People always ask us “What’s up with Boston?” This is the first part of a seasonal series answering that question.

Being in the New England during the Fall is pretty amazing regardless of where you live, but being in Boston is something else entirely. The foliage here is unarguably some of the best in the world, and it’s certainly one of the better perks of being here. One of our favorite vantage points to do some leaf peeping is while mountain biking in the Blue Hills, just a quick 20 minute drive [provided there isn’t any traffic 😉 ] from our office.

Back in the city, everyone has come back from their summer vacations and is heading to the office or classroom. Over a quarter of a million students flood into the Boston, the startup scene gears up for fundraising season and the city is host to dozens of entrepreneurial events centered around technology, innovation and design to get you inspired. Whether you’re into art, science, networking, design, food or music, there’s definitely something for you to check out.

Here were some of the more unique events that got the SPROUT crew stoked thus far:

• Allston Christmas – Most of the rental leases in Boston end and begin on September 1st. This makes for a chaotic day of moving truck traffic, some epic sidewalk shopping as long as you watch out for couches getting hurled off of nearby frat house balconies.
• The Solo Project – The inaugural gathering of Boston’s soloists, freelancers and entrepreneurs. They are designing the new world of work.
• Boston Calling // Fall – Boston’s biannual premier music festival is held just 3 blocks from our office at City Hall Plaza. Headlined by The Avett Brothers, alt-J, Father John, Chromeo and Alabama Shakes.
• Harpoon Octoberfest – No October is complete without venturing to Harpoon’s flagship brewing facility in the heart of Boston’s Seaport District. We recommend the Harpoon Dark, one of our favorite all time beers and only served at the Brewery.
• Freedom Fest – Half music festival and half pro-marijuana rally, Freedom Fest featured over 40 artists across two stages just one block from our office in Boston Commons.
• Grain Surfboards Re-Evolution – Our buddies up at Grain Surfboards in York, Maine hosted their 5th annual celebration to mark the change of the seasons.
• American Field – The best of American-made goods and the people who make them. Hosted Boston’s Ball & Buck in the 1.4 million square foot Innovation and Design building in the Seaport.
• Hubweek – Boston’s premier week long event features futuristic tech, engaging speakers and some really cool design. A couple favorites were:
  • MADE – MassChallenge’s Maker Space, MADE is where startups go to crank out their prototypes. 3D printers, tools, mentors, the whole shebang.
  • UBER Mentor – A pretty cool move from Uber where Boston VC’s, entrepreneurs and business leaders got behind the wheel to give advice and a lift.
  • Getaway – This Boston startup helps you get away and enjoy a simpler life? Getaway has ‘tiny house’ style rentals to help you get your zen on in the woods on New Hampshire for only $99 a night .
  • Harvard iLabs – Harvard hosted a bunch of events for HUBweek, but our favorite was the drone racing at Harvard Stadium.
  • MIT Solve – MIT hosted Solve, a cross-disciplinary program that featured a series of forums and collaborative sessions discussing some of the most pressing issues facing our planet today.
  • Illuminus Boston – More than 10,000 people showed up to Fenway Park for a multimedia and contemporary art exhibit with interactive installments, live music and mind bending displays.
• Halloween in Salem: Halloween is a spooky fun time of the year most places, but Salem takes it to an entirely different level. About a 100,000 people make the trek up to Salem for a night of costume contests, haunted tours, and a huge Halloween carnival.

These all bring a new kind of energy and inspiration level back to the office. All-in-all, Boston is a pretty great place to be a designer [or anyone else for that matter], and Fall is one of our favorite times to be here. The vibe of the city is cool, weather is great, and even the surfing has been epic!

Stay tuned for the next part of this series; Winter is Coming.