Why Hubb’s Farm Is Worth Visiting (& What Makes it So Unique)

Agritourism is a booming industry. People are increasingly looking for quality food, local crafts, and other goods that are produced by the people who grow them. This is possible because traditional farms are transforming into agritourism destinations. One such place is Hubb’s Farm in Sampson County NC. Hubb’s has been in business for 14 years and they use every inch of the land to show families how important Agriculture is to the community. In conjunction with Cape Fear Farm Credit and Tabletop Media Group as well as Hubb’s Farm come along with me and experience the beauty that is North Carolina Agriculture.

First, let me say that the location of Hubb’s Farm is on point. They are located right on Hwy 421 in Clinton, NC. My experience was a little bit different than the others along for the trip as I drove separately because it just made sense for me because it was only about an hour from my house instead of driving to Raleigh and catching the bus. On my drive, I was able to experience the beautiful countryside and watch for farmers out working their jobs. I was even able to snap a picture for a future story along the way.

Arriving at Hubb’s I waited in the car for the rest of the group to arrive. But as I waiting I got to observe the multiple school field trips that were there. That is one thing I miss about not working at the farm this season is that I don’t get to see the excitement on the kids’ faces as they come out to enjoy the farm.

Let me first start off by saying I think farmers are the most genuine and sweetest people there are in this world. I know I have mentioned it before but it bears saying it again.

Hubb’s catchphrase is Growing Crops of Fun. And that is exactly what they do. Our small group was treated to everything that Hubb’s Farm had to offer courtesy of John and Tammy ( the owners) and Cape Fear Farm Credit. I learned so much on this trip that I can’t even begin to tell you how important it is to talk to farmers whether it be at the farmer’s market or at their place of business, they are more than happy to share about what they do and you can see when you are talking to them the passion for what they do in their eyes.

The first event of the day was a hayride. And let me start by saying that they have put thought into making sure that everyone will enjoy the hayride. ( First no hay, making it okay for people with allergies to ride). But they also have handicap accessible hayrides ( yep that is right) the two hayrides they had running both had apparatuses on them to allow for wheelchairs. I think this was the first time I had ever seen one of those.

On the hayride, Tammy chatted with us about the history of their farm. She told us even though she grew up on a farm, she actually had a degree in accounting. She talked a lot about her dad and what he would have thought about the family-friendly farm that her family has created.

On the hayride, we passed by several fields of flowers and sunflowers. Remember when I mentioned earlier how they thought of everything well guess what that goes for thinking about props for photos. In the fields, there was an old VW bug, an old tractor, an old-timey claw foot tub as well as a piano. And that is just the flower fields.

After passing through the flower fields, we stopped at the maze. Their maze is actually made from sorghum. You may recall I wrote about this when I visited The Never Ending Flower Farm. They said for a few years they tried corn but because like most farmers they are dependent on the weather, that if they have drought the corn doesn’t grow. So sorghum, as they put it, is an idiot-proof plant, and basically, you plant it and let it do its own thing. I was totally impressed by how many different mazes they had cut of their maze. In one maze kids have a be a detective and try to figure which farm animal stole the pie.

Another maze teaches kids all about character traits and what each trait means. There is also an expert maze for those that need a little bit of a challenge. Let me just brag on their staff for a minute, Rex who was manning the corn maze entrance was super helpful and as we were limited in time he suggested a maze for us to go through. He was super sweet and so funny. Smiling on the whole time we chatted with him. One of the bloggers, I think it was Meghan from I’m Fixin’ To Blog mentioned that even with a GPS ( which did I mention that their maze was GPS enabled) she would still get lost. I will have to admit that I would get lost as well.

( Insider Sidenote and Confession- When I worked at Odom Farming Company I would sometimes have to take school groups through the maze. Let’s just say I let them take the lead and followed up behind them because I didn’t know the maze by heart. 🙂 )

Continuing on the Hayride, we passed animal acres. This is where there are animals for the visitors to look at – but they ask that you not touch them as sometimes animals can be unpredictable. And yes for all of you are that wondering, there was a cow. His name was Junior and he was beautiful. They also had horses, llamas, sheep, and more. And Pigs.

Now let me get to the pigs. Because this is a working farm they do have hog houses at the back of their property. ( Don’t worry I will be getting into hog farming soon with my friend Marlowe. So I won’t be chatting about the ins and outs of hog farming here but look for a post soon.) But I will say that it wasn’t until we got almost right on top of the hog houses did the aroma of the pigs touch our noses. And then it was only for a few minutes depending on which way the wind blew. So don’t let that deter you from visiting Hubb’s if you are passing through or if you live nearby.

Once we passed the hog houses, Tammy pointed out a pond where one of the previous owners had a bullfrog farm. ( Y’all I didn’t even know that was such a thing. So I will be investigating that soon.) She said that he would raise bullfrogs to sell to restaurants. ( I love how diverse farming is don’t you?)

During the hayride, Tammy and the folks from Farm Credit- Evan, Brook, and Janna answered questioned about farming and how they are in partnership with each other. I love how they all work together to make sure that everyone is successful and happy.

After the hayride, we were free to explore the grounds. We saw so many pollinators aka bees.

We walked down the commodity trail. This was just another way that they are teaching about the importance of agriculture in society. I snapped the picture of the Sweet Potato one because I will be chatting about sweet potatoes next week here on the blog.

The day ended at the pumpkin patch. Y’all I was impressed with how many varieties of pumpkins they had grown on the vine. This is the first year that I haven’t had at least 5 or more pumpkins on the front porch of the blog cabin. But I will say that this is the first time I actually picked a pumpkin from the vine that it was growing on. ( I always worked in the ticket booth at the farm I worked out so all the pumpkins for sale were right there with me so I never went to the field to pick out my own.)

Then it was time to go with Poppy Pumpkin in the passenger seat I made my way home driving the back roads with an even newer appreciation for what farmers do. I saw several farmers working in the field but unlike on my drive to Hubb’s Farm, there were people behind me so I couldn’t stop and snap a few pictures. But believe me, I saw a few things that I will be going back and taking pictures of soon.

Here is more information about Hubb’s Farm.

Hubb’s Farm is open in spring and fall/winter with a wide variety of events and activities, including the popular 10-acre corn maze, and is a year round venue to book parties and events. The farm also offers educational school tours and popular packages for corporate outings, birthday parties, family reunions and more. It is located at 10276 N, US-421, Clinton, NC 28328.