When you think of fall, what comes to mind? Is it pumpkins and leaves changing color? Is it apple cider and warm, fresh pastries? Or maybe you think about hay rides and corn mazes? When I think of fall, I think of orange and red, and can’t help but get excited for apple picking and pumpkin carving!

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to know what is open and happening, especially when you are a new college student that is not familiar with the places around your college campus.

Knowing that there are other fall lovers out there like me, I decided to put together a list of fun fall activities to do around Whitewater this fall.

Please remember to stay healthy and safe during this time, by social distancing and wearing a face covering.

Fun Fall Activates Near Whitewater This Fall:

  • Apple Barn Orchard and Winery

Website: https://applebarnorchardandwinery.com/

Take a day trip to Apple Barn Orchard and Winery in Elkhorn, Wisconsin! Looking for somewhere to pick your own apples? This is the place for you! Apple picking is open to the public on Fridays from 1-4pm, Saturdays from 10-5pm and Sundays from 11-4pm. If you’re not in the mood for apple picking, stop by their Country Store and Bakery for some delicious fall treats, or their Apple Barn Winery if you’re 21. Use the website link above for more information on this great fall adventure!

  • Pearce’s Farm Stand

Website: https://www.pearcefarms.com/

Is it really fall until you go pumpkin picking, or carve a pumpkin? Take a day trip up to Walworth, Wisconsin with some friends and celebrate fall at Pearce’s Farm Stand to pick pumpkins; go on a hayride, walk through a corn maze and enjoy fall again like when you were kids! Pearce’s is open seven days a week until October 28. For more information on prices and events taking place this fall, visit their website above!

  • Elegant Farmer

Website: https://www.elegantfarmer.com/

If you’re like me, you LOVE a warm and gooey apple cider donut! Elegant Farmer is best known for their Smilin’ Barn, and for having some delicious, homemade apple cider donuts. Located in Mukwonago, WI, this stop is the perfect distance from Whitewater for an afternoon adventure! For more information on the tasty treats they have to offer, and events happening this fall, visit their website above.

  • Oconomowoc Famers Market

Website: https://www.oconomowoc.org/events/summer-farmers-market/

What is a Wisconsin fall without a farmer’s market?! Take a trip to nearby Oconomowoc to see what their Saturday farmers market has to offer. This farmers market is open Saturdays from 8am-12pm, and their fall goods always go quick! Located in the heart of Downtown Oconomowoc, you have access to multiple quaint coffee shops and breakfast places, making it a great stop for a morning adventure! For more information, visit their website above!

  • The Hill Has Eyes (COVID-19 Edition) Haunted Drive

Website:https://www.hillhaseyes.com/?utm_source=Haunts.com&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=HauntedHouseMedia

For all those horror lovers out there, this haunted house is the one for you! Since COVID-19, this company got creative and found a way to still incorporate scare and fun into this Halloween. You get four haunted houses for the price of one at this unique haunted house drive thru, where you take a curvy path through 45 acres of Franklin, Wisconsin scare! For more information on ticket prices and dates, visit the website above!

  • The Darkside Haunted Adventure

Website: http://thedarksidehaunt.com/

Not in the mood for a haunted drive? No worries! The Darkside Haunted Adventures has multiple options to choose from, and it is like your typical haunted house, but better! This well-known haunted house attraction is running all October long, and is in Ixonia, Wisconsin, making it the perfect distance from Whitewater for a nighttime adventure. For more information on ticket prices, dates, and times, visit their website above!

  • Whitewater Farmers Market

Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/whitewaterfarmersmarket/

Looking to stay more local? Consider stopping by the Whitewater Farmers Market! This farmers market is open on Saturdays from 8am-12pm and located in the heart of Whitewater. Like the Oconomowoc Farmers Market, this farmers market is a great opportunity to support your local farmers and get some delicious fall treats! For more information on directions and vendors, look at their Facebook page above!

  • Whitewater City Market

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WhitewaterCityMarket/

Are your Saturday’s booked, but you still want to get into the fall mood? Stop by the Tuesday night Whitewater City Market! Every Tuesday from 4-7pm, you can get the farmers market feel, right here in Whitewater! For more information on their location and vendors, visit their Facebook page above!

  • Riverside Ghost Tour

Website: https://pabsttheater.org/event/riverside-ghost-tours-2020/

The Riverside Theater is known for many things, but mostly for being one of the most haunted places in Wisconsin! Starting October 9, you can tour this unique and haunted place right here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This stop is great for horror lovers and fall enthusiasts. For more information on ticket prices and dates, visit the website above!

Although it may not seem like it, you can still explore and have fun during these times. If none of the ideas above sound like something you want to do, consider reading one of my other blogs “Wisconsin Food Trails” (http://blogs.uww.edu/ucinfo/2020/07/29/wisconsin-food-trails/) or “Top Wisconsin State Parks” (http://blogs.uww.edu/ucinfo/2020/06/29/top-wisconsin-state-parks/) for other ideas on where to explore around UW-W!

Stay safe and enjoy your fall!

All photos were taken from google images.