Summer slips away with its last beams of light, ushering in the crisp air of fall. As scarves wrap tighter and daylight gets shorter, try these activities to make the season feel fuller and more memorable.
Arts and crafts are a must. Jack-o’-lanterns, carved with patterns ranging from spooky to silly, are a classic way to set the right mood for Halloween. Candle making, a less goopy alternative, brings the seasonal warmth, nostalgia and coziness through the flickering amber light and fragrant scent. Make your own fall candles with organic materials using botanicals, cinnamon sticks and pinecones for decoration, and add various fragrance oils like pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon and vanilla. Creating autumn wreaths, assembled with dried leaves and flowers, pinecones and mini pumpkins, is another great way to celebrate fall.
For a timeless fall tradition, try apple picking. It’s the perfect activity for exploring colorful orchards, collecting fresh apples and relishing the scent of ripe fruit. Among the many varieties of apples grown in California, there is a trio known for its distinct sweet flavor and crisp texture: Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp. Local spots such as Andy’s Orchard in Morgan Hill and Clearview Orchards and Gizdich Ranch, both in Watsonville, offer wonderful experiences where orchard visitors are bound to come home with apples ready to be baked into seasonal goods to savor with your loved ones, including apple tarts, turnovers and cobblers.
Pumpkin patches — like Webb Ranch in Portolla Valley and Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay — special places where you can immerse yourself in a sea of various vibrant and earthy hues of orange. The countdown is on when hunting for the favorite one to decorate or cook into a scrumptious pumpkin-flavored treat. These patches often offer petting zoos with adorable farm animals that make hearts melt. Although it can be quite a niche activity that involves sensory experiences, petting fluffy bunnies, combing a pony’s mane and holding a handful of baby chicks offer a moment to unwind.
