September is right around the corner, which means the autumn season is about to commence. With only a couple of months left until Halloween, here is a list of eight things you should do this fall. Pack up that pumpkin, and get ready for some ghoulish good times.
1. Carve a pumpkin.
Nothing says fall quite like a jack o’ lantern. Pick-Your-Own farms are always a great way to support local businesses, but if you don’t have time to snip your own pumpkin from the vine, then a trip to the local farmer’s market is a close second. Not into pumpkins? The original jack O’ Lanterns were carved out of turnips. Really. Go old school this fall, and realize why progress is sometimes a very good thing.
2. Go on a ghost tour.
Any regular Weird Wanderings readers already know I’m a huge supporter of ghost tours. You learn the history of a city along with its spookiest tales. This fall, try a candlelit tour. Specters haunting the evening in the gloomiest places–what could be more Samhain than that?
3. Enjoy the fall foliage.
In September and October, a countryside drive through canopied back roads is a fantastic weekend activity that’s easy and inexpensive. However, if that won’t fit into your autumn agenda, even a casual stroll through a local park will do the trick. New England looks beautiful in the fall months, but the spectrum of colors in your own backyard is pretty glorious too.
4. Bake a fall recipe.
Butternut squash soup. Apple dumplings. The almighty pumpkin pie. The possibilities for fall recipes are endless, so don’t let the season pass without taking advantage of the in-season produce. No time to bake? Everywhere from Starbucks and Panera to Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds have plenty of pumpkin goodness to keep you in stock until the first snowfall.
5. Read a scary story–or a whole book of them.
There’s no better time than a cool autumn night to curl up with a book of scary stories. My personal favorite is Ray Bradbury’s seminal The October Country, but iconoclast writers like Hawthorne and Poe as well as more modern masters like Stephen King will get you ready for All Hallow’s Eve. And don’t feel bad if you decide to sleep with the lights on. That just means those scary stories worked their macabre magic.
6. Attend a harvest festival.
From Santa Fe to Bangor, most regions across the country feature at least one harvest festival. This is a great opportunity to go out and support the local charities and businesses that are often on hand at these festivals. Plus, with a plethora of fun activities and tasty food, you can get an all-inclusive autumnal experience for a modest admission price.
7. Visit a haunted attraction.
Haunted attractions come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and scares. You can opt for “canned” ghosts (e.g. Disneyworld’s Haunted Mansion) or you can frequent a place plagued with real ectoplasm (like abandoned prisons or hospitals) . Either way, the fall season isn’t complete without at least one ghostly encounter, so find a locale that makes your knees quiver. The closer to Halloween, the more tour options there will be, but these places fill up fast. Book early if possible. And a friendly reminder that we only support sanctioned urban spelunking. Trespassing makes weird wanderers everywhere look bad.
8. Dress up.
Halloween isn’t just for the kiddie set. Don’t be afraid to don your creepiest–or silliest–costume this fall. After all, Halloween only comes once a year; you should take advantage of the morbid merriment while you can.
Happy haunting!