College students rejoice – sweatpants weather is back folks! As are all the wonderful seasonal clichés like UGG-ly shoes, bonfires, football games, and pumpkin spice lattes (you know you love them, admit it).
Diets are gradually ceasing now that swimsuit season is over. More importantly, we can now curl up and accomplish our homework while being wrapped in a Snuggie. Life is good.
If the seasonal anticipation is nagging at you, there are already numerous activities available to pump you up for autumn, besides the obvious event of raking up a pile of leaves and then shoving people into it.
Tanner’s Apple Orchard, located in Speer, IL, has enough excitement to easily entertain you for a whole day. With a 20 acre pumpkin patch, wagon rides, and an Apple Bin Bakery, there’s a bit of something for everyone. They’re open 10-5 daily and if you make it out that way, you MUST try the apple cider donuts.
I repeat: TRY THE APPLE CIDER DONUTS.
If you’re looking for a pumpkin patch more locally, Country Corner is located in Alpha, IL and hosts a handful of activities throughout October. There’s a Giant Pumpkin Canon that’s in full-operation mode on weekends; who doesn’t want to see pumpkins blasted out of a canon?
Country Corner also has a new activity this year called the Zombie Quest. This event goes on from 7-10 on Friday and Saturday nights now through October 31st. Prepare to shoot some zombies with a paintball gun while riding aboard the Zombie Train!
On October 18, 24, and 25th, Ashley April performs. Ashley Bearden, the daughter half of the father-daughter duo, confirmed, “Country Corner hires us to come out during certain weekends to perform from 1-4 pm. My dad and I sing various songs from either older country or newer country, with a slight blend of modern hit songs.”
There are countless haunted houses in the Quad Cities with creatures lurking in the shadows to make you scream. Factory of Fear in Moline, Terror at Skellington Manor in Rock Island, and Torment at Twelve Hundred in Orion all charge a fifteen dollar admission fee and are open every Friday and Saturday from 7- midnight.
For the child at heart, Niabi Zoo is hosting Boo at the Zoo again this year on October 24th from 10-3.
The city of Davenport will also be hosting the Halloween Parade on October 31st at 1 pm.
You have to take advantage of this season while you can; it always seems like by the time summer ends, the snow starts to arrive too soon. Although you could be purchasing your new fake Christmas tree at the same time you buy a Halloween costume this year, load up on the candy corn, apple cider, and mini-candy bars while they’re on sale.
Autumn will be gone before you know it, and Santa doesn’t drink pumpkin spice lattes.
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