The leaves are starting to yellow and crinkle. In others’ eyes is a sudden twinkle. Firepits are blowing embers into the air, and a sudden chill brings us a cardigan to wear. What does this mean? Fall is here! With all of the autumn fun soon to come, here are some ideas of what students are doing for a spooky and cozy season!

Fall Movies

Cuddling up with a blanket to watch a film is a classic way to celebrate fall. Whether it’s horror, comedy, fantasy, or family friendly, fall-themed movies can pull you into the season. There are the horror movies “Halloween” and “Scream”, or the family friendly movies “Halloween Town”, “Hocus Pocus”, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. The Harry Potter movies, “Garfield Halloween”, “Garfield Thanksgiving”, and “Scooby Doo” are also popular fall choices.

Brooklyn Hayden’s (10) favorite fall movies to watch are “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, “Perks of Being a Wallflower”, and “Dead Poets Society”. Hayden describes the movies as seasonal and relaxing.

“There’s just a comfort to watching them since they’re very autumn and fall based. Their color scheme is very calming, which to me is what fall is,” Hayden said.

Hayden’s favorite Halloween movie is Disney’s 2005 “Twitches”. To Hayden the movie and its surrounding memories are nostalgic.

“My mom always put that on as a kid. And I remember we would always sit in the dining room and paint pumpkins while baking Pillsbury cookies,” Hayden said.

Fall Foods

A home-made fall treat can bring you something good to eat! Baking’s innovation can get you into the fall spirit, while also bringing laughter from family and friends. There are the classic pumpkin or apple pies. Apple cider donuts, caramel apples, snickerdoodle cookies, pumpkin bread, apple crumble muffins, and cranberry tarts are also popular recipes. If it’s for Halloween or Thanksgiving, one can decorate their fall treats with food decor, such as coloring, seeds, or various garnishes.

Elizabeth Hawkins (12) made her own Cinnamon Roll Cake. Hawkins followed the ingredients and recipe from thecountrycook.net. She described the treat as a moist cake with all of the classic cinnamon roll components of cinnamon, glaze, and brown sugar. Her favorite part of baking the cake was the smell the cinnamon spread.

“It immersed me in the fall spirit even more,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins credits her love of fall baking to her love of the season, and the creativity and joy that she experiences and shares.

“The thing I love most about baking for fall is that I can share whatever I choose to bake with other people”, “and they can enjoy eating what I enjoyed making. It’s even more rewarding with it being a fall treat because it’s my favorite season and I enjoy sharing my love for that season.”

Fall Crafts

Making decor such as leaf wreaths, pumpkin center-pieces, and seasonal garlands are popular fall crafts that can add to your home. Trinket dishes, custom signs, and felt acorns or garlands are classic and easy activities. Emma Taryn Jone’s article, “10 Cozy Crafts to Try This Fall” is one of the many great sites where you can explore your imagination in fall.

Another popular DIY for fall is creating your Halloween costume. Therese Gustafson (12) is used to creating her own unique ideas. Last year, Gustafson used a cardboard base, layers of paper mache, and different colored paints to make a dragon skull mask. When paired with a fancy dress shirt and pants, Gustafson brought to life a character that she had sketched. In her senior year, Gustafson is looking forward to creating a forest guardian. The costume includes an arm

guard, a mask, a cloak, and possibly a sword.

When crafting her Halloween costumes, Gustafson enjoys looking forward to the finished products and the memories they will bring.

“My favorite part of creating the costume is knowing that I’ll get something cool out of it. Like with the mask, I can have that on display, and it won’t be specifically for Halloween. For this new costume, I am excited to use it for Renaissance Fairs, Medieval Expos, or dressing up for fun,” Gustafson said.

Haunted Houses

Haunted houses have a variety of ghouls to have you and your friends screaming and laughing. There are many local haunted houses in Louisville. Popular Haunted Houses include: the Baxter Avenue Morgue, Legend at Pope Lick, Field of Screams, American Horror Plex, and the famous Waverly Hills.

 

Skylar Fulks (11) has been to multiple haunted houses, such as the American Horror Plex. Fulks likes haunted houses for the rushes and terrors that they bring.

“I like the thrill of being scared”, “and feeling like I’m actually in a horrifying environment,” Fulks said.

Fulks’ favorite haunted house is Nightmare Forest Haunt Park, located on 850 Otter Creek Park Rd. Fulks admires the haunted house for its variety of themes. With haunted forest, horror movies, and insane asylum sections, there are a variety of thrills such as chainsaws or even an alien puppet. Fulks admired the hard-work put into the haunted house.

“The design of it all was really cool. You could tell they put in a lot of work with the interior and everything,” Fulks said.

Pumpkin Patches

With hayrides, cornfields, pumpkin picking, and more, pumpkin patches are a wonderful way to enjoy fall with family and friends. Two popular choices are Huber’s and Gallrein Farms.

Huber’s is located at 19816 Huber Rd. Their fall activities include picking apples, pumpkins, flowers, and a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. This farm also has wagon rides, a large corn maze, pedal karts, gem mining, and train farm tours. With a Farm Market & Bakery, Ice Cream Shop, and Starlight Cafe, Huber’s has various places to get delicious produce, treats, and food. Hubers’ Winery & Distillery provides tastings and fall-themed wines and beverages. Live music and occasional weekend events are hosted. Huber’s fall season ends around the end of October.

If you’re looking for a closer place, Gallrein Farms is located at 1029 Vigo Rd. Gallrein hosts hayrides to pumpkin patches, and has a corn maze, slides, a haunted house, and a petting zoo. They also have a corn pit, carousel, pedal karts, a low ropes course, and straw activities. Food is provided through multiple food trucks, and their store provides you with any fall treats or fruits and vegetables you may desire. Gallrein’s fall season lasts until October 31st.

Connected to pumpkins, jackolantern viewings are spooky-centered and creativity-filled. Smaller viewings can be found at Boo At The Zoo and Pumpkins At Kentucky Kingdom (Also fun places to enjoy the season). However, the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular is a huge local tourist attraction focused on jack o’ lanterns. The Spectacular is located at 1080 Amphitheater Rd. Attendees listen to themed music as they walk along a spooky trail through the woods of Iroquois Park. More than 5000 artistic and illuminated pumpkins are viewed as they guide your path. This family friendly event is described as a “Must-See” for Halloween.

Here’s to a season full of fun-The Aerial hopes these ideas add a little extra joy to your autumn!