If any of you know me, you know that there is nothing I love more than good ol' fall festivities. Unfortunately, being a foreigner to the greater Cincinnati area, it's taken me far too long to figure out some of the best attractions/activities for the upcoming months, but I have finally got it! Just this coming September and October alone looks like it is going to be packed. This is what I've found for fall activities:
For my thrill-seekers
Cincinnati is packed with all kinds of haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes, to start it all off there's the Queen City Haunted Tours start up in September - a two hour walking tour around downtown for $20 on Saturday nights! The description tells of ghost stories and haunted alleyways.
One of my personal favorites, the Halloween Haunt at Kings Island! I am a huge fan of roller coasters and the spooky haunted houses and creepy creatures that pop out while you're in line, just add to the thrill! These tickets may be pretty pricey, but they are worth it. These start up in late September on Friday and Saturday nights.
A haunted attraction that always gets some great reviews, is the Dent Schoolhouse! The haunted tour takes place inside of an old school house, with an in depth story line of all of the horrific events that have taken place inside those walls. Definitely one to check out if you haven't already done so. This attraction is open September-November, Thursday-Sunday nights.
A must-try is the Land of Illusion. This haunted land not only has one house, but four, and one haunted trail. The Land of Illusion is open in October from Friday-Sunday.
One that I think is really cool, is the USS Nightmare. This haunted house is actually stationed in a docked Steamboat in Newport, KY. It's a 30 minute tour of the boat, where you're haunted by the characters and tales of the Mitchell Massacre. This will be available to all Friday and Saturday nights in September, and Wednesday-Sunday nights in October.
If you would like to kick up your feet for a bit, the Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride and Farmers Revenge tour is a good pick for you! The people in this attraction are filled with horror film characters from the past, and present. The farmer's revenge tour takes place indoors. Both of these will open up Friday and Saturday nights, Mid-September through October.
Lastly, there are numerous escape rooms in Cincinnati. So, if the weather's too chilly to do anything outdoors and you want to test your problem-solving skills, check those out!
For those looking for a little more family fun
Small, community farms prosper in the fall. Some of the many I've heard about include the Loveland Blooms and Berries Farm Market features things like hayrides and pumpkin patches. It opens in September, through the end of October.
There's also the Bonnybrook farms, opening in October, and is a bit of a drive away. This one has a cafe full of fall treats, a pumpkin slingshot, a corn maze and a lantern light wagon ride.
A few others include Country Pumpkins in Kentucky, Shaw Farms, Iron's fruit farm (try every single apple thing there), Burwinkel farms, and Sunrock farm. A few farms even hold their own festivals like the Benton Farm's "Pumpkin Days on the Farm," which seeks to educate it's visitors on the way of life on small farms. There's also the Niederman family farm's fall festival full of corn mazes, farm animals, hayrides, fall treats, swings, jumping pillows and bonfires.
Lastly, there's the Neltner's Farm and Greenhouse Fall Fest, which includes live music, horse drawn wagon rides, pumpkin patches, petting zoos, treats, and corn mazes.
For those wanting to be entertained
Fall is festival season and I love every bit of it. Here's some that I've heard about:
Operation Pumpkin is a good ol' pumpkin and art's festival, with a ton of food vendors, taking place in Hamilton, OH on October 7-9.
Kentucky Wool Festival takes place in Falmouth and also runs from October 7th-9th. The festival takes place to promote wool use and educate the public on how wool is produced. They will also have snacks and crafts.
The Sunflower Festival takes place on a farm in Evendale, October 1st and 2nd, where you can pick sunflowers, run through their sunflower maze, take a hayride, pick a pumpkin and enjoy crafts, food and music.
Findlay Market blesses us with it's annual food fest, featuring live music, pie baking competitions, food and craft beer. It takes place in OTR on Sunday October 11th.
The Jack O' Lantern Walk at Anderson Center is scheduled for Saturday October 24th, where participants can enter their carved pumpkins into a pumpkin carving contest and then allow visitors to walk the path lit by the pumpkins.
And, of course, I couldn't forget Oktoberfest Zinzinnati! It is a huge event and features music, dancing, food and (duh) beer! A must go for September 16th-18th!
For those who can't wait until October for their cider
APPLE PICKING FARMS! It sounds like these are at least an hour and a half to three hours away (omg), but all reviews say they are totally worth it! First off, there's the Karne's Orchard in Hillsboro, OH, open from September-November Saturdays 9am-7pm. Then there's Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun farm in Arcanum, OH, open Saturdays and Sundays 11am-7pm. Last but not least, there's McClure's Orchard in Peru, Indiana, which is also a winery and has an Inn that you can stay the night at if you hit the cider too hard.
As you know, no one is limited to these activities. I'm sure there are a million more (including football tailgates since football season is just around the corner)! I will be checking a ton of these off of my list and I hope that you all do the same!
