9 October Activities You Won't Want to Miss

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For the majority of Americans, the first eddies of crisp autumn air stir a joy that no other time of year can match. Fall is the time for quieter parts of the soul to emerge as hectic summer schedules give way to cozy evenings by the fire.

But just because things are getting cozy doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do! Autumn offers some truly delightful activities that you can’t find in any other season, and the month of October, with its combination of intense fall colors and Halloween festivities, is the very best time to enjoy them.

Good news! We’re here to help you choose the best of these.

Whether you’re into the hay-riddled fun of fall festivals, the eerie vibes of a haunted house attraction, or you simply love to marvel at the multicolored leaves, itself, there’s something of fall to love for anyone. Even if you’re a diehard fan of the warmer months, fall is the time to quiet your mind, lower your guard, and allow yourself to enjoy something new.

But whether you’re a fall veteran or a summertime fish-out-of-water, there’s probably an autumn outing you’ve yet to try. Let’s check out the top 9 October activities you won’t want to miss so that you can experience fall to the fullest.

Enjoy a Hayride

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Think hayrides are just for kids? Think again. The best of these place you in an old-fashioned wagon loaded up with comfortable hay, and pull you through some of the most beautiful autumn landscapes you’ll ever see.

Hayrides connect us to the past, and to one another, as they remind us of times when the harvest season was a community-wide event. Leaping aboard a wagon like the farmhands of old and telling jokes and stories makes for a lovely evening that hearkens back to earlier times.

There are two types of hayrides: traditional and modern. Modern hayrides, which are far easier to find, feature wagons pulled by tractors or trucks. Traditional hayrides, though, feature carts pulled by horses or vintage tractors, and are a great way to connect with the history of your region.

On a hayride, you’ll have the opportunity to relax as the crisp, fall wind caresses your face, and the smell of wood smoke drifts on the air. Of all fall activities, this may just be the most iconic—don’t leave it for the young. Join them!

Go Leaf-Seeing

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There’s no doubt about it—fall is the most beautiful time of year. Although the flowers of spring, the greens of summer, and the sparkling whites of winter hold their own beauty, autumn has a multicolored magic that’s like nothing else.

That’s why one of the best fall activities lies in travel.

In autumn, the leaves are fire. Color begins to creep in as the air cools, and suddenly, explosions of reds and oranges and yellows race across the countryside, turning the forests into nature’s kaleidoscope. Now is the time for that road trip, vacation, or hike you’ve been putting off. With perfect weather and beautiful foliage, this is a great time to travel to a destination known for its autumn splendor.

Viewing this beauty is the heart of enjoying fall, so despite the cozy weather, don’t remain inside during these most beautiful months of the year. Put on your sweater, jacket, and scarf, and go leaf-seeing.

Head to Your Local Apple Orchard

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Fall is apple-picking season, and this autumn activity can be a great way to get outside, go on a romantic date, or just show your kids where the fruit they love really comes from!

September, October, and November are some of the best months to harvest apples throughout America. It’s also the time when apple orchards across the country open their doors to the public and allow you to pick and buy your own apples. In the midst of planning your hayrides and fall leaf-seeing trips, set aside some time for a fun outing to the farm.

A day amongst the apple trees has it all: romance, exercise, fresh, fall air, and of course, natural beauty. And even better, most orchards have a host of other amenities such as breweries, restaurants, fresh apple products, and fantastic views.

So whether you’re looking to steal a kiss from your beloved between the apple trees, or you’re looking for a day of family fun, you can’t go wrong with apple picking this fall. Try it!

Get Lost in a Corn Maze

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Have you ever gotten yourself blissfully lost in a corn maze during a fall celebration? If not, you’re missing out—this is a staple of the autumn harvest experience.

Corn mazes are a popular tradition, both in America and abroad, wherein farmers design winding paths through specially-grown fields of corn. These mazes are often quite intricate, and can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to walk. The largest corn maze ever, in fact, was over 60 acres in size!

But whether you want the challenge of navigating 60 acres of stalky passageways by flashlight, or you’d like a brief jaunt through a half-acre with your family, there’s a maze for you. Often, mazes are designed around a theme—there are frightening, Halloween-themed mazes, competition-oriented mazes, and mazes cut into notable images.

Often, corn mazes are included with a host of other fun fall activities, so if you’re out celebrating the changing leaves, don’t leave out this traditional fall walk through the corn.

Decorate With Fall Flair

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The changing of the seasons is a fantastic excuse to change your home décor. Just as the summer greens give way to the reds, yellows, and browns of fall, so should your interior design.

When decorating for autumn, think about the colors and textures that are now in abundance right outside your door. You can fill your vases with faux wheat, use pumpkins and gourds as centerpieces, and litter rustic textures throughout your home, such as burlap, rope, and wood. Switch out blankets and pillows, opting for plaid and deep hues.

Outside, add a rocking chair and pumpkins to your porch, and hang a fall wreath on your door. If you really want to go all-in, find a hay bale or two to give your entryways a rustic flair.

Finally, bring the outside in by collecting fallen leaves, corn husks, and sticks, turning them into gorgeous hand-crafted pieces of art for your home.

Get the whole family in on the fun this fall by switching out colors, textures, and decorations.

Attend a Fall Festival

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Fall festivals not only combine many of the autumn activities we’ve mentioned here, but also bring entire communities together, giving you the chance to engage in some fall-flavored fun with your friends and neighbors.

Celebrations of the harvest season are an ancient tradition dating far into antiquity. These festivals were, historically, thrown in order to give thanks to various spiritual forces for the season’s harvest of life-sustaining food. These ancient parties were diverse, but most were marked by the commonalities of ample food, drink, song, and socialization.

Today, we carry on this tradition in much the same way gathering at farms and pumpkin patches to go on hayrides, navigate corn mazes, listen to live music, and eat rustic foods. Every region has its own unique take on the fall festival, and so if you want to take in a variety of celebrations, some traveling may be in order.

Some of the bigger festivals include the Breckenridge Oktoberfest in Colorado, the Circleville Pumpkin Show in Ohio, and the Cranberry Harvest Fest in Massachusetts. But you don’t need to attend one of these in order to have fun—just head over to your local farm and you’re likely to find a great time this fall.

Open Every Window

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If you feel that opening your windows isn’t a noteworthy event, you’ve never tried it on a beautiful, fall day.

Think about it. You keep your house shut up tight during the winter and summer in order to maintain a comfortable temperature. Often, we do the same in spring because of the infamous allergies of the season.

But fall? That’s a different story. The air isn’t only cool and comfortable, but only a quarter of us are as allergic to autumn allergens as we are those of the spring months.

Now is the perfect time to experience the benefits of natural ventilation.

Opening your windows saves on electricity—when you do so, you don’t need all those noisy fans, and you don’t need to keep cycling between heat and air conditioning as temperatures fluctuate. The gentle fall breezes will keep your home cool, dry, and comfortable.

A little fresh air can improve anyone’s mood, so kick off the first day of fall by opening every window you can.

Get Haunted

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Did someone say Halloween? This holiday lies at the heart of fall, and its spooky traditions are beloved by many. And so this fall, why not make preparations to both scare and get scared?

If you want to be afraid this Halloween, your options are many. Nearly all theme parks, such as Busch Gardens, King’s Dominion, Six Flags, and Disney World have some truly frightening attractions to commemorate the holiday. In addition to this, most towns and cities are host to a number of haunted house attractions, and murder mystery dinner productions. And if you’re feeling truly daring, you can even try a frightening escape rooms.

If you’d rather be the frightener rather than the frightened, you can go all-out this Halloween and make your own home into a haunted house. Up the creep factor with a scary soundtrack, and fake spider webs, and if you really want to put the fear into trick-or-treaters, disguise yourself as an inanimate mummy or hay-filled figure, and leap up when they approach.

Halloween is the time for fun and scares, and both are readily at hand when this holiday rolls around.

Race For the Best Pumpkin in the Patch

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Finally, we have the quintessential pilgrimage every autumn-lover is compelled to take: the annual voyage to the pumpkin patch.

Pumpkins have long been an important part of American culture. Before Europeans arrived, Native Americans cultivated pumpkins as a primary food source, and introduced them to those first European settlers. Pumpkins were an important food to these early American settlers and Native Americans, and this importance has ingrained the pumpkin into our culture.

The carving of these pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is another old tradition that began hundreds of years ago in Ireland, and was carried to America by Irish immigrants. Originally, it was potatoes and turnips which were carved, but once these immigrants discovered how easily pumpkins could be hollowed and carved, the first pumpkin jack-o’-lanterns were born.

Now, many families have made a tradition out of heading out to their local patch and having each family member pick out their own pumpkin. It’s a great way for everyone to come away with their own little piece of autumn history.