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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter.

Summer is over and your tan lines are fading so what do you do now? You fall into Autumn that’s what! Although we may miss the pool days, 90-degree weather and sweet milkshakes, now is the time to embrace the beauty of the leaves changing colors and the air getting cooler. Here are some ways to start your fall days.

Arts and Crafts

Since fall isn’t necessarily just spooky season, it is also thanksgiving as well. Arts and crafts are a great way to unwind and just enjoy some time with your friends. Paint pumpkins, or different types of squash, for fun. We all know we haven’t made hand turkeys since kindergarten so why not make one now!? Make this one fun and creative.

Apple Orchard

Infamous apple picking is a major part of fall. Search up your local farms and see if they have an apple orchard as well. Go out and pick some fresh apples and enjoy some time with your friends and family in the nice fall weather. If you’re lucky, you might even get some good VSCO pics while you are at it.

Pumpkin Patch

Since it is indeed spooky season, visit your local pumpkin patch to pick out a nice pumpkin to turn into a Jack-o-lantern. While you are there, just embrace the beautiful colors of the different types of squash there are. Take some pictures to capture these fall moments and explore to see what else they have.

Pumpkin Carving

After you hit up that pumpkin patch and pick your perfect pumpkin, grab a knife and get creative. Search up some pictures on Pinterest for inspiration or even hold a contest with a couple of friends for some fun.

Farmers Market

What’s better than fresh grown foods? Chocolate, but that’s not the point. Go venture out and visit your local farmers market for some freshly grown fruits and vegetables. A lot of thanksgiving food will be prepared soon so why not check out some of the locals selling their crops.

Movie Watching

On those really bitterly cold fall nights, you can never go wrong with some basic movie watching. Although some people may oppose horror movies, others are true fanatics. If you are one of those, compose a list of movies that you would like to watch, pop some popcorn and get the show started.

Haunted Houses

Most haunted houses are indeed open from October all the way to November so there is plenty of time for this. Search up some haunted houses, snatch up a group of friends and head on over for a slight adrenaline rush. Nothing screams fall more than you running from the slasher character chasing you.

Corn Mazes

Want a challenge? Something that can give you an edge and maybe put you under pressure? Head over to a corn maze. It’s spooky season so why not accept it and head on over with some friends to a corn maze. It’s a great challenge and may even create some great memories on who got lost the fastest.

Bake Sweets

Now is the perfect time to satisfy that pumpkin spice craving you’ve been having. Look up some recipes for Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin spice lattes and even cookies. Try something new in the kitchen and maybe even do this with your family for a little family bonding time in the home.

Bonfire

The most notorious fall activity of them all is a bonfire. Who can turn down sitting around the fire and telling ghost stories in the darkness of the night? A great bonding experience with either family or your friends, you can do this with many different activities. You can make s’mores, tell ghost stories, or just straight talk as the glow of the fire illuminates your happy faces!

All in all, fall is a season of love, friendship and all around giving. Take a look around and just embrace the beautiful color changes of nature happening around you. Enjoy this time with family and friends, using some of these fall activities to start your day. xoxo

Raniyah Naylor

Illinois State '23

I am an 18 year old freshman here at Illinois State University. Some of my hobbies include sports, Netflix, and music. I am also a double major in Political Science and Legal Studies, which is why I have taken an liking to journalism. Some things that I love reading about are "How to" and "Things to do when" types of articles. I played sports in my past but now I am just a coffee and tea drinking writing junkie.
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