What is there to do around Philadelphia when the holidays are over and everyone's gotten rid of their Christmas trees? How about visit a place where unsold Christmas trees from the area go to play?
And where would something like that be located? At Linvilla Orchards, just outside the city in Media, Pa.
Recently, Linvilla Orchards began an annual tradition of assembling unsold trees into an after-the-holidays Ultimate Recycled Christmas Tree Maze. It's fun, it's environmentally-responsible, it's a great way to get out and burn off some calories after the season is over and it's also just plain cool.
Think you've got a great sense of direction? Put your skills to the test at Linvilla Orchards — Photo courtesy of Linvilla Orchards
What in the world is a recycled Christmas tree maze? At Linvilla Orchards, it's a labyrinth of trees made from their collection of unsold tress from both their own inventory, as well as other area businesses that care to contribute. The staff takes these trees and arranges them into a pretty challenging maze that makes for a perfect activity for kids, tweens, teens and even adults.
Visitors take their turns trying to navigate the maze, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to much longer for the directionally-challenged. According to staff, no one has managed to complete the maze in under 20 minutes. But then again, it's not really meant to be a speed test.
An activity such as this one is great for the ho-hum days of winter when not a lot goes on, and finding things to do in the great outdoors is often challenging. A Christmas tree maze is not only cool, but it's also a great way to occupy some time for visiting family, friends or kids that just need some running-around time.
It's also nice to know the maze is more than just entertaining; it's a great effort to use thousands of unsold trees that otherwise would end up in landfills or be ground up into mulch.
Giving them life for a while longer to serve as walls and line pathways in the maze is a great way to help the environment while also providing the community with entertainment and a way to get out and get active. It's a win-win! And after the maze is done for the season, the trees will be recycled into fuel to heat the greenhouse on-site.
Patrons are told not to bother bringing or trying to use phone GPS systems, as the maze requires some human ingenuity to complete. Besides, it's more fun that way, right?
Linvilla Orchards' Ultimate Recycled Christmas Tree Maze is open through March 1, 2015.
