The ultimate fall bucket list
The Messenger's take on having the best fall
Nethra Pai, Editor-in-Chief, Noah Daklouche, News Editor, & Banee Chadha, Photography Editor
While temperatures drop and leaves change to shades of orange, red, and brown, we see and feel the signs that fall is here. With fall comes the anxiety of not knowing what to do throughout Oct. and Nov. to celebrate the new season, but The Messenger staff has you covered-- we created a list of fall and Halloween activities, tested some out, and determined prices and ratings for the ultimate fall bucket list.
Activities:
Get coffee from a local shop and go holiday shopping
Activities: Noah and his girlfriend went to a local coffee shop called Myth and Legend to get butterbeer lattes. Then, his girlfriend drove them to Target to buy fall snacks like pumpkin spice bars, Halloween-themed cereal, and cookies, as well as browse the Halloween decorations. Needing more, they ended up at Spirit Halloween, where they bought their Halloween costumes. Noah and his girlfriend had lots of fun together shopping for Halloween because it was a great and local way to get in the Halloween spirit while checking things off their to-do list.
Pricing: The lattes were $6 each
Rating: 8/10 - The coffees tasted good and worth the price. They got some really cute things, but the stores were a little picked over.
Horror movie night
Activities: The Messenger staff held a Halloween movie party with candy and snacks. Before we sat down to watch the film, we all talked, snacked, and bonded with one another. Later, we crammed ourselves onto a couch and finally decided to watch "Get Out". We all had so much fun screaming and laughing together throughout the movie.
Pricing: Depending on what snacks you buy, pricing can vary.
Rating: 10/10 - This is a fun, low-cost, low-effort activity to do with friends!
Duluth fall festival
Activities: Noah went to the Duluth Fall Festival with his family, where he ate food, drank boba, shopped at booths with local artist creations, and watched live performances. Noah bought a plaid collar for their dog, a crochet plant for their car, and various types of stickers. The festival had lots of fall art and jewelry to look at, with opportunities to take pictures and talk with vendors.
Pricing: Free entry
Rating: 7/10 - They didn't have rides this year, but the food was great!
Cumming Fair
Activities: The Messenger staff went to the Cumming Fair with their friends and family. We went on different carnival rides, rode the skyline, played games, and ate delicious food. The fair also had pig racing, bull riding, and performances. Noah and his best friend spent their time talking on the skyline while Banee and Aryan rode the fast rides. The fair was such a beautiful and fun place to go while the weather began to cool down with friends.
Pricing: $10 entrance fee and ride tickets start at $20 per person.
Rating: 6/10 - It was very fun, but the lines for the rides are extremely long if you go on a weekday or the last day of the fair.
Halloween Horror Nights
Activities: Everett and his family went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. They got in at 6 p.m. and immediately did two haunted houses. After that, they went on the "Men in Black" ride and had so much fun shooting aliens and competing against each other. They used their express tickets that they received after another ride broke down to go on The Mummy.
"[The Rip Ride Rockit was] quite literally the coolest roller coaster I’ve ever been on," Everett Baumann said.
They then went through the "Ghostbusters" haunted house and went on Rip Ride Rockit two more times. It was his first time going, and Everett was so happy to share the night with his cousins and his friend.
Pricing: One standard ticket for Halloween Horror Nights starts at $87.99 per person.
Rating: 10/10 - It was a very fun and unique experience that made Everett's first time going to Universal a memorable time.
Some other activities:
Thrifting for Halloween costumes and fall outfits
A simple, easy, and sustainable fall activity is finding your nearest thrift store and looking for fall clothing or Halloween costumes as the season changes. Not only is shopping with friends fun, but this is an easy way to fill out your closet or inexpensively buy pieces you won't use often, like a costume!
Pricing: Depending on where you go and how much you plan to buy, the price can be whatever you make it.
Corn maze and haunted house
What it is: Georgia has many local corn mazes like the Buford Corn Maze, Uncle Shucks Corn Maze, and Pumpkin Patch. Our local haunted houses are Netherworld Haunted House in Gwinnett, Four Scythes Haunted House in Cumming, and Paranoia Haunted House in Canton. These corn mazes and haunted houses can be fun and spooky outings for you and your friends. Go at night for an even bigger scare!
Pricing: Depends on which maze or house you go to, but most tickets are about $20 per person.
Pumpkin patch, apple orchard, and sunflower field
What it is: There are pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and sunflower fields in close proximity to one another, in Georgia. The most popular ones are Randy's Pumpkin Patch in Lawrenceville, Big Spring Farms in Woodstock, B.J. Reece Orchards in Ellijay, Fausett Farms Sunflowers Dawsonville, and Prospect Farms in Lawrenceville. Many people love these farms, and they're fun to go to with your family to take pictures and take home pumpkins and apples.
Pricing: Prices depend on which farm you go to, but they range from free to $30.
Fall hike
What it is: If you like nature and going on outdoor walks, this is the perfect fall activity for you! This is a fun and active way to get your steps in while embracing the fall weather. As the air gets colder and the leaves change color, put on your athletic shoes, grab some friends or family, and choose a hiking trail to go to like Caney Creek Preserve in Alpharetta or Sawnee Mt. Preserve.
Pricing: Hiking can be completely free, as most sites do not charge hikers, but some, like Stone Mountain, have a yearly pass you can buy for $40.
Fright Fest Six Flags
What it is: Fright Fest is a Halloween event at Six Flags with scare zones, scare actors, and live entertainment. This is a chilling and fun event to go to if you like horror movies with jump scares and gore. Fright Fest also has a variety of merchandise, themed food, and photo opportunities for those who want to go but do not like the scare aspects.
Pricing: Entry tickets range from $45 to $150 depending on what kind of pass you are interested in.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
What it is: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween event at Disney World that has no scare actors or scare zones. Instead, it's filled with Halloween and Disney Villian characters to interact with, Halloween parades and shows, and limited-time Disney Halloween merchandise like clothes, popcorn buckets, costumes, and more. This is a great event to go to if you or your loved ones do not like scary events or movies. Attendees dress up as their favorite Halloween Disney characters and can trick-or-treat throughout the park while enjoying the shows and rides.
Pricing: Entry tickets start at $119 per person.
Fall crafts and snacks
One of the best ways to get into the fall mood is to create fall-themed crafts to decorate and snacks to eat! There are tutorials for all ages on the internet, but common crafts include making a jack-o-lantern, constructing fall wreaths, crocheting, or creating any variety of pumpkin-themed objects. Some common snacks are butterbeer, spider pretzels, skull pizza bites, fall trail mix, and ghost graveyard pudding with tutorials found on YouTube. This is easily one of the most versatile fall activities since you can customize it to fit your pricing and experience level.
Pricing: This varies depending on what crafts and snacks you make, what materials you already have, and how complex you decide to be.
Fall is a great time to connect with loved ones and nature while celebrating the fall season and Halloween. With this article, we hope you are able to have the best, and wallet-friendly fall of your life.
Let us know what things you try on our bucket list. Happy fall!