It’s here; it’s finally here. 

Persephone has been reunited with Hades in the underworld, the Pagans have begun their harvest, the leaves have begun to change color and Halloweentown is back on TV.  Yes, friends, it’s everybody’s favorite time of the year again: Fall.

There is no better time of year to go out and indulge yourself in candy, pie, apples and Mother Nature than fall.  

Here, I’ll give you a few recommendations on the essential fun things to do this autumn. 

Ingest apple products. 

I know it’s unfortunate that we’re all stuck in Ohio and not Michigan (the apple capital of the Midwest) but that shouldn’t stop you from going out to one of the many apple orchards in our area.  A popular spot that many people go to is MacQueen’s Orchard’s in Holland, OH just a mere twenty minutes north of our beloved Bowling Green. 

MacQueen’s grows 16 different varieties of apples and you can go out and pick your own!  After a long day of walking around an orchard, relax and drink some of their delicious cider.  Just always remember the rule of cider – “If it’s clear and yella, you’ve got juice their fella. If it’s tangy and brown, you’re in cider town.”

Go outside. 

Fall is when Mother Nature puts on her best show.  There is nothing better than going outside into the crisp autumn air and looking down the street and seeing an explosion of red, yellow and orange leaves sit gently on the trees.  Put on your favorite sweater and take a walk outside.  It doesn’t have to be down a winding path in the forest (although that is the best) it can be down the block or just a stroll across campus.  

If you feel like taking a trip, Hocking Hills in Southern Ohio is magnificent this time of the year and the Toledo metro area has tons of great parks to walk around. Oak Openings and Wildwood are two of the best. 

Whatever you do, where you go, just get outside and enjoy the splendor of fall colors.  The Midwest is arguably the best place to be in the fall.  Go out and enjoy it.

Watch Halloween Movies.  

Just because it’s Halloween time, doesn’t mean you HAVE to watch scary movies.  Re-watch some of the childhood classics like. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Halloweentown.  Nothing is better than cuddling up in a blanket after trekking around outside than getting drenched in sweet, sweet nostalgia.  Or, go ahead and watch some scary movies.  

Grab your loved one, snuggle up and get ready to get the heck scared out of you watching some of these Halloween Classics: The Shining, The Babadook or Trick ‘r Treat. 

Become a pumpkin. 

We’re lucky we attend school here at BGSU where orange clothing is so popular because Orange is the official color of fall.  So, go put on your favorite orange garment, bake some pumpkin pies, buy some Halloween candy and indulge.  Gorge yourself silly and eat everything. Fatten yourself like a pumpkin and enjoy it, dangit.  This is the best time of the year and you should eat like it’s the best time of the year.