You've probably heard of the Stanley Hotel. This century-old landmark in Estes Park, Colorado is the spooky spot that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining after he and his wife stayed there*. Now, you can design a giant hedge maze—inspired by the giant hedge maze in The Shining—on the Stanley Hotel grounds.
The Stanley Hotel Public Hedge Maze contest is now open for submissions. The goal is simple: Design a 61,500-square-foot hedge maze inspired by the hedge maze in Stanley Kubrick's movie, and use 1,600 to 2,000 Aspen currant hedge bushes to do it. The hotel has provided a simple template (PDF) as well as a very simple example of what a maze design might look like. Here's an up-close shot of the one from the movie:
The deadline is midnight on January 31. The prize? You get your "name placed on a recognition placard in the center of the maze."
But hey, winning the contest would also be a great chance to stay at the Stanley Hotel when the maze opens. The hotel evidently plays The Shining in a never-ending loop on channel 42 of the guest room TVs. Nightmares are complimentary. [Stanley Hotel via Neatorama]
* Stanley Kubrick didn't actually film The Shining at the Stanley Hotel, though. The exterior shots were taken at the palatial Timberline Lodge in Oregon. Funnily enough, the fancy hotel from Dumb and Dumber were actually filmed at the Stanley Hotel.
Images by Stanley Kubrick