Yes, children. There is a land of perfect pumpkins. In a land not so far away, called Indiana, there is a special place called Russell Farms.

That is how I felt when I arrived at their pumpkin patch back in 2011. Maybe the sun was extra bright that day. Or maybe I was in a really terrific mood because I love being out in the country/on a farm/in a pumpkin patch. But I could’ve sworn that some farmhand had been up late POLISHING the pumpkins. They looked shiny to me. I was stunned. I asked my brother to take lots and lots of pictures. He laughed.

Because he always take lots and lots of pictures. Which is a good thing for you.

 

Don’t these pumpkins look amazing? Yes, I do see now – 6 years later – that there is some dirt.  But in the moment, it was all pretty perfect. If you are near Russell Farms, I would highly recommend a stop. They also had mini golf, a corn maze and a hot dog stand.

Yep, and there’s me. In my farm element. Clearly entertained.

That was a while ago, but certainly not the only time Indiana has wowed me with her fall beauty.

I’ve been to the IU – Bloomington area twice. The campus is gorgeous! This was a small chapel we found on the property tucked away in the trees. My brother took me to a football game there. Did I mention that I love college football?

Both times I have eaten at this charming little house called The Runcible Spoon for breakfast. When my family came, my daughter enjoyed it so much we returned again the next morning at her request for our mother-daughter date.

This used bookstore, Boxcar Books, is small but across the street from The Runcible Spoon for after-breakfast browsing. I found a Frank Sinatra biography here on a previous trip. If you are looking for a regular bookstore, this one called the Book Corner was the best I found. They had a truly incredible selection. Worth a stop if you love books! We also bought some unique art supplies at Pygmalion’s near the university.

Then we drove out to Brown County, an artist’s colony turned popular arts, music and shopping destination. The kids loved all the popcorn, candy and fudge places. They have amazing programs running all the time – check it out!

This last trip we stayed at the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Lake Monroe. It was awesome! If you have kids, they will love it. There are almost constant fall activities planned from painting pumpkins to kickball, a jumping pillow, hay rides, trick or treating, movies and more. My son loved it. We did as many activities as we could given that we had come to Indiana to explore Bloomington and Brown County. It is the kind of campground where you could come and stay and not need to go out.

You will LOVE Indiana in the fall. It has certainly earned it’s place on my Fall Favorites list.