Fun Fall & Winter Activities in the Mountains

When I was younger, the only season that I really liked was summer. Spring was okay since it could sometimes be really warm sometimes, but I never much cared for fall or winter. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the cooler and more comfortable weather that fall brings, as well as other positive aspects of fall as well. My birthday is in early October, and although by this time it's often relatively crisp in Michigan, which is where I'm from originally, in North Carolina it's not usually so cool. Sure, the temperature will have dropped by then, but it's usually not quite as cool in North Carolina as it in in Michigan, making it easy to enjoy many outdoor activities that I like to participate in.

Leaves

One thing that I've definitely just recently started to appreciate are the beautifully colored leaves that fall brings. Since I'm in the mountains of North Carolina, the leaves are even more breathtakingly beautiful, in my opinion, and I like to drive around to different areas just to admire the orange, red and yellow leaves. One perfect place for viewing leaves in the mountains is Highlands/Cashiers, an area on an extremely high elevation. It is so gorgeous in this area that I don't mind driving the 75 miles to get there so I can take numerous pictures and just relax while enjoying the views. In some parts of the Highlands/Cashiers area it can get pretty scary as you're up so high, but looking down at all the beauty is worth being scared for a few moments.

Flowers

Fall may seem like an unusual time to think about planting flowers, but to me it's the perfect time. The ground isn't too hard to dig up, therefore allowing me to plant as many bulbs as I want so they'll bloom nice and beautiful by the time spring arrives. It feels great to be outside during the fall, too, taking in the fresh air while doing something that I truly enjoy. We live on two acres, so I think I'll be pretty busy in the coming weeks, planting bulbs for next year's flowers.

Halloween

Since I have two young boys, three & nine, I can use them as excuses to go all out for Halloween. I like having fun, and part of the fun of Halloween is dressing up in funny, scary or unique costumes. I also enjoy driving around different neighborhoods to admire the various Halloween decorations. It's almost like Christmas in October with all the lights, scary and weird-looking jack-o-lanterns and other awesome decorations. It's also enjoyable to take my boys to the pumpkins patches and apple orchards so they can choose their own fruit in order to make pies and other goodies with. My nine-year-old wants to go to a haunted trail this year, which I'm also looking for to going to.

There are many other outdoor activities that I like to participate in during the cooler months, but some depend on the weather. We don't usually get too much snow in North Carolina, but when we do, I like helping my boys build a snowman. I also like the simple ability to be outside for extended periods of time without worrying about being bothered by annoying bugs or suffering from sunburn. Fall and winter are just great times of the year to be outside doing just about anything.