1. Go hiking.
There's nothing like the beauty of nature as the seasons are changing, and my favorite time of year for this is fall. The crunch of leaves under my boots, the crisp chill in the air, the promise of a warm drink waiting at home. And the aesthetic is unreal. Go on a hike this fall and see how easily your mind calms.
2. Find a small-town festival near you and go to it!
These are a dime a dozen during the fall (honestly, throw a dime and you'll hit one), but they're all worth checking out. Street fairs, food fairs, and themed fairs always have something fun and free to offer, like live music, great food, and cool arts and craft vendors from the local area. Check them out, they're a fun and easy way to support local artists in your community.
3. Pumpkins.
Do all the pumpkin-related activities and try all the pumpkin-related foods. Go to a pumpkin patch, pick a great pumpkin, and carve that baby up! Get creative - give it clothes, give it fangs, make it scary, make it cute, it's totally up to you! Same goes for the eating and drinking portion of this one - try all the things! From the Pumpkin Spice Latte to Pumpkin Spice Oreos, if you can dream it, it's probably out there in pumpkin flavor. (If you're allergic to pumpkin or pumpkin spices, I'm so sorry and I feel so bad for you.)
4. Visit an apple orchard!
I love to do this. Picking apples and making apple cider with my new fresh fruit never gets old, and it just so happens to be a gift that keeps on giving! The cider is delicious, as are the apples themselves. And the orchards make for beautiful picture backdrops if you're into photography.
5. Buy a cozy sweater! (Or three. Or five. Or ten.)
This one's pretty self-explanatory. My favorite fall shopping trips end with a new sweater, a witchy new book, and a new Autumn-scented candle to try out. My fall wardrobe consists mainly of boots, sweaters, flannel, jeans, and leggings. If it's comfortable and cute, it's perfect for me. Find the perfect fall wardrobe that makes you feel great and you'll notice how much more interesting going about your daily beeswax can be.
6. Do all the Haunted Houses you can, while you can!
Okay, I'm as big a chicken as the next girl who watched "Don't Look Under The Bed" at too young an age, but even I love haunted houses. The trick to conquer my inner Courage-The-Cowardly-Dog is to go in a big group of friends! That way, I'm always holding on to at least two other people, and I'm not the only one screaming! It feels good to step out of comfort zone every October, and I look forward to Haunted Housing as early in the year as August.
7. Decorate, decorate, decorate!
My go-to store is definitely Wal-Mart, especially with my college budget. My roommate and I love to go to thrift stores and dollar stores as well and just find odd little things that make our apartment feel less like college housing and more like Halloweentown. Dress it up or dress it down,, get spooky or elegant, it doesn't matter. Just try your hand at decorating for fall or Halloween this year! It's so much fun, I promise.
8. Go to a costume party.
Unleash your inner Elle Woods, ladies, this is your time to shine. I personally went trick-or-treating as a dinosaur last year, but hey, if you wanna wear it, wear it! Go out with your friends and have fun being someone (or something!) else for the night! You won't regret it.
9. Do a ghost tour with your friends!
Okay, this one definitely hits up with number 6. Step out of your comfort zone and have a spooky night out with the gang! Dibs on the Velma costume though. Jinkies!
10. Go to a bonfire.
We all know someone who throws a bonfire party at least every other weekend in thefFall. Grab your flannel and your Pumpkin Spice Latte and go for it! They can be small and intimate or large and ragin', however you like it. The one think you can't forget though: the marshmallows! Go crazy.
