Fall is my favorite time of the year, and Halloween is the best holiday, my opinion of course. A friend suggested writing a post about some fun things to do in the Chicagoland area during the autumn season. Luckily, this year the weather has been fantastic so the outdoor events were bearable, and even pleasant most of the time.
A Night of a Thousand Jack O Lanterns at the Chicago Botanic Gardens was an evening well spent for me. The pumpkins were amazing! I could not believe how beautiful they looked. The classic movie monster series was probably my favorite, which closely tied to Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Sports fans will love that series as well, focusing on Chicago teams. There are also characters dressed in costume to entertain the kids. You can have cider, or even have it spiked at the café. It was very crowded, and I am happy I went on a weeknight since it took a while to park then the line was gigantic. Hopefully, next year the festival will last longer than four days since it was popular and sold out quickly. I am so glad to have gone and seen all the amazing jack-o’-lanterns!
I finally got to go to an Edgar Allan Poe theatrical reading since I have wanted to go for a few years now. This one was hosted at Pleasant Home in Oak Park. The actors performed the Black Cat, the Raven, and the Oval Portrait. The Raven gave me shivers…I forgot what a sad play it is. I also liked that they served us wine and cheese during the intermission. As an added treat, we got a story about the Mills family that owned Pleasant Home. All three performances took place in different rooms to show off the beautiful, historic home. I want to come during the day for a tour, and any other fun event in the future. If you like Edgar Allan Poe, you should definitely see a theatrical performance of his works. Fall is the perfect season to celebrate his work!
Apple picking is a fall must do for me. I like Jonomac Orchard in Malta, Illinois. There are so many activities for the kids like a bouncy house, petting zoo, park, and hayrack rides. They also have pumpkin picking there as well. I really like the wine tasting where you can try a variety of apple wines, as well as hard apple cider. The country store sells delicious apple donuts and a variety of baked goods. My brother enjoyed the apple shooting, so there’s something for the fellas there too. It takes about an hour to get there from Chicago, but it’s well worth it to get away from the city, and experience the Illinois countryside. I should mention that the apples are delicious too. And you can always pick pumpkins there as well…
During the fall season, you should go to a haunted house, even if they don’t scare you, and especially if they do. It’s best to go with a group since seeing the people’s reactions you are with is the best part for me. I went to Davenport, Iowa for a weekend in October, which is an annual tradition for me since a great friend of mine lives there. My friends took me to Skellington Manor, which is a haunted house set up in an old home in Rock Island. It took a while to get through, and it was set up really great. A couple of the rooms really surprised me. Plus the actors can’t touch you, so there’s no need to fear them. I should mention that haunted houses do not scare me, I just laugh. I enjoy going with others since I like watching their reactions. A treat for me was finding a Zoltar machine, which is what grants Tom Hanks’ wish in the movie Big. My wish to be small didn’t work though…
I went to the Attic’s Halloween Party that was hosted by the Saved By the Bell Pop Up Shop & Diner in Wicker Park. It was 80s/90s themed, and the two floors featured music from both decades. I prefer 80s, but I had a great time dancing on both levels. I went as Wonder Woman, who is my icon, but is timeless as well. A few of my friends came along, which made it merrier. The drinks were good, and featured some good ingredients like cider and champagne. The party was filled with couples, so if you go, bring a date. It was reasonably priced, and your ticket included a drink. People did a great job with themed costumes. I like a woman that went as a Lite Brite, as well as Macho Man. There are Halloween parties all over the city that you can go to all weekend. I recommend dressing up, and going to at least one. We all need to let loose sometimes, and let our inner child out…
I will write a second post since I couldn’t fit it all into one, so stay tuned…and yes, a lot of the things I like to do in the fall are Halloween oriented…