Can you smell that? It’s the scent of fall in the air! While some folks have already been embracing the season since the Pumpkin Spice Latte returned to Starbucks at the end of August, others are finally ready to break out the flannels and scarves. Fall is packed with all kinds of activities and events that only happen this time of year and the “USA Today” 10Best awards highlight the top ones to take in.
- To come up with the winners, their panels of experts nominate their picks in eight autumnal categories, then readers get to cast votes for their favorites.
- Best Apple Orchard: Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, Connecticut. Located on 100 acres with 30-thousand apple trees, visitors can pick from 27 different varieties, visit a corn maze, snack on cider donuts and pies, or even play a round at their 45-hole championship golf course.
- Best Corn Maze: Treworgy Family Orchards in Levant, Maine. It’s home to the longest continually running corn maze in the state and the maze is enormous, covering over 4-acres and made with 60-thousand 10-foot tall corn plants.
- Best Destination for Fall Colors: Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For the best leaf peeping in the country, head to the UP, which has around 7-million acres of forest meeting the shores of three different Great Lakes. They have 10 fall color routes that cover nearly 15-hundred miles, so you’ll get to see the full spectrum of fall shades.
- Best Fall Festival: West Side Nut Club Fall Festival in Evansville, Indiana. This annual event brings in more than 200-thousand people every year, making it one of the biggest street festivals in the U.S. It features live entertainment, carnival rides, more than 130 food booths and a huge fall parade.
- Best Fall Seasonal Beer: Big Hop Harvest Ale - East End Brewing Company. A taproom, brewery, pop-up garden and pizza kitchen with three Pennsylvania locations, East End’s once-a-year Big Hop Harvest Ale is made with fresh-picked “wet hops” that’s only available in August.
- Best Oktoberfest: Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa in Oklahoma. Tulsa celebrates Bavarian culture with their annual Oktoberfest event featuring live bands, German cuisine, carnival rides, kids’ games, the highly anticipated Dachshund Dash, and of course, hundreds of taps of beer.
- Best Place to Visit for Fall: Mackinac Island, Michigan. You can’t beat the crisp, sunny days with vivid fall foliage and the slower pace of life in this resort town in the fall.
- Best Pumpkin Patch: Lehner’s Pumpkin Farm in Radnor, Ohio. It offers 15-plus acres of pick-your-own pumpkins, activities like pumpkin bowling and barrel rides, farm animals, and a climbing wall.
Source: USA Today⠀
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