Renee Chard
As the leaves start to fall and the air becomes brisk, many fan favorite, fall activities take place. There are a variety of fall activities within 30 minutes of Newtown that are sure to entertain as we begin to look toward Thanksgiving.
Castle Hill Farm in Newtown is well known for their famous fall activities. During the season of fall they include a Fall Festival within their program. The festival offers a corn maze, hayride adventure, pumpkin patch, farm animal exhibit, live music, and different food trucks each day. The festival has drawn people from all over Connecticut to come visit the farm and take part in the activities.
“I love to go to the corn maze at Castle Hill Farm with my friends and family,” NHS junior Margaret Donovan said.
Donovan believes that completing the corn maze each year helps to bring her family closer together. She mentioned how grateful she is for this experience because it helps her connect with her family.
The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation offers special fall activities. The most popular one is their Sanctuary Spooktacular. This year will be their third annual Spooktular. During the activity you will bring candy for the other children and show off your halloween costume. At the end of the Spooktaular you will receive a goodie bag and a take home halloween project.
“The first time I went to this was last year. It was so cute seeing all of the little children dressed up and excited. I definitely wanted to make sure I went to it again this year with my younger siblings, so I already registered,” NHS junior Lorelei Cullen said.
Cullen believes that the Sanctuary Spooktacular has provided a positive bonding experience for her family.
Blue Jay Orchards, located in Bethel, has been a popular tourist attraction for several years. While the main intention for visiting Blue Jay’s is to go apple picking, they offer a variety of fall activities. They have both an apple orchard, and pumpkin patch open to the public, a farmers market that sells their famous apple cider donuts, and a classic hayride.
“I went apple picking with a friend because we wanted to switch it up and do a fall activity. It was really fun, and the atmosphere was a really great place to be. I would definitely do it again,” NHS social studies teacher Ellie Mouchantat said.
Mouchantat feels that apple picking is always more enjoyable with a friend and if she were to go apple picking again, it would be at Blue Jay Orchards.
“Experience a classic New England farm when you visit this 140-acre apple orchard. Blue Jay Orchards has been proven to be filled with fun and will leave you satisfied with your experience,” Connecticut Tourism Office said.
For many, the fall season means being spooked by a neighbor or frightened by scary halloween costumes. Legends of Fear, located in Shelton, offers several daunting halloween attractions that are sure to leave you with haunting nightmares.
“The thing I look forward to the most during October is going to Legends of Fear and going on the haunted hayride. I normally do not get scared of things like this, but this one actually scares me,” NHS sophomore Ella Macey said.
Macey feels that Legends of Fear puts on the most frightening haunted hayrides and trails that she has ever experienced.
“When I was younger I used to go here, but it scared me so bad that I wasn’t able to sleep that night. So I haven’t gone back, but I definitely would like to try it again soon,” NHS junior Lauren Deschenes said.
As many fall activities as there are, for some their favorite thing to do during the season is to continue with their fall passion.
“My favorite fall activity is announcing the fall sport season at NHS! We host pink and other fundraisers, exciting games and postseason drama unfolds for so many teams and fans,” NHS social studies teacher Jason Edwards said.
Edwards feels that by spending time doing what he enjoys most, his spirit is both inspired and elevated.
As we head towards the middle and end of fall, if you want to take part in a fall activity that is close to home, be sure to give these a try!