Pick your own apples

Picking apples at Brant's Orchard in Ashtabula, Ohio

The metro offers no shortage of places where you can enjoy the rustic experience of picking your own apples. A few of the top regional orchards include Hillside Orchard, Pickering Hill Farms, Heritage Farms, and Royalton Farms.

My personal favorite is Brant’s which is quite a drive in Ashtabula, but worth it in my opinion. At Brant’s, you can pick your own bushel of apples, enjoy festive treats like hot apple cider and apple cider slushies and donuts, take a hayride, and enjoy the beautiful lake scenery. Their apple cider donuts are amazing. Bushels are $25 (apple varieties include: Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Cortland, Asian Pears, and Empire). As you can see in the pic below, the foliage is amazing this time of year!

Apple picking at Brant's in Ashtabula
We had enough apples to last us through the entire fall lol
Fall colors in Ashtabula
Gorgeous colors on the lake

Stroll around the zoo

Tiger at The Cleveland Zoo

One of the best attractions in the city is the wonderful Metroparks Zoo – it is one of my favorites out of the dozen or so I have visited. The zoo is spacious which is nice when you want to get in a great workout. The exhibits are great and the many beautiful trees make it a gorgeous leaf peeping destination. One of my favorite places to see fall colors this time of year is along the tree-lined walkway that leads you up to the primate house. It’s so gorgeous this time of the year not to mention a fabulous workout (note you can opt to take a free tram). Late October is usually your best bet to see the most vivid color.

Bison and golden fall foliage at The Cleveland Zoo
Vivid orange fall foliage at The Cleveland Zoo

Leaf peep at Metroparks

North Chagrin reservation in fall
Quiet, uninterrupted beauty at North Chagrin

Cleveland is home to an awesome urban park system. There are so many places where you can hike and get totally lost in nature just a half hour or so outside of the city. There are 18 reservations to choose amongst, so you always have a great option no matter where your daily adventures may take you.

I recommend Brecksville Reservation and North Chagrin. Both are quiet gorgeous leaf peeping destinations where you can also get in a solid workout for the day.

Fall hike up the Hemlock trail at Brecksville Reservation in Ohio
Hiking the steep Hemlock trail at Brecksville
Leaf peeping at North Chagrin reservation
Leaf peeping at North Chagrin is so amazing

Enjoy hot homemade cider

Apple cider at Brant's Orchards in Ashtabula
Brant’s offers such a gorgeous setting for enjoying a cider

Hillside Orchard, Heritage Farms, Pattersons, and Szalay’s (in Cuyahoga County near the national park) are a few of the best local bets for an amazing cup of hot apple cider. In my opinion, apple cider really hits the spot much more so than coffee on a brisk fall day. All of these farms offer great fall festivals.

I usually visit several farms in one season; it’s a great weekend fall activity. Depending on the particular visit, I pick out a pumpkin, enjoy a nature walk, or simply just enjoy a fantastic homemade drink. Many of these (like Heritage Farms and Brant’s) charge no entrance fee, so you can order a drink and just enjoy the natural surroundings.

Apple cider at Heritage Farms in Peninsula
Apple cider donuts and a hot drink at Heritage Farms, a quiet alternative to Szalay’s

Pick your own pumpkin at a local patch

Pumpkin picking at Pickering Hills farms in Ohio

As soon as the end of September rolls around, I start getting excited to pick out my pumpkins for carving. While I could just buy them all cheaper at Giant or Trader Joe’s, that would be taking away some of the fun! My strategy is to buy one cheaper medium pumpkin at a patch and then buy some bigger carving ones at the grocery store. Pumpkin patches just say fall to me; I love taking a hayride out in the cool air and finding my perfect pumpkins to be used for Halloween carvings.

Although quite simple, Pickering Hill Farms is a nice place to spend an hour or 2 on a fall day. They are located not too far from Westlake so easily accessible. I like to enjoy some pumpkin pancakes at First Watch in Westlake’s Crocker Park before my visit. You won’t get that “out in the country” vibe here, although they sell great pumpkins for carvings (you can also pick your own from the field), offer a relaxing hayride, and have an awesome market on site where you can pick up local goods.

Pumpkin patch at Pickering Hill
Found my perfect medium sized pumpkin
Hayride at Pickering Hill Farms
A short tractor ride (for a small fee) takes you on a scenic journey through the grounds

Enjoy seasonal treats at Trader Joe’s

Best pumpkin products at Trader Joe's

I can’t get through the fall season without at least 2 runs to Trader Joe’s. This grocery store knows how to do the holidays. Their collection of fall treats is so amazing.

Let me recommend a few of my favorite products:

  • Pumpkin Spice Coffee
  • Pumpkin Rooibos Tea
  • Fall Harvest Salsa
  • Pumpkin Oatmeal
  • Pumpkin Body Butter
  • Pumpkin Spiced teeny tiny pretzels
  • Butternut Squash Lasagna/Mac and Cheese
  • Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
  • Pumpkin PIe Spice
  • Pumpkin Bagels and cream cheese