Fall into St. Louis Dating: Autumn-Inspired Dates in St. Louis, Mo

Fall is a great season for unique and exciting dates. By September and October, St. Louis begins to cool off into beautiful days. Take advantage of St. Louis' best season by taking your special someone outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, into relaxation, novelty and beautiful scenery just a few miles from home.

One of the best ways to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather in St. Louis is to visit one of the many family farms that open their pumpkin patches or apple orchards for personal picking. Almost all of these farms also have fall themed activities planned. What a great way to get out of the house and out of the movie theatre. Whether picking apples or finding your way through a corn maze, you'll have plenty of time to relax and talk.

Eckerts Farm (www.eckerts.com) has pick your own apple orchards and pumpkin patches at all three of their locations (Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, Illinois). Just across the river, Eckerts is famous for its quality selection and country stores.

Boschert Farm (www.cornmaze.com/mq_location.asp?ID=53) by crossing the other river, you can enjoy the fall festivities at Boschert Farm in St. Charles. Boschert Farm has a great corn maze. They too offer pumpkin picking and are open weekends from the beginning of September to the end of October. Admission is 7.50 for adults, but well worth the fun of an outdoor experience.

Lakeview Farms (www.lakeview-farms.com) is just west of Chesterfield. Lakeview Farms offer picking for strawberries, raspberries and pumpkins. Pumpkins are the only item in season during the fall and Lakeview Farms are open every day except Sunday in September and every day but Monday in October. They also offer a corn maze.

Stuckmeyers Farm Market and Greenhouse: (www.stuckmeyers.com) is more than just a picking spot. They also have a vegetable market with in-season vegetables. Fall is their busy season, so there's lots of great crops coming in. They offer pumpkin picking and hay rides and have free admission. Located in Fenton, Missouri Stuckmeyers offers "Farm Fun Days" on every weekend in September and October.

(Tip: Ask your date if they have any allergies. Many people suffer allergies from hay or allergens in the air like mold or ragweed that are particularly high in the fall. If they have bad allergies, stay away from farms and fall festivals where hay and fresh air are in abundance!)

Beyond picking pumpkins and getting lost in corn mazes, there's a lot to be said for a good old-fashioned sporting event. Take your date to a Cardinals game in September. It's much more enjoyable that a game in the middle of July. Tickets may be hard to come by if you don't plan in advance, and the regular season is over at the end of September. Still, standing room is often available and allows you and your date to roam the new Busch Stadium. www.stlcardinals.com

They say miniature golf is for kids, but they're wrong! A putt-putt adventure is the perfect way to bring you and your date back to more carefree days. The weather is perfect and St. Louis boasts a lot of great miniature golf sites. The Infield: In Ellisville, Missouri. The Infield offers an arcade, go-carts, batting cages and an 18 hole miniature golf course. The Infield is a well kept course right off of Manchester Road. Challenge your date and whoever loses has to buy dessert!

Swing-Around-Fun-Town: With a location in St. Charles and in Fenton, Swing Around Fun Town has lots of fun to offer. Both are open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The Fenton location offers Mini-Golf, Go-Karts, Bumper Boats, Batting Cages, an Arcade, and Pizza & Ice Cream. The St. Charles location has the mini-golf, the batting cages and the arcade. However, both are an excellent way to spend a few hours on a breezy fall day or night.

Both the Daniel Boone Home in Defiance, Missouri and Faust Park in Chesterfield, Missouri offer fall festivals. The Daniel Boone Home's Pioneer Days will take place September 30th and October 1st in 2006. The event includes artisans, musicians, games, and lots of living history - http://www.slfp.com/BooneHome.htm. Faust Park is having a Folk Festival the same weekend including blacksmiths, potters, quilters and much more. Click http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks/faust/2006FolkFest.pdf for more information.

Hiking is also a great way to pass away some romantic time together on a beautiful fall day. St. Louis offers some great state parks (www.mostateparks.com). In Wildwood, Babler State Park is an amazing place for a fall hike. With four wooded trails to choose from, you and your date will have no problem finding some beautiful scenery. Castlewood State Park in Ballwin is also a great place for picturesque views. The trails are a bit more difficult, but many take you with the winding Meramec River-there's also a few trails on the bluffs high above the river. Castlewood offers amazing views, but the trails are sometimes not marked very well. Be careful! Confluence State Park in West Alton, Illinois is also a beautiful place to take in the fall changes. Located where the Missouri and Mississippi meet, Confluence offers a spectacular view in any season.

Lastly, search the Internet. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is a wealth of information. At www.stltoday.com you can search for events in your neighborhood. Click the Suburban Journals link for an even closer look as to what's happening in your community. Also, check the county and city websites of your current location. Often they offer a list of current events for each season. These searches are going to give you great ideas for close-to-home unique dates.

When St. Louis autumn comes your way, you can't pass up a chance to show your date some creativity and a change of pace. No one wants dinner and a movie every night, let the weather work for you and pick one of these outdoor dates great for the beautiful autumn season in St. Louis!