30 years, and now Williams and her sisters, Gayle Waxon and Michelle Rogers, who all grew up there, are pitching in to find creative ways for the community to enjoy the farm while providing funds to support it.

“We want to keep the farm a farm,” Williams said. “The homestead still has all these original buildings – we’ve just got to keep them up.

“And it’s just fun. You bring people up here and it’s just like stepping back in time. You slow down the pace – that’s what people love about it.”

The maze and other activities are open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in September and Wednesdays through Sundays in October. On Friday and Saturday nights from 8-10 p.m., the maze is open to for Flashlight Maze Madness (bring your own flashlight). Tours for school groups and other community organizations are available.

Williams’ husband, Duffy, runs the snack shack, offering hotdogs, beverages, corn-on-the-cob and sweet treats. When he’s not at the farm, he’s getting his own recording company off the ground, Williams Records, and has a mobile recording studio. He also has contacts with a lot of local entertainment and set up a small stage at the farm for evening entertainment.

The cost for the maize quest through the corn maze is $5 for adults, $3 for children 6-11 years and free for those five and under. The pumpkin patch opens Oct. 1 and has a variety of sizes. The u-cut flowers are open everyday, dawn to dusk featuring a Technicolor array of stunning dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, asters, lavender, flax and more. Pick your own or purchase ready-made bouquets. A pumpkin-carving contest is planned for Oct. 25 (bring your own carving tools). Other activities will be scheduled later in the month so check the Web site for updates at www.sunrisehillfarm.com.

Sunrise Hill Farm is located at 11033 NE Tulin Road, Kingston, (360) 509-5378. For more information, including special events that will be added throughout the month, go to www.sunrisehillfarm.org.