Autumn is here and that means cooler weather, the leaves changing, and Spooky Season! Although you may not be able to share a Pumpkin Spice Latte with a friend or be frightened at a haunted house there are still so many fun (and safe) activities to help get you into the fall spirit. 

Pumpkin Patches are still open all around Pittsburgh. Head out on a cool fall day and spend the weekend searching through hundreds of pumpkins to find the perfect one. Once you have chosen your pumpkin invite a few friends over to sit six feet apart and have a socially distanced pumpkin carving contest. You can vote on the winner or just enjoy seeing all the fun designs you and your friends created. Click here for a list of the patches open around Pittsburgh!

Once you’ve gotten your pumpkins look to see if the patch you are at also has a grove of apple trees. Spend the rest of your time picking fresh apples making sure to keep your distance. Once you have brought home tons of fresh fruit make a cup of homemade apple cider, leave a simmer pot in your kitchen to allow your whole house to smell like a Yankee Candle, or just enjoy the fresh apples you were able to pick yourself. Click here for a list of apple orchards around Pittsburgh!

If you’re missing the scare you usually get from haunted houses or Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood then check out the Haunted Pittsburgh Ghost Tours. The tours will take you around Pittsburgh teaching you about Pittsburgh’s history and show you all the haunted sites along the way. The tours run Friday and Saturdays starting at 7 and will continue until early November. Click here to access their website.

If you have any younger siblings or relatives, the Pittsburgh Zoo will continue their annual Zoo Boo fundraiser with a COVID-19 twist. The zoo will open and allow families visiting to drive through the zoo with contactless candy stops along the way. You will be able to say “hi” to the animals and different characters while staying in your car, and there is a guided tour for you to listen to along the way. Have fun with it and decorate your car or put on a Halloween costume with your family. Buy your tickets here.

If you are a movie buff or just really miss going to the theatre, the Row House Cinema is doing a collection of Halloween themed drive-in movies in the Strip District. The movies offered include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Young Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, and for the finale  on Halloween night there will be a showing of Night of the Living Dead. Tickets are $30 per car. Click here to buy your tickets.

If you really don’t feel like leaving the house then baking some fall-themed recipes can be one of the best choices.

Try making…

Homemade Apple Cider, Pumpkin Muffins, Cinnamon Apple Chips, 

Caramel Apple S’mores, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

For more fall themed recipes go to here, or here for Halloween themed recipes.

We all know this year has been anything but normal. Even though we may not be able to do all the things we would like in the way we would like there are still tons of fun ways to enjoy the season. Happy Spooky Season!