Fall heralds a flurry of activity at TCORS Capitol Group, LLC., but we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the changing of the seasons with our annual list highlighting some of Connecticut’s best autumn festivities!
It’s pumpkin season, and a number of CT’s patches offer the opportunity to pick your own future jack-o-latern. Check out this list from the Hartford Courant, including:
Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury has weekend hayrides, pick-your-own pumpkins, and a corn maze. Next Sunday, October 9th (8am-1pm) is the final, weekly “Sunday Breakfast with a View” of the year, featuring seasonal farm fare with a view of the fields.
Irish Bend Orchard in Somers is a 4th generation family farm, offering u-pick Fuji, Golden Delicious, and Empire apples, and several varieties of Asian pears, plus free hayrides at 10am on weekends. Any pumpkin from the patch is $5.
Lyman Orchards in Middlefield produces 275,000 to 350,000 lbs. of pumpkins each year. Lyman Orchards also features a farm market with produce, pies, and creamery, a nine hole golf course, and fall activities including the Ben Franklin Corn Maze, Brew Maze Beer Tasting, and Burger and Line Dancing Evening.
Apple picking also abounds, as do a host of spots to enjoy an apple donut with a cup of hot cider. (BF Clyde’s in Mystic houses the nation’s oldest steam powered cider mill, in operation since 1881!) Check out your local farmer’s market for more of fall’s bounty, including squash, mums, hearty greens, and root vegetables.
While fairs and festivals may be winding down as the weather cools, the annual Garlic and Harvest Festival will take place this weekend (October 8-9) in Bethlehem. The festival celebrates everyone’s favorite allium with garlic cooking classes, garlic-growing lectures, and garlic specialty food vendors, featuring dips, cheeses, infused oils, and garlic ice cream. Enjoy fresh fall apples, pies, fritters, and food truck fare, along with musical performances and carnival rides at the Glastonbury Apple Harvest and Music Festival (October 14-16). Or visit the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in Lebanon, which continues every weekend through October 16th, recreating a 16th century harvest faire complete with jousting, turkey legs, and a medieval marketplace (costumes encouraged).
On the subject of costumes, October festivities include numerous haunted houses and Halloween-themed gatherings across the state. CT Haunted Houses offers an up-to-date list organized by category and level of spookiness. Halloween New England lists haunted houses and trails throughout the northeast. CT Visit cites “other scary options” including a Seaside Shadows Haunted History tour of Mystic, ghost stories at the Noah Webster House and WH Historical Society’s West Hartford Hauntings, and West Simsbury’s family-friendly Haunted Petting Zoo.
Leaf-peeping peaks in Connecticut this month, and CT’s trails provide excellent vantage points. The shoreline also showcases spectacular views of the changing leaves. Alternatively, Autumn is a good time to cozy up inside, perhaps while taking in some of CT’s fine art (check out CT Insider’s list of fall exhibitions here), concerts, or theater. Explore CT’s cuisine at one of its top restaurants, get toasty with fireside dining, or take a weekend getaway to one of the state’s historic inns with fireplaces.
Autumn is one of Connecticut’s most beautiful seasons, and we hope these suggestions will help you enjoy its delights!
TCG wishes you an abundant and fun fall season!