#EscapeWithNCAg is a year-long series that will focus on agritourism across North Carolina. Many farms, wineries and other agricultural businesses in our state offer events such as tours, yoga, educational classes, pick-your-own events and festivals, to entertain the public and teach them about our state’s number one industry. Each Thursday, we will feature a new site for you to visit with friends or family. Stay tuned and learn how to escape the stresses of life by diving into agriculture!
Making fall memories with family and friends is what life is all about at Hubb’s Farm NC in Clinton. In 2008, the Peterson family began looking for ways to involve the community on their fifth-generation family farm. “I grew up on the farm learning from my father, James Hubbard, who the farm was named after, on how to grow and harvest tobacco as well as raise hogs,” said Tammy Peterson, current owner of Hubbs Farm. “In later years, however, we wanted a way to invite the community out to the farm and also raise the next generation of leaders on the farm to keep the legacy going, thus our agritourism operation was born.”
The corn maze and Fall Festival were two of the very first events hosted at Hubbs Farm nearly sixteen years ago. “I always say that we can bridge the gap between the public and agriculture through events on our farm,” Tammy said. From field trips and educational tours to their Fall Festival and pumpkin patch, Hubbs Farm is well-known in the community today and has become a place for families and friend groups to learn about life on the farm and make core memories together.
Fall Festival is taking place now through November 4th and features a variety of fun activities for kids and adults alike, including a corn maze, farm tracks game, gem mining, ball toss game, Sampson Slide and Tube Slide, Cranky Combine Ride, farm animals, hayrides, pumpkins and more! “Our fifteen-acre corn maze is themed after the Three Sisters Swamp this year and includes many fun shapes and turns, including an otter,” Tammy said. “Throughout the maze, families can play our farm track game, where they find different shapes and keys throughout the maze to help educate them on agriculture, animals and more.” Fall Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. General admission costs $21.95 per person on the weekends and $16.95 per person during the week. Pumpkins are $3 for anyone who would like to take a hayride into the field and pick one for their family. “One of my favorite activities at fall festival is seeing families playing our ball toss game because it is an activity that brings everyone together,” Tammy said. “My husband, John, built the game, along with several of the other activities on the farm, and it has always been something that we loved to do as a family. So, watching others take joy in the competition is a lot of fun!”
While attending the Fall Festival at Hubbs Farm, visitors can learn a lot about our state’s agriculture industry. “We have a commodity trail where people can walk through and learn about the top ten commodities grown in North Carolina,” Tammy said, “and we also have farm animals on-site, including donkeys, chickens, goats and more, where visitors can learn about their involvement in agriculture and benefits to the industry.” Beyond agriculture, Hubbs Farm also hosts a character traits trail where people can learn about valuable life skills, including honesty and perseverance. “We even added a fun ag twist to this trail and paired each characteristic with the farm animal that best displays that quality,” Tammy said. “We want people to come here and not only leave educated but impacted and changed for the better.”
Don’t miss the all-new Pioneer Escape Trail when you visit Hubbs Farm this fall. It is the very first Escape Trail in North Carolina! “Our staff and partners have spent countless hours making this a fun experience for church groups, teens and families,” Tammy said. “Participants will go through six stations where they will have to solve puzzles and figure out clues to reach the answers. It’s like an escape room but all over the farm!” The escape trail will cost $30 per group.
Although Tammy loves sharing the farm with families across the state and watching them learn about the magic of agriculture, her favorite part is seeing the bond that is created between friends and families. “The feeling that I get by seeing people come to the farm, something that my family and I have built, and make memories together that will last a lifetime, is something I can’t even put into words,” she said. “When people visit the farm, my goal is to have them fall in love with what we do and the experience that it brings their family so much so that they come back every year.” Don’t miss your chance to attend the Fall Festival at Hubbs Farm this year and make memories with your friends and family that will last a lifetime!
