The spookiest time of the year has arrived and many of us are looking for fun fall activities that are safe and social-distancing-friendly. While you might not be able to go to a classic haunted house this year or hand out candy on Halloween, there are still plenty of ways you can celebrate the season. If you’re looking for autumn activities that aren’t too pricey, here are a few budget-friendly things you can do this fall.
Go for a scenic drive
Taking a drive by itself might not seem very entertaining. But the trick to making this activity fun is by making a day out of the experience. Consider getting yourself a pumpkin-spiced coffee and a doughnut, getting dressed in your favorite fall attire, and taking a drive outside the city to check out the trees changing color. Put on some of your favorite tunes or an autumn playlist on Spotify to really help you take in and enjoy the sweater weather.
Check out haunted locations
Speaking of taking a scenic drive, if you prefer adding a little spookiness to your one-day road trip, consider making a list of haunted locations around your town or city. Depending on where you live, your area might already have a haunted road trip mapped out for you to check out the spookiest places in your state. To make the trip even more fun, don’t read on the history of the locations until you arrive at your spooky destinations. This way, it’ll feel a little more like you’re taking your own haunted tour.
Take a kayak ride on the lake
About 95% of all Americans live within an hour’s drive of a navigable body of water. If you live near a lake or a kayak-friendly river, consider going for a kayak ride on the water. Some kayak rental places offer scenic experiences so you can paddle on the water and take in the beautiful trees at the same time. Just be sure to pack wisely and bring your phone, water, and snacks.
Go camping or hiking
There are about 16,000 public and privately owned campgrounds nationwide. Fall is actually considered to be one of the best times of the year to go camping because it isn’t too hot and isn’t too cold. What’s more, because the humidity has gone down, you won’t have to worry about much about flies and mosquitoes coming to rain on your parade.
Download seasonal apps
With 25 million Americans running their own business, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are seasonal apps out there that can help you experience the most of fall. One app, called Leaf Peepr, actually keeps track of where foliage is changing color around your state so when you’re taking that scenic drive we mentioned above you won’t have to drive through dozens of green trees until you find the colorful batches. Another app called Acast lets you listen in on some of the coolest true-crime podcasts out there so you can get your spooky on during the scariest time of the year. Just be sure to check which apps are compatible with your phone before you download. Some apps, like Fortnite, have faced bans from Google Play and Apple App stores.
Fall might look different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fall fun. Try some of the activities above to celebrate the season safely on a budget.