Finally, the air is a little cooler and little crisper. Your social media feed, which was filled with posts about summer ending and school beginning, is now filled with posts about cold weather, football, and pumpkin spice lattes. September 22 came and went. Autumn is upon us.
While this is also the time of year that you may be settling into your school routine of waking up to a much too early alarm and staying up late with way too much homework, there is a chance you may find yourself with some free time. If you are ever with an afternoon, evening, or day where you are sitting at home wondering how to occupy yourself, consider the following ideas:
- Admire the displays at Frederik Meijer Gardens
While Frederik Meijer Gardens has fantastic displays all year round, they have opened up multiple Fall exhibits sure to catch the eye and wow a curious mind or a vaguely bored high school student. Their annual “Chrysanthemums and More” display opened September 21 and will close October 28. It is the largest display of its kind, featuring all kinds of flowers and fall foliage. If flowers aren’t your style, they also have a Giant Pumpkins display on October 13 showcasing pumpkins of over a hundred pounds. These and many more displays are available during the month of October for your personal enjoyment.
2. Visit a haunted house
If you prefer something a little more intense than flowers and abnormally large gourds, perhaps you would want to visit a haunted house. With Halloween at the end of the month, haunted houses are opening their doors to anyone who needs a good scare. Possibly one of the best haunted houses West Michigan can boast of is the Haunt. The Haunt is open the last two weekends in September, all weekends in October, as well as October 24, 25,30, and 31. It also is open for two later dates on November 2 and 3. With general admission at twenty-five dollars, you can wander the haunted Hemlock estate, listen to screams in the Vox sanitarium, pick up a night shift at the Immortals mannequin factory, or dodge the curse of the Loogaroo in a Louisiana swamp.
3. Observe and feed animals at Boulder Ridge Animal Park
If you don’t care for screaming zombies or monsters of any sort, perhaps feeding animals is more your style. The slightly cooler weather is perfect for getting up close and personal with birds or taking a bus ride past some truly fantastic animals. Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park is open through mid-October, leaving just enough time for you to see the reptile house, ride past African hoofstock on their safari ride, or go through the petting zoo, possibly seeing baby zebra and water buffalo. The park is open every day of the week, although their hours may differ, and admission is fourteen dollars for adults.
4. Visit an apple orchard
If you’re the type to only participate when food is involved, try visiting an apple orchard! Take your friends along and wander through rows of trees searching for the perfect apples to make into apple pie, applesauce, or to simply eat as they are. If you want to fill your visit with a little more than just apple picking, Robinettes is a perfect option. They have U-pick apples on the weekends, a corn maze that’s open every day throughout October, as well as hayrides and petting zoos on the weekends. Prices may vary for all of these activities. They also have their own shop full of all kinds of apple and Michigan related gifts and food.
5. Appreciate the artwork at ArtPrize
Probably one of the more famous Fall events is none other than Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize. Visit all the beautiful displays scattered throughout downtown Grand Rapids and then vote for your favorite! While some of the top public voted pieces include a metal dragon and power of a wish, there is still time for that to change, since public vote finalists are announced September 30. If you can’t make it in time to vote, don’t worry, because ArtPrize doesn’t officially close until October 7, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the displays at your leisure.
Hopefully, this array of Autumn activities will give you some ideas of how to fill up your free time. Whether you decide to try one of these activities or strike out on your own, stay safe, wear a warm enough jacket, and have a lovely October.
