One way that Central Pennsylvania spoils us is through the enchantment of seasons. We all have our favorite time of year, but there is a certain air about fall that cannot be duplicated. Maybe fall’s beauty lies in watching the seasons shift as the leaves change, or maybe the essence of fall can be found in the comfort of a chunky knit sweater on game day with family. Either way, there is no denying fall’s charming spirit. This year, make fall an experience, not just another passing season. Ready to fall in love with autumn again? Here are thirty festive things to do this season.
Adventure, Explore, and Play
1. Get lost in a corn maze, go on a wagon ride, and enjoy more than fifty farm activities. • Cherry Crest Adventure Farm 150 Cherry Hill Rd., Ronks www.cherrycrestfarm.com / 717-687-6843
2. Water adventures aren’t just for summer! B’s Canoeing Guide Service offers the opportunity for groups to see the changing forest and natural attractions by boat on the Tunungwant Creek.
• Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau
80 East Corydon St., Bradford
www.visitanf.com / 1-800-473-9370
3. Put on your favorite pair of boots, paint your nails, and dig out a chunky sweater and scarf, because you’re going to a football game! Visit your alma mater or your favorite team for game day and tailgating. Want to spice things up? Have everyone bring their favorite chili recipe and have a cook off.
4. Relax around a campfire away from home at a historic location. Trip essentials: go for a hike to enjoy the scenery, ask a local for a favorite place to eat and indulge, and don’t forget the s’mores.
• Gettysburg Campground
2030 Fairfield Rd., Gettysburg
www.gettysburgcampground.com / 717-334-3304
5. Go to a pumpkin patch to find the "Great Pumpkin," Charlie Brown. • Brown’s Orchards & Farm Market 8892 Susquehanna Trl. S., Loganville www.brownsorchards.com / 717-428-2036 6. Visit an orchard and pick your own apples for your best apple pie yet. • Strites’ Orchard 1000 Strites Rd., Harrisburg www.stritesorchard.com / 717-564-3130
Around the Home
7. Spray paint and monogram a pumpkin for your front porch.
8. Combine two cinnamon sticks, orange peels, and allspice to create harvest potpourri.
9. Change your doormat to welcome fall.
10. Visit your favorite local nursery or garden center and add mums to our outdoor space. Have too many mums? Find two different sized vases, and put one vase inside of the other. Fill the outside vase with candy corn and cut a few mums for the smaller vase for a cute centerpiece.
11. Hollow out gourds and place tea lights inside for a small decoration that will fit in any space.
12. Don’t forget about the fall dish towels you stowed away.
13. Make a wreath or centerpiece out of bittersweet vine.
14. Rake the biggest pile of leaves, only to have the kids jump in them, then rake them again.
Visit www.Pinterest.com/SusquehannaStyl to see these ideas and more.
Need fall decorations, pumpkins, or plants? Try these locations:
• Hueter's Greenhouse 3465 Deininger Rd., York 717-755-5629 • KimRik Garden Center 1135 Beaver Valley Pike, Lancaster 717-464-9299 • Stauffers of Kissel Hill Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York www.skh.com
Get Spooked
15. Want to hear the untold (and haunted) stories of your favorite city? Take a ghost tour. • Gettysburg Ghost Tours www.gettysburgghosttours.com / 717-338-1818 • Ghost Tour of Lancaster City www.ghosttour.com / 717-687-6687 • Spooky York Downtown Dark History Tour www.donwtownyorkpa.com / 717-849-2331 16. Go to a Halloween parade. 17. Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner. • Bube’s Brewery 102 N. Market St., Mount Joy www.bubesbrewery.com / 717-653-2056
18. Host a Halloween party.
19. Have a pumpkin- carving contest.
20. Instead of sitting inside waiting for trick-or-treaters to arrive, bring a fire pit to the front yard. Want to be the favorite stop? Take a large pumpkin, hollow it out, place a clear glass bowl inside, fill it with ice and fill it with your favorite local pumpkin brew to serve to parents. For a kid friendly option, you can serve apple cider out of a cauldron.
21. Hersheypark in the dark! Ride “Roller ghosters,” partake in a Trick-Or-Treat Adventure, see the Creatures Of The Night through ZooAmerica, and more.
• Hersheypark
100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey
www.hersheypark.com / 1-800-437-7439
22. Watch your favorite Halloween movie with candy corn, Emma’s Caramel Corn, and Wyndridge Farm’s cider.
• Emma’s Gourmet Popcorn
261 Hill Rd., New Holland
www.emmaspopcorn.com / 717-354-8064
• Wyndridge Farm
885 S. Pleasant Ave., Dallastown
www.wyndridge.com / 717-244-9900
Gve Thanks
23. Take time to clear out your cabinets and donate non-perishable items to your local food bank. • Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Harrisburg Warehouse 3908 Corey Rd., Harrisburg www.centralpafoodbank.org / 717-564-1700
24. Make a “Thankful For” list of ten great things that happened so far in 2015.
25. Do a Thanksgiving Day craft. Can't go wrong with the classics: handprint turkeys and pilgrim hats.
26. Host a Friendsgiving. Play football, bring Thanksgiving leftovers, and host a dinner party to celebrate the friendships you are thankful for.
27. Enjoy a gin cobbler. Add one ounce Bluecoat American Dry Gin, three ounces sherry or wine, two bar spoons of sugar, and two slices of orange to an ice-filled shaker, shake vigorously, double-shake, top with crushed ice, and garnish with fruit and mint.
• Bluecoat American Dry Gin
Taste and Sip The Season’s Best
28. Get up early, or sleep in, and enjoy pumpkin-stuffed french toast from The Hershey Pantry. • The Hershey Pantry 801 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey www.hersheypantry.com / 717-533-7505 29. Stay out late, or go after work, and enjoy a seasonal cocktail from Checkers Bistro. • Checkers Bistro 398 Harrisburg Ave. Suite 700, Lancaster www.checkersbistro.com / 717-509-1069 30. Pumpkin spice coffee and apple crumble lattes? Yes, please! • The Green Bean Roasting Co. 100 S. Beaver St., York www.greenbeanroasting.com / 717-848-4070