The fall season is officially here and as we begin October, cold weather, changing leaves and scary movies are becoming the new norm. Fall is arguably the best season of the year, but spending fall in Athens is extra special.
If anyone has seen Ohio University or the city of Athens’ Instagram pages, you know that Athens and Southeast Ohio are picturesque and straight out of a Hallmark movie. With Athens’ multitude of cobblestone bricked streets, luscious greenery that surrounds downtown as well as the old-timey architecture that graces uptown business, Athens is beautiful through and through—and the fall season only radiates that.
With fall comes some of the best opportunities to get out of downtown Athens and experience Southeast Ohio. On top of that, fall is a chance to go outside and still abide by COVID-19 regulations and socially distance.
Libby’s Pumpkin Patch, 41251 State Farm Road, is about a 20 minute drive from Athens and is a great fall day trip for you and your friends. Adapting to COVID-19 but remaining open, Libby does not only include a pumpkin patch, but also a corn maze, tractor rides, a park for picnics and more. On a sunny, cool fall day, Libby’s is perfect for a day with friends, family or capturing the perfect photo for Instagram.
Other than heading to a pumpkin patch, fall is the perfect season for hiking. Right in the morning when the air is cool but not too cold, hiking at Hocking Hills State Park is a must. With seven different hiking areas throughout the entire park, you’ll be able to make multiple trips out of the trails.
While there’s plenty of other day trips and places you can visit during the fall season, just experiencing downtown Athens is enjoyable. Once mid-September hits, the local coffee shops start rolling out their seasonal specialties, the trees throughout College Green turn to shades of red, yellow and orange, and something changes in the air. Maybe it’s just Athens’ small town feel or my love of fall, but Athens’ entire atmosphere becomes more inviting and warm.
Pulling on your favorite chunky sweater or flannel, grabbing a Chaider or Pumpkin Spiced Chai from Donkey Coffeehouse and heading to picnic amongst the crunchy leaves laying around College Green is a near-perfect afternoon.
Though COVID-19 has prevented the majority of OU students from experiencing an Athens fall, that doesn’t mean you can’t bathe in all the fall goodness from the comfort of your hometown. Fall in Athens is a special time, but the great thing is that it comes around every year so you’ll have multiple chances to experience it.
Nonetheless, it’s the perfect time to fill your movie queue with old Disney Halloween favorites or horror classics, eat too much candy and bask in the cool weather as you sip on apple cider or hot chocolate and begin to countdown the days to Christmas.
Molly Schramm is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Have questions? Email Molly at ms660416@ohio.edu or tweet her @_molly_731.
