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Close-up of a white line on green grass in a soccer field
Close-up of a white line on green grass in a soccer field
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10 Activities to Celebrate a Collegiette’s Favorite Season

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Bridget Pfirman
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachael David
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

Fall is a wonderful season. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are finally back on the Starbucks menu, fall sweaters are in season and the leaves are changing. Now that the temperature is cooling down and school is back in session, it’s time to start enjoying some fun fall activities with your friends.

Here are some awesome acitivies you can try this autumn:

1. Go apple picking

Apple picking is always a good time. You can pick some delicious apples while bonding with your friends. Harner Farm is a local apple picking place in State College where you can take your friends. They are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday. Apple picking starts during late September.

2. Take a hike

There is more than Mount Nittany when it comes to hiking around State College. State College has a few trails around it including Bald Eagle State Park or Rothrock State Park. Rothrock is near Boalsburg and has a few trails that you can explore. Bald Eagle State Park also has a few trails. Lastly, if you’re looking for a Penn State classic, try hiking Mount Nittany – it has two trails and is only a few miles away from campus.

3. Bake some fall treats

Fall means that pumpkin is returning, so why not bake up a treat with some of your friends? Try these awesome pumpkin cheesecake bars or these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. 

4. Have a campfire

Campfires allow you to enjoy the outdoors and the crisp fall weather while hanging with your favorite people. Find a firepit, make some s’mores and share some good times under a cool fall night.

5. Go on a hayride

Hayrides at Penn State are always a great way to enjoy the weekend. You get to spend some quality time with your friends and take in the fall season.

6. Go camping

Enjoy the beauty of the wilderness this fall. There are a few places to camp around State College. One popular choice is Bald Eagle State Park, which has a campsite and other fun activities such as kayaking and a lake for swimming.

7. Hold a picnic

Enjoy the great outdoors one last time with your best friends. Have everyone bring a dish and incorporate a fall theme by bringing some apple cider or any fall-inspired dish that you find on Pinterest. You can hold a picnic on Old Main lawn – just bring a nice blanket and some food, and you have a fun-filled day for you and your friends!

8. Have a field day

Gather a group of friends and find a game that you’d like to play outside at some of the IM fields or somewhere else around campus. You can play ultimate Frisbee, volleyball or baseball using some of the fields on campus. Once you gather your friends, find a spot, enjoy some of the warm weather and have some friendly competition.

9. Host a pumpkin carving event

This event can be done when it starts to get later in fall. You can purchase pumpkins from the farmers market or a local farm around State College such as Harner Farm. Once you have your pumpkin, you can buy a carving kit at Wal-mart, Five Below or Party City for around $5 – $10. Next, find a place to hold your event, crank some tunes and get carving. You can find great ideas to carve your pumpkin on Pinterest including a minion face or a classic jack-o-lantern.

10.  Go to a sporting event

From soccer to football, Penn State has a lot of fall sports that you can watch with your friends. There are games at Jeffrey Field about every week during the fall, and there are seven home football games on the schedule for this year. No matter which sport you choose, be sure to gather a group of friends and cheer on the Nittany Lions. 

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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Rachael David is currently a senior at Penn State University and serves as the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus Penn State. She is majoring in public relations and minoring in psychology. Her love of creative writing and all things Penn State is what inspired her to become a member of the HC team in the fall of 2013. Her background experience includes working for the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State as a social media intern in the spring of 2014 and is currently working as a social media intern for an internet marketing company in Harrisburg called WebpageFX. This past summer she also served as a PR intern for Tierney Communications. Rachael enjoys anything media related especially catching up on her favorite shows, including Saturday Night Live and any show on Food Network. She has a passion for food but also loves being active and spending her free time running or hiking. She hopes to gain more experience in all aspects of the media industry during college and plans on pursuing a career writing for a life & style publication in the future.