October is here

As the cool nights and warm days of autumn take shape I start to think back on some of the things The Bryants have done in Octobers past.  The pumpkin patches, the trips to see the leaves change, the hay rides, the bon fires and of course the trips to wineries.  I personally love the summer because there is just so much you can do outside. October is my reminder that winter is coming and my outdoor activities will be limited.  So I start to look for any and every way to take advantage of the still warm days in October.

Last year we went on the Great October Adventure to the Shenandoah National Park.  I've blogged about that trip already.  This year we'll be hitting the road again and going to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Super stoked about that! 

View from the Sky Line Drive

We also have a bon fire every year at my parent house.  We try to plan ahead so that family and friends can come.  Sometimes it is just a spontaneous thing.  The weather in Virginia can be a bit unpredictable.  But there is nothing like a roaring fire in the cool night air.  

We did have a slight mishap this particular night.  We had bought some wine at a semi-local winery to drink that night.  But for some reason we had trouble getting the cork out.  We tried it this way and that way...but settled on...

Virgina is packed with plenty of local farmers that open up their fields this time of year for pumpkin picking.  I've been to a couple located around our area but really like The Chesterfield Berry Farm.  I've taken the kids there twice now and even tho the price is slightly steep I think it's well worth it.  Hay rides to the pumpkin fields, activities for the kids, a corn maze, a haunted house and wine tasting.  The wine tasting is an extra $1 but you can't beat that even at the winery. 

It took over an hour to finish this corn maze

A shot of the pumpkin patch

And what October would be complete without a Halloween Party and trick-or-treating?  I usually decorate the house and make it look like Christmas in October!  I can't wait for the kids to come to the front door and hold out their goody bags! 

The kids got the royal treatment with a hay ride around the neighborhood while trick-or-treating.

Looking back at all the things we like to do in October I realize maybe it's not that I am trying to cram all the outdoor stuff in before winter.  Maybe I just like all the things that we are able to do in October that we can't do the rest of the year! So now you know what we like to do.....how about what YOU like to do?