Mike’s Adventures in the Pumpkin Patch

Mike Eiler/Townsquare Media

One of the things I really enjoy about fall and Halloween are all the fun activities that my family and I can visit. If you're looking for something that you and the family can go to, make sure to visit our Events page.

On Saturday I loaded up the grandkids along with my wife, son and daughter and headed over to a pumpkin patch just south of Owatonna for a fun afternoon of adult and children corn mazes, a giant slide and bouncy house, bonfires, farm animals, a hayride, pumpkin chunkin', a sandbox filled with field corn, fun games, a children's train and more. We had a great time and we made into and back out of the corn maze with relatively no problems. My favorite part of the day was the hayride and the pumpkin chunkin' that followed. Pumpkin chunkin' is the sport of hurling the pumpkin using a catapult-like device, usually going for distance, although on this occasion it was strictly for entertainment.

Before leaving, we let the kids pick out some pumpkins to carve at home. My son's girlfriend found the strangest-looking gourd. It looks a lot like an octopus.