Do you really plan on staying in your house doing nothing but homework all October? I didn’t think so. No one wants to stay all cooped up in their house during the spookiest season of the year so I am here to give you some fun things to try out.

First activity I recommend is going to Shocktober. It’s a very fun thing to do if you like getting scared and have a good time at the same time. Shocktober is a non-profit organization for The Arc of Loudoun. The Arc of Loudoun provides opportunities and education for people with disabilities and their families. So your money will go to a good cause, even though it’s a little pricey. Shocktober was named the fifth scariest haunted house in the country. If that doesn’t sound like something you want to experience, then I don’t know what does. It is rated PG-13 for anyone concerned about the scariness factor but they do offer chicken necklaces for people easily scared. (Don’t be a chicken.)

The next thing I recommend for the month of October is going apple picking. There is a really nice apple orchard in Winchester, Marker Miller Orchards. The apple trees at this orchard stretch very far and wide and they have many different types of apples. There is a shop on their property where they sell all kinds of apple products such as, apple cider donuts, apple pies, apple cider, and much more. Going to Marker Miller could be a good time to spend with friends or family. For those of you who love taking pictures, they have very good scenery. Little kids also have fun things to do their like go on tractor rides or climb on the massive playgrounds. So who wouldn’t want to go there and get apple cider donuts? (They will be gone fast so get a few dozen.)

The last thing I recommend as a fun fall activity is to paint pumpkins. Yes, you can carve pumpkins but where is the fun in that? In general it just makes a mess and who would want to scoop out those pumpkin guts? (Definitely not me!) Painting pumpkins will also allow you to be more creative because you can do so much more with paint than carving. You and your friends can get together, watch halloween movies, and paint pumpkins. You can even have a vote on whos looks the best. You can paint pumpkins so many different ways. You could keep it simple, paint it as an animal, or even paint it with a scary face.