Fun Ways to Spend a Fall Evening

Sure, the weather is getting cooler, but there’s still plenty of time before you have to layer down jackets over sweatshirts over sweaters over thermals, and cover every other inch of your body in knit hats, gloves, and scarves. The air is crisp and has that cool, fall smell, but this will soon give way to biting cold, snot that freezes in your nostrils, and seeing your own breath.

Take advantage of the cool fall nights– they are more fun (and can be more romantic) than you think!

Have a bonfire

Summer bonfires make you sweat. Fall bonfires keep you warm without overheating. It’s the perfect time to gather your friends, cozy up around some flames, and reminisce about the “good old days”– like the time you got so drunk you passed out in your dorm stairwell (which may have been last weekend). If you’re still in the creepy Halloween mood, you can pull a “Summer Camp” and recite urban legends under the moon, or you can pass around a couple of forties and see where the story-telling gets you. Bonfires are a great way to set the mood in a group setting, so if you’ve been feeling shy around someone special, it’s the perfect opportunity to initiate something.

Go on a Hayride

Nothing screams “Autumn” like sitting on a bale of hay and being taken around a farm on a horse-drawn wagon. After being cooped up in stuffy lecture halls all day, a hayride is literally a breath of fresh air. If you’re feeling stressed from school, go on a clear night, sit back, relax, and be one with nature… and the twenty other people crammed into the cart! Besides, sharing a bale of hay on a cool night with a guy is a great excuse to snuggle up. Got energy to burn? Try a corn maze instead!

Be Creative.

Make leaf rubbings. Make a scarecrow to scare creepy dudes away from your room. Carve a pumpkin. Trace your hand and make it a turkey. String some acorns, or make an apple doll. If you can’t think of things to make, call your mom and ask her what kind of junk you used to bring home from kindergarten art class. Recreate it, and see if you’ve gotten any better.

Play in Leaves.

In case you haven’t noticed, the things on this list are things you may have thought you’d outgrown since the autumn days of yesteryear. Think again. Life is short, and the days are getting shorter… put your inhibitions aside and jump in a pile of leaves on your way home from the dining hall. If you wait much longer, you’ll be forced to jump into snowbanks, and you might end up with frostbite or ice in your shirt. Note: If you play in leaves on your Friday stumble home from the bar, you may or may not be reported for domestic disturbance, so keep the noise down.

Eat. Everything.

Everything fall-related that is. I’m talking candy corn, pumpkin pie, caramel apples, popcorn balls– and wash it down with hot apple cider! You don’t need a fall holiday as an excuse to indulge in some of the season’s finest sweets and treats. Grab the girls and have a fall picnic on the quad– you won’t have to worry about summer’s pesky mosquitoes or the smell of citronella candles. Besides, you can multitask and eat these goodies while you engage in any of the above activities!