Fall festivities don’t have to take place far from home. Within an hour of campus, there are apple orchards, pumpkin patches—and for you horror fiends—haunted houses.
Apple of His Eye Orchard, just four miles away, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The orchard has more than 800 trees and grows 27 different types of apples. These include Honeycrisp, Gala and Granny Smith. Apart from apples themselves, they sell apple donuts, applesauce, apple butter, cider slushies and other delicious jams.
Stuckey Farms in Sheridan, Indiana is another nearby orchard. This farm is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Their Harvest Festival is every Saturday and Sunday until Sept. 15 to Oct. 21. Each weekend, they have a new special theme. Admission is $12.50 per person for an entire day, which includes parking, unlimited wagon rides, an 8 acre corn maze, adventure acres and pig races.
Fall isn’t complete without pumpkins.
Smith Family Farms, in Pendleton is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Admission is $5 a person. Pumpkins vary from $3 to $5. At Smith Family Farms, you can also visit a petting zoo, eat caramel apples at the food court, take a hayride or experience the corn maze.
The Smith Family Farm’s Market offers customers delicious fall treats; they sell a variety of meats, cheeses—fresh and frozen—which include goat and elk cheese.
Russell Farms Pumpkin Patch, in Noblesville, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. This pumpkin patch costs $10 per person, and they offer other activities in addition to pumpkin patch. These include hayrides, miniature golf, a petting zoo, a duck race and a tumbleweed ride.
They have two country stores located on the farm where they sell fall decor, apple butter and cider, toys, candles and clothing. Their petting zoo features a miniature jersey cow, goats, turkeys, pigs, miniature horses, peacocks, ducks and chickens.
Piney Acres is another nearby pumpkin patch located in Fortville. They are open from 12-6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 12-10 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Admission costs $12 per person, which includes a pedal cart track, corn maze, hayrides and more.
For those looking to get their spook on, the Indianapolis area has many haunted houses.
Indy Scream Park, located in Anderson, is open from 7-10 p.m. on weeknights, and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends. Prices vary day-to-day. Tickets are often discounted online. Prices range from $25-$30 per person.
There are multiple different attractions at Indy Scream Park. The newest for 2018 is Killgore Circus, which is a 3D spectacle including Mr. Killgore—a crazy clown. Other attractions include Zombieland Unchained, an outdoor attraction like a living version of the Walking Dead. Pandemic Mutation, a futuristic nightmare, will surely leave you in a spooky mood. Backwoods, which involves a hike through the woods and a meeting with the Tate family and their cabin’s secrets. Monster Midway is the center of Indy Scream Park, and it is the perfect place to sit by the fire and meet some of the monsters in your midst.
Located in Muncie, Scarevania is another haunted house option. Their hours are 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends. Admission is $12 at the door. Not only does the haunted house have a long maze that winds indoors and outdoors, but there are many other attractions while you’re waiting to get in or out.
Piney Acres Scream Farm in Fortville will leave you shaking like a leaf. They are open from 7-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission costs $9-$34 depending on your attraction choice and method of purchase.
They have three horrifying main attractions on 72 acres of land. Dr. Rex E. Zenor’s Haunted Loft, a 6-acre haunted trail, and Zombie Apocalypse Haunted Hayride are waiting for guests to come join the fun.
There are many things to do in the area this fall with your friends and family. You can have a blast picking apples, choosing pumpkins and spooking your friends. If you join the community for some autumn festivities, there is no reason for you to not fall in love with the season.