Five Reasons to "Fall" in Love with the South
Updated: 12 minutes ago
Don't shed a tear because summer is over; smile because fall is here.
Undoubtedly, there's something special about the fall in the South. Perhaps it's the clear days with the promise of cooler weather, the colorful foliage seen on long, lazy weekend drives, the excitement of cheering on your favorite college football team on Saturdays, or the wealth of fall-friendly activities that put smiles on the faces of all ages.
Maybe it's something different for you.
Whatever reason (or reasons) may be, one thing everyone can agree on is: There are plenty of ways to "fall" for the South this season.
Festivals
Some argue that spring is festival season in the South, while others claim it's fall. So, Southern Hospitality Magazine settles it for once and all: Fall is the definitive festival season.
And here's the proof to back it up.
Best known for Big Tex and its envelope-pushing (not to mention pants-button-popping) fair food, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas takes center stage, Sept. 25 - Oct. 18. Don't let the line at Fletcher's scare you away; their corny dogs are worth the wait.
Perry, Ga., hosts the Georgia National Fair, Oct. 8 -18, showcasing the state's heritage and livestock. While there, don't forget about the Georgia National Fair Food Fight, where you can eat and vote for your favorite dish. It's a win-win.
The "Peanut Capital of the World," a.k.a. Dothan, Ala., hosts the National Peanut Festival, Nov. 6 -14. Considered the nation's largest peanut festival, it highlights peanut growers and the harvest season. Like the other festivals, you can vote for your favorite festival food, too.
And speaking of food (which we do every day in the South), sip and nibble your way through the Fall for Greenville (S.C.), Oct. 9 -11, Rouge et Blanc Wine and Food Festival, Oct. 10, in Lake Charles, La., and Ocala Food & Wine Festival (Fla.), Nov. 6 -8.
Craving (pun intended) festivals celebrating specific foods or a dish? If you yelled "yes," head to the World Chicken Festival, Sept. 24 -27, in London, Ky., honoring the life of Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The festival features the World's Largest Stainless Steel Skillet, where chicken is prepared for dinner.
And (of course) there's more: National Shrimp Festival, Oct. 8 -11, in Gulf Shores, Ala., Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational BBQ, Oct. 9 -10, in Lynchburg, Tenn., International Rice Festival, Oct. 15 -18, Crowley, La., and S.C. Pecan Music and Food Festival, Nov. 1, in Florence.
Other festivals that should be on your radar this fall include the National Storytelling Festival, October 3 - 5, in Jonesborough, Tennessee, FestivaALL, October 8 -12, in Charleston, West Virginia, the Kentuck Arts Festival, October 11- 12, in Northport, Alabama, the Natchez Balloon Festival (Mississippi), October 17 -19, and Foo Foo Fest, October 30- November 10, in Pensacola, Florida.
Then there's the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Oct. 8 -11, in Lafayette, La., which deserves to be in a class of its own. After all, how many festivals can you name that open with the cutting of boudin?
Scarecrows, Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes and More - Oh My!
There's nothing better than spending the day with family or friends, or even solo, picking out perfect pumpkins, apples or flowers, or finding the exit of the corn maze without cheating. (This is a no-judgment zone.)
You'll discover there's more than pumpkins and gourds in many places.
The Perryville Pumpkin Farm (Mo.), through Oct. 31, also offers a corn maze, a soybean maze, a straw tunnel, corn pits, and even a petting zoo.
You can spend all day at Pumpkin Hollow in Piggott, Ark., through Oct. 31, with activities including a zip line, pond slides, a corn maze and more. Plan a visit around Horror in the Hollow, select dates in September and October.
The Annual Pumpkin Festival, Sept. 25 -Nov. 10, at Denver Downs Farm in Anderson, S.C., features live entertainment, weekend bonfires, and over 30 fun-filled activities suitable for all ages.
The Fall Festival and Pumpkin Harvest, weekends through Oct. 25, at Chesterfield Berry Farm in Moseley, Va., offers a corn maze, hay mazes and more. Be sure to try the pumpkin milkshake.
Grab a basket and pick apples at BJ Reece Orchards in Ellijay, Ga., Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard in Hendersonville, N.C., and Jackson's Orchard & Nursery in Bowling Green, Ky.
Gather up sunflowers and other fall blooms in places like Peebles Farm in Augusta, Ark., Mayfield Farm Park in Athens, Tenn., and Fausett Farm in Dawsonville, Ga.
Decorative scarecrows are as much of a fixture of fall as pumpkin-flavored everything. These straw masterpieces populate everything from botanical gardens to downtowns and parks.
Scarecrows mingle with the flowers along the Ridgeland (Miss.) Scarecrow Trail, starting in October, at Ridgeland Wildflower Fields.
Among Festifall's various fall festivities at the Huntsville (Ala.) Botanical Garden is a Scarecrow Trail.
Downtown Woodstock, Ga., is home to Scarecrow Invasion, which is said to be the "largest scarecrow display in the Southeast," with hundreds of scarecrows on display throughout October.
All kinds of scarecrows line Bowling Green, Ky.'s Lost River Cave's trail during its Annual Scarecrow Trail in October.
Find your favorite scarecrow at Orange, Texas' Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center's Scarecrow Festival, Oct. 6 -24.
The Scarecrow Spectacular, held Oct. 20 -26 at the West Virginia Botanic Garden at Tibbs Run Preserve in Morgantown, showcases the creativity of area organizations.
And don't forget about Gatlinburg, Tenn., as fall decorations take center stage during the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival through late November.
And don't forget about Gatlinburg, Tenn., as fall decorations take center stage during the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival through late November.
Beer Steins and Scary Times
"Oans, zwoa, drei, Gsuffa" ("one, two, three, drink up), y'all! The fall season ushers in Oktoberfest around the world, including in the South.
Dubbed the "longest-running Southeast party," the Nashville Oktoberfest (Tenn.), Oct. 1 -4, includes a beer stein holding competition, the 5K Beir run (complete with a celebratory 20 oz. Oktoberfest beer at the finish line for those 21 and older), and a Dachshund Derby.
Try your hand at Schlagen Hammern or enter the Stein Hoisting Competition at the Triangle Oktoberfest, Oct. 2 -3, in Cary, N.C. There are plenty of German and craft beers to sample, Bavarian food to enjoy and much more for the entire family.
Cape Coral Oktoberfest (Fla.) held on Oct. 16 –18 and 23 -25, features three stages of nonstop live German music, potato pancakes and other German-themed dishes, a carnival area for kids, and more.
From schnitzel to spooky season.
Fall is a great time to experience the spirited world. Whether it's a weekend getaway to well-known haunted destinations like Savannah, Ga., St. Augustine, Fla., and Charleston, S.C., or an overnight stay at the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Ark., Myrtles Plantation in Francisville, La., or Duff Green Mansion in Vicksburg, Miss., there's a good possibility you may gain firsthand knowledge of things that go bump in the night.
For those wanting a little more edge, secure a spot on a tour for Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tenn., Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky., or the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WVa.
Many haunted houses, trails, escape rooms and other attractions get their spook on around mid-September. Some don't wait and start scaring up fun even earlier in the month.
Over in Nixa, Mo., that loud pounding you hear is probably your own heartbeat as you make your way through a hauntingly immersive forest realm experience along the James River, known as the Field of Screams, featuring two ghastly experiences, weekends through Nov. 1.
Netherworld Haunted House, weekends through Nov. 8, returns to the greater Atlanta area (Stone Mountain, Ga., specifically) with two walk-through haunts: Curse of the Collector and Beyond Oblivion Legacy of Evil, guaranteed to push the envelope regarding thrills and chills and then some. Don't forget to check out the Monster Museum, or for something with a little less chills but still filled with thrills, Escape the NetherWorld, which has five themed escape rooms.
When you think you can't be scared enough, The Haunted Farm opens Sept. 25 in Hendersonville, N.C. The haunted attractions include the farm, woods, slaughterhouse, demon hay shed, and more.
Dread Hollow, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., Oct. 1 -Nov. 1 (Thursday to Saturday nights), offers an intense haunted house, along with escape rooms that are not for the faint of heart.
If you're the type that wants some lore, history or both with hauntings, then ghost tours are for you. Nearly every destination offers eerie tours during the fall, and especially in October, such as Saint Charles (Mo.) Legends & Lanterns, Oct. 10 -11, 17 -18, and 24 - 26.
While the Mystic Ghost Ride Company's Ghost Bayou Tours and Ghost Walking Tours in Mississippi's Gulf Coast are offered year-round, there's something extra chilling about doing one (or both) in late September or October.
Leaf Peeping
From Arkansas' Pig Trail Scenic Byway to Alabama's Circle of Colors, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are many great places to see the turning of leaves.
Want to earn a few bragging rights while seeing fall colors? Take on the Tail of the Dragon/U.S. 129, straddling Tennessee and North Carolina, where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Cherokee National Forest. Oh, you'll see plenty of fall colors, along with 318 curves packed into 11 miles.
Take your leaf peeping up a notch with the Fall Tram Rides or the Fall Chuckwagon Tours during Cedar Fest (September - October) at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo.; ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in Blue Ridge, Ga.; cruise along the Tennessee River Gorge aboard the Southern Belle Riverboat in Chattanooga, Tenn.; or float high above with Asheville Balloon Company (N.C.)
Outdoors
Explore a state park, hike the trail, paddle down a waterway, tee off on a golf course, or wander through a nature preserve.
Whatever you choose, get outside, get active and soak up the sights and feelings of fall.
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