I think fall adventures can be broken up into a few important subcategories--picking, hiking, and peeping. Often, you can create an amazing day by combining all three.
Picking
In the Northern Hemisphere, fall means it's harvesting time. And what can be more fun than picking your own fruits and veggies? I grew up going apple picking and pumpkin picking with my family. As the youngest, I got to enjoy several years of simply riding in the wagon and enjoying everything going on around me. Later, I got to be the stepladder for my three older sisters. We often picked a variety of different apples for various purposes--baking, eating, rotten ones off the ground to see who could throw them the furthest.... It is best to see what the local choices are and what is in season when you go.
Unsure of where and what to pick? Check out your state's Department of Agriculture website. Most of them have guides to buying local and what is in season. You can also use Pick Your Own. It's not the best website in terms of appearance, but it is GREAT in having local farms, etc. You can also just use a search engine. Yelp is surprisingly good for this. Make sure to look up reviews and other information, as some orchards do not allow you to pick. Also, I tend to avoid anywhere that has wagon-rides, massive play areas, etc. This can be great, but take away from the time you spend with each other and often have an admission fee, rather than just paying for what you pick.
Hiking
Of course, a hike goes well with everything. What is better than busting your butt on a 5-mile hike and then feasting on fresh-picked strawberries? Not much. This can also just be a fun day outside at the park.
Peeping
What on earth, Ken!? This is simply what some of the New Englanders call New Yorkers who drive up and clog the highways to look at leaves. Leaves change depending on your climate and how your weather behaved that year. Because much of the Midwest was in a drought, the leaves will change especially early this year and might only have a few days with beautiful colors before jumping straight to brown. Where to go? This can often be found on local visitor guides, but my favorite is to stab a map and go there (which means you should get a good atlas).
Combining all three of these activities can make for a long, but very rewarding day before going home to bake and devour whatever you just picked. But the glory of God simply abounds in a day full of these three activities.
Missouri Department of Agriculture
Nebraska
New York
Coming up next time...Atlas or GPS? Greater Glory?
