Try these Pennsylvania fun fall favorites. Make this fall season fun. Do something you have never done before. Meet a new friend, exercise outdoor, eat healthily and see life from a different point of view by engaging in these fun fall activities.

Apple Picking

Honey Crisp, Cortland and Keepsake, Jonamac, McIntosh, Gala, Empire, Red Delicious and Granny Smith. By now you must know I’m naming apples. Yes! With fall come apples.  Just in time for apple pies, apple jam, apple custard, you just name it. But before you kill the apples with all that sugar, think of the health benefits of apples: Apples are full of antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber.  According to Medical News Today, the antioxidants and phytonutrients help ward off cancer, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. There are other benefits too that are neurologically related, and anything that benefits the brain is good news to us older adults. That’s why going apple picking is a good idea.

Apple picking combines fun, exercise and connection. Imagine seeing apples or apple trees for the first time. Have fun using your imagination, discovering and looking at everything with eyes of wonder. Movement is good for the body, mind and soul, and so is connecting with nature. Of course, apple picking with a friend is even better. You can find about nine apple orchards just an hour away from Philadelphia.

Take a drive—see the leaves

Hickory, tulip poplar, black birch, oak, black gum, maples, sassafras and dogwoods, maples, birch, white oak, and chestnut change to yellow, orange and red. Who said change cannot be beautiful? Nature certainly shows that change is a process and it can be beautiful. Pennsylvania has more than 134 trees and boasts to have some of the best fall foliage, writes Beth Price-Williams from Only In Your State website. This website lists some of the best routes to take in order to see this heavenly fall splendor, and it is, indeed, gorgeous! Check out the Pocono Mountains, the rolling Amish hills, state parks such as Leonard Harrison and more. The website will also help you prepare your fall road trip whether it’s a Saturday or Sunday drive or couple of days on the road. And if you’re lucky, you may even see an elk roaming in the forest. How cool is that!

Hiking, Waterfalls

But, of course, another great way to see this array of colors is to go hiking. You can even combine a road trip with hiking.  My husband and I went hiking on one of our road trips.  We wanted also to see the waterfalls. Truly, for those who love the outdoors, fall is a great time to slow down and enjoy the fresh crisp air. This kind of slowing down is about becoming aware of nature through your senses. It’s noticing the leaves—their nuances of colors.  It involves noticing their different shapes and designs. It involves feeling the dirt and rock under your feet, touching the rough bark of a tree, hearing the sound of water falling, gushing, and even smelling the different odors in the air. It’s being aware that you are alive and what a good feeling that is to know.

Picturesque trails that have been listed are Hills Creek State Park in Tioga County, Double Run Nature Trail at Worlds End State Park in Forksville, or Turkey Path at Leonard Harrison State Park in Wellsboro. My favorite hike is the Pine Creek Gorge, known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The area has miles of forest trails and many waterfalls. Check out this site to learn more about 31 insanely beautiful places to view fall foliage and waterfalls in Pennsylvania.

Hiking is a great way to make exercising fun and to get fresh air. Breathe!

Chili Cook-Offs

With cooler temperatures, you might also get a wisp of the fragrance of chili in the air. That’s because around this time it is common to host chili cook-offs. I did a little a bit of searching to see what was in the area and, just like I thought, there were a couple next door: The Chili Fest 2019 in Connellsville and Tosco’s Chili Cook-Off in Pennsburg. There’s a chili cook-off at Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library. Churches, like Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, also add some spice to their calendar. Just google to find a list of Chili Cook-Offs.

This is a great time to socialize and meet new people. Perhaps you can host a chili day without the cook- off and just invite people to connect.

What’s your favorite chili recipe? Perhaps you can share it with Friends Life Care.

Pumpkin Patches

If there are apple pies there are pumpkin pies. Fall means Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving means pumpkin pie for dessert—at least for some of us who love pumpkin pie. So, here is how you make this a fun activity and even for your grandkids: Go to a pumpkin patch. Some of the farms transform their pumpkin patch into a Halloween event: the Winding Brook Farm has a Night Chills Haunted Hayride, the Corn Walk of Horror, and the Haunted Hay Maze. Then, for the kids there is a petting zoo, hayrides or sand and seed boxes such as at the Whistle Pig Pumpkin Patch. For a list of Pumpkin Patches throughout Pennsylvania, click here.

Visit a Corn Maze

Some pumpkin patches also have corn mazes, but the website Only In Your States lists the top 10 corn mazes in Pennsylvania here. I love corn mazes because they are filled with twists, turns and dead ends. You can turn a corn maze into a labyrinth experience, if you like. Of course, there is a difference between the two, which you can check out here.

Some of these corn mazes have miles of trails. Wilcox Farms, in Boyertown, has an incredible 25-acre maze comprising smaller mazes. Klingel’s Farm Corn Maze in Saylorsburg has an 11-acre corn maze. They have helpers along the way in case you get stuck.

There you have it—apple picking, sightseeing, road trips, hiking, pumpkin patches and corn mazes—a selection of fun and healthy fall activities you can experience right here in Pennsylvania. Choose the ones that you will best enjoy.