Most of the “Fall Festivals” I’ve experienced (in Southern California) are just a few pumpkins and bales of hay in some deserted parking lot next to noisy railroad tracks or a freeway. This is not the case in North Carolina. Really, the bar has been forever set for my kids. I don’t think they (or I) will ever be content with a parking lot pumpkin patch again.

We recently trekked out to a fall festival with Fuqua Families (a subgroup of Fuqua Partners), which is an amazing support system for any MBA student with a family. The group hosts a variety of activities for students and their families. It’s a great chance to get outside the walls of the business school and experience the area with second-year students and their families who act as seasoned guides. And the best part is that most of the activities are sponsored by the Fuqua Partners organization (which generally means it’s free!).

Given the fall backdrop, October’s activity was a pumpkin patch trip. The day was a whole new level of “pumpkin patching” for me and my family. Everything from tractor rides to corn mazes to face painting to a corn crib. What’s a corn crib? A giant box filled with 38,000 pounds of corn kernels, slide included — it was like a giant sandbox, only filled with corn. And of course, you get to trek out into the vast pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin right off the vine.

The event was a hit! We met fellow Fuquans and their families, spent the day outside in the fresh air, and of course, brought home a set of awesome pumpkins.

The fall season is upon us and the leaves are changing. If you haven’t lived somewhere with 4 full seasons, North Carolina catches all of them and it’s a sight to see.