Fun, Affordable Fall Activities

Apple picking

Cheer up. Summer vacation may be over and Thanksgiving and Christmas are a while off, but there's still plenty to look forward to this fall. From harvest and Halloween festivals to football and apple picking, there are lots of fun and affordable things to do this season. Here are just a few of the possibilities to consider.

Much of the pleasure of autumn lies not only in its visual spectacles, but also in its foods. Fresh apples are key to many fall recipes—apple pie, apple cider, caramel apples, apple cider doughnuts, and more—and they all seem to taste best when made with apples you picked yourself. There are countless "u-pick" apple orchards throughout the U.S., even near urban areas, where the public is invited to join the harvest and buy fruit (usually by the pound). You can often make a day of an outing to an orchard, as many u-pick farms offer hayrides, petting zoos, barn tours, and other activities during the fall. To find an orchard near you, visit PickYourOwn.org, where you can search for farms by state.

(Photo: Index Open)

Hiking

On a fall hike, you can get a good workout and go leaf-peeping without burning your gas money. With some basic outdoor equipment and a map, you witness the changing of seasons up close at a nearby nature preserve or state or national park. To find hiking trails near your home, use the American Hiking Society's Trail Finder tool. There's a fee for the service, but you can sign up for a free 14-day trial.

(Photo: Index Open)

College football

For many Americans, fall and football go hand in hand. Unfortunately, with high ticket and concession prices, seeing a pro game in person can be prohibitively expensive, especially if you want to bring your whole family. Instead, consider cheering on the local college team. While some of the top caliber teams charge ticket prices rivaling the professionals, most college teams don't. For example, if you live near Boston you could shell out for Patriots tickets and pay $59 to $125 each, or, you could check out the NCAA Division I Boston College Eagles for a mere $10. To learn more about college football and find links to the different conferences, go to NCAAFootball.com.

(Photo: Brandon Laufenberg, iStockphoto.com)

Beach town visits

You may associate the beach with summer, but many seaside resort areas along the East Coast such as Cape Cod, the Hamptons, and the Outer Banks are also ideal for off-peak fall travel, offering lower prices, fewer crowds, and pleasant, cool weather through much of the season. It may be a bit brisk for sunbathing, but plenty of other activities are possible, such as boating, fishing, biking, and hang gliding. To find out what's happening at your favorite beach destination this fall, visit the website of the local tourism bureau. You can link to state tourism bureaus through the Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory.

(Photo: North Carolina Division of Tourism)

Wine harvests

Autumn is a great time to go wine tasting, as you may have the chance to witness the grape harvest (and maybe even some good old-fashioned grape stomping) and attend special harvest events hosted by various wineries. For example, in Virginia, where October is the official "Wine Month," you'll find wine harvest events going on across the state with admission fees starting as low as $5. You'll find similar events in New York, Washington, and California.

(Photo: Index Open)

Halloween festivals

No other holiday is as fully devoted to having fun—albeit fun with a few screams—as Halloween. From pumpkin festivals (like the Keene Pumpkin Festival, pictured above) and haunted houses to citywide Halloween celebrations held in places like Salem, Massachusetts, there's bound to be something spooky happening in your area. Visit GooGhoul to find Halloween events happening near your zip code.

(Photo: Center Stage)

Camping

By the fall, you might not have the vacation time left to go on a national park camping trip, but that's OK. Instead, use your weekends to get to know a local state park: There are nearly 6,000 different possibilities in the U.S. Camping in most parks can cost as little as $20 per night for a tent site with access to running water, toilets, and outdoor-cooking facilities. For links to the official websites of all the state parks, visit the National Association of State Park Directors website and click on "The State Parks." ReserveAmerica offers online bookings for many state parks.

(Photo: Index Open)

Corn mazes

Running around lost in corn fields isn't just for characters in Stephen King novels, it can actually be quite a fun fall diversion, especially if it has a spooky Halloween theme. Believe it or not, but nearly every state in the union has at least one corn maze—and some are utterly gigantic. Oftentimes, a farm will have one giant, complicated maze (often turning into a "haunted" labyrinth in the evenings), plus a small, simple maze for kids along with hayrides, pumpkin picking, and other family-friendly activities. Admission generally costs less than $10 per adult. To find a corn maze in your area, visit The MAiZE website.

(Photo: The MAiZE)

State fairs

With fall being harvest time, many states and counties choose to hold their annual agriculture fairs in September and October. Generally, for a low admission price, you'll find more activities than you could possibly fit into one day: produce and flower displays, livestock competitions, amusement rides, concerts, and enough fried and candied foods to elevate your cholesterol for the rest of the year. The International Association of Fairs & Expositions has a detailed online event calendar that you can search for fairs in your area.

(Photo: Arizona State Fair)

Early-season skiing

If Mother Nature permits, skiers can take advantage of uncrowded resorts and discounted lift tickets in November and December (before Christmas). For example, at Vail Resorts in Colorado, a three-day lift ticket costs $171 for skiing in mid-November, but the same pass jumps in price by nearly $100 starting December 23. To link to the official websites of U.S. ski resorts, search the directory on GoSki.

(Photo: Chris McLennan, Vail Resorts)