Montgomery – Fall is always a fun time in Texas. As the temperature around Texas starts to dial back a bit, you’ll also find a few cornfields built for brave souls who don’t mind getting lost for a little while.
We decided to test our sense of direction down in Montgomery at P-6 Farms.
“It’s so cool, isn’t it?” Carey Poole said.
Carey Poole is the leading lady at P-6 Farms which is a far cry from her uprising in an urban setting.
“I’m a city girl,” Carey said. “I’m from Austin. Never in a million years would I have thought this was my job.”
She started this harvest festival with her husband Bo after he had one heck of an idea.
“My husband is an old soul at heart,” Carey said. “Anything that brings back the past, that’s what he loves to do.”
Tired of tirelessly working on the road with construction and storm cleanup, Bo wanted to make the family farm a tourist attraction tied to agriculture. So, in 2011 P-6 Farms formally let people flood their fields.
“It just seemed like it was the right thing for our family to do, bring him home and be all together as a network,” Carey said. “His mom works out in the grill. My mom works in the pumpkin patch. My dad works at the front gate. If it weren’t for our kids and our family, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
Over the course of eight weekends in the fall, thousands make their way to Montgomery to pick the perfect pumpkin, cozy up to cotton and let the kids blow off some steam.
“I love it,” Carey said. “There’s nothing better than the giggles of kids. They come in clean as a whistle, smiling, happy, ready to have a grand time. They leave filthy dirty, crying because they don’t wanna leave. So, I know I’m doing my job.”
The biggest attraction at P-6 is an eight acre corn field that happens to be one big maze.
“Is it not crazy?” Carey said.
This laid out labyrinth isn’t just random rows and routes. There’s a method to the maze madness. To get a good idea about what you’re dealing with, it’s better to have a sky-high view. It takes about a year to plan out what particular pattern the corn maze will have. With a World Championship still fresh on the minds of fans, a huge field dedicated to the Houston Astros has been a home-run, except for the folks who can’t find their way out.
“All the time they get lost,” Carey said. “But, that’s why we have a 30-foot tower. So they can look up, signal how do I get out. They tell them right, left, straight, go this way, go that way, and it’s all in good fun.”
Getting caught up in this corn maze is only a small part of what Carey hopes families carry out of this experience.
“They need to spend quality time outdoors,” Carey said. “They need to de-escalate and enjoy themselves.”
It’s also a learning experience for kids who might not get a chance to go to the farm frequently.
“It’s nice for the kids to know where the food comes from,” Carey said. “Majority of them have no idea where their food comes from. It comes from the grocery store. So, it’s nice to educate them about the importance of farmers.”
Eventually the field will be plowed, and the corn turned into feed, but for a few weeks in the fall you can get lost on a little piece of property known as P-6 Farms. Make sure to check out this fleeting fall experience that is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.
“We’re already planning for next year,” Carey said. “You plan before your current season is up.”