There’s truly nothing else like Fall.

Each year, the once vibrant leaves dull and crisp at your feet, and that heavy, sweet smell of Fall drifts onto campus.

Fake cottony spiderwebs begin to cling to porches, trees and bushes, while gored and carved pumpkins of all shapes and sizes guard houses’ entrances.

Costume shops all around boast about having the bloodiest Halloween gear: Zombies pop out of mechanical boxes, and life-sized mummies glow and groan as you walk by.

This season lends itself to so many things, like trips to apple orchards, pumpkin carving contests, costume galas and cider festivals. In celebration of the upcoming holiday, take a long weekend – or a few long weekends – and reap the benefits of this busy season.

Fall Harvest

Every fall, there’s nothing to look forward to more than going to an apple orchard and picking your own fruit to make sweets like caramel apples or fresh apple pie.

Orchards in Northern Ohio are plentiful, and their produce are always fresh and colorful.

Many of these orchards produce their own apple cider and offer mulling spices for the sweet drink. Some have fields of grape vines, where you can pluck your own concord grapes. They have fresh tomatoes as large as your hand, zucchini, green beans, eggplant, radishes, pumpkins, corn and squash.

Beckwith Orchards Cider Mill

Fresh homemade pies, apple cider and tree-ripened peaches, apples and pears. You can walk through their orchards and quaint country store, which is stocked full of decorations and food. This farm is great when you just want to get away and enjoy some home comforts.

Dussel Farms

Interested in some Indian and sweet corn, squash, tomatoes, honey, pumpkins or gourds? Swing by this little farm and check out their Halloween displays — you never knew you could use a pumpkin in so many ways.

Spooky Stuff

If you like Halloween, then you really like trying to find a new costume. Some scheme for months in advance for the perfect outfit: Zoidberg from “Futurama,” Carrie from Stephen King’s chilling novel and Marie Antoinette (the two-person costume) from that special episode of “Roseanne.” Others tend to stick to originals like devils, vampires and Napoleon Dynamites.

Chelsea’s Vintage Clothing

You know you’ve found a great store when you have to climb ladders to look at the layered rows of vintage clothing.

If you are sick of all of the dull and played-out costumes every year, try out a vintage store or a thrift store. Often you’ll be able to find some really unique – and really cheap – pieces for your costume.

Chelsea’s is so stuffed with cool clothes that it would take at least a full day to sort through. They offer rental costumes as well as pieces you can buy. You can also rent shoes to give your outfit just the right look.

Party City

Known for its expansive costume selection and huge variety of accessories, the Party City in Cuyahoga Falls truly lives up to its name.

The store offers everything you could ever desire to be on Halloween. Whether that is a hot cop, pimp, pirate, witch, bar maid, sexy devil or a giant mobster — you can pretty much get anything here, right down to their foam brain garlands.

Fall Festivities

This year, step away from the usual (and far away) horror stops and try some local events which usually have shorter lines and cheaper fares.

Lantern Tours of the Ghosts of Zoar

Open by appointment Friday and Saturday nights, May through October

Visitors are invited to take a haunted stroll through the village with history and ghost stories told by costumed guides. You hear tales of the German Separatists who settled Zoar in 1817 who may still be haunting their favorite sites: This is a scare where nothing jumps out at you.

Admission is $16 per person.

Ghoulfest

October 27

Enter in their pumpkin carving contest — just drop off your carved pumpkins Saturday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. at the Geneva Recreation Center. Judging will start at 3:30 p.m.

Not into vegetables? Enter a float in their spooky Halloween parade. Call the Center to enter. Parade line-up is at 5:30 p.m. at Geneva Elementary. Parade starts at 6 p.m.

The Hudson Haunted House

Open through Oct. 31

Winding corridors lead you down a maze of uncertainty and doom!

Can you survive the treacherous venture into “The Black Hole,” or will you be lost in the depths of the earth with the Devil himself? Admission price $10.00 per person, $5.00 for 48 inches and under. Group rates for 20 or more. Call for more information

Kent’s Fourth Annual Ciderfest

November 4 from noon to 3 p.m.

(330) 673-4970

The Standing Rock Cultural Arts and Kent Downtown Businesses present their third annual Ciderfest in downtown Kent. You can enjoy cider from Beckwith Orchards, a cider press demonstration, music, pumpkin coloring and goodies for sale from Stahl’s Bakery, Anthony’s Café and Beckwith’s Orchards.

Contact all correspondent Jenna Gerling at [email protected].