With the changing of seasons from the sweet, sticky summer heat to the slightly cooler, crisp, clean autumn air, an entire plethora of activities open up! True, in California, the trees do not really change from green to the red, luscious fall colors, but a girl can enjoy all the fall fun nonetheless (and not just a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte)! On top of it all, these activities are pretty painless on th
e wallet, as I can understand the budget struggles, being a college student after all. Here is my list of funzies:

Go through a Corn Maze. I went to my very first corn maze in Petaluma, CA, a small farming town just one hour north of Berkeley. For only $5 a person, you can go through the twisty, winding maze – we took a whopping 45 minutes to escape it! Make sure to take a water bottle, as you do get a workout trying to escape the maze!

Climb a Hay Bale! In the CA drought, of course it makes more sense to climb dry straw than green, lush trees. Kidding – was that in bad taste? Anyways, climb a bale after you knock out that Corn Maze in Petaluma, and feel that breeze and coolllll downnnnnn.

Pick out your special pumpkin at a Pumpkin Patch! At the same farm in Petaluma, CA, they a
lso have a pumpkin patch, where you can pick up a wheelbarrow, and pick out your own pumpkin! It is free to enter, and the prices of the pumpkins are based on size. we were able to get the one pictured below for just $7.

Apple Picking!!! Who does not love fresh fruit! I have always had a dream to pick my own apples, walking through the orchards to pick out my perfect apple. At Apple-A-Day Ratzlaff Ranch, located
in Sebastopol, CA (1 hour and 45 minute drive from Berkeley) I wasable to pick out Ruby Red Apples and Golden Apples to my heart’s content. They also had the most delicious apple juice ever – so sweet!

Make Caramel Apples! Granny Smith, Fuji, Red Delicious. No Matter what your favorite apple type, you can cover it up with delectable caramel sauce, all in less than 30 minutes! Check out the recipe here!

Carve a Jack-O-Lantern! Whether you are a fan of the simple, smiling pumpkin faces or an artiste extraordinaire, you will enjoy spending a few hours carving away at a big, orange vegetable. Stick a candle in it to light up the dark night!

Our pumpkin: “Till death do us part!”