Maize-area families looking for a new fall destination after Cedar Creek Farms & Pumpkin Patch closed last year will have one. The Sedgwick County Commission approved a conditional use permit for Woody's Family Farm, a 65-acre operation at 7799 W. 53rd St. North in Maize set to open Sept. 25.
The permit, approved in early August according to the Wichita Eagle, allows Gage and Stacy Woodard to run the seasonal agritourism business on the rural property where they live. The couple purchased Cedar Creek's playground equipment and outbuildings after that business shut down in October 2025 and had everything relocated to their land by the end of February.
Stacy Woodard, an agriculture teacher at Maize Career Academy, told the Eagle she first floated the idea to her husband after reading about Cedar Creek's legal troubles in 2025.
"Well, there's a business for you," she recalled telling him. "I guarantee you there's going to be a pumpkin patch for sale by the end of the fall."
Gage Woodard handles feed sales and deliveries for Woodard Mercantile, the family's farm-and-ranch supply store his parents Gerald and Leslye Woodard founded in Maize in 1991.
Hours, prices and attractions
Woody's Family Farm will offer more than 14,000 pumpkins to pick, a half-acre corn maze, a petting zoo, hay rides, pig races, a barrel train, a playground, pony and horse rides and concessions. For its first season, the farm will operate Fridays through Sundays only, running through Nov. 1.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
Admission covers all activities: $15 for a single-day pass, $35 for a season pass and $65 for a family day pass covering two adults and up to three children under 18.
Cedar Creek's closure
Cedar Creek Farms & Pumpkin Patch opened in 2019 at 6100 N. 119th St. in Maize. Owners Aaron and Kara Smith were charged with child abuse in May 2025 and closed the business that October.
On Aug. 7, both Smiths pleaded not guilty to one count of child abuse each. Their jury trials are scheduled for Oct. 30.
What's next
The Woodards plan to eventually open on weekdays to attract school field trip groups and expand the corn maze in future seasons.
