The air is getting cooler. The leaves are starting to change color. Fall is officially here and there is no shortage of things to do in the Erie area.

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Whether you are an Erie native or just passing through to get your degree, soon it will be apparent to everyone that perhaps the most vibrant time of the year is upon us. And with this vibrancy comes a plethora of activities to check out in the area.

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If spending the afternoon in the cool fall atmosphere is what you are going for, you will find quite a few places to visit at your fingertips. Port Farms offers a fall harvest festival every day of the week from now until Halloween, with a college ID discount on Fridays. Only a 30-minute drive from campus, Port Farms showcases a large corn maze, live farm animals to visit, and a hay ride.

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Peek’n Peak’s annual Fall Fest runs on October 13-14 and 20-21 this year. According to the Weather Channel, this festival falls during the peak color changing time for leaves in 2018 – making this the optimal time to visit this Western New York ski resort just 30 minutes from campus. Free admission will allow you to visit various craft vendors, a farmers market, petting zoo, classic car show and more (plus alcohol tents and samples if you are 21+). Visitors can also ride the ski lift to take in the view and see the changing leaves from above for a small fee. The festival runs both weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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If your schedule only allows for a short closer-to-home activity, the annual Pumpkin D’light Night, now Pumpkin Walk, has changed locations to accommodate the growing crowd, according to the Pumpkin Walk’s Facebook Page. For three dollars, visitors can walk around Waldameer Park on October 5-6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to check out hundreds of illuminated carved pumpkins from around the area. This event is put on by the Erie County Penn State Master Gardeners so why not support this fellow Penn State organization?

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For Halloween lovers, plenty of activities are also going on in the area over the coming weeks. Join an Erie Cemetery guided tour to learn about area ghost stories and legends in the oldest of the Erie Cemetery Association’s sites. These tours will take place on October 9, 23, and 30th at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., each lasting 60 to 90 minutes.

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Haunted History tours are also offered at the Brewerie at Union Station in downtown Erie where you can learn about the flagship city’s historical past. Tickets are $13 apiece and are expected to sell out, making reservations useful. These tours will run every Wednesday in October at 7:30 p.m., as well as Friday October 21 and 28 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Details can be found at www.brewerie.com.

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For those looking for more of a haunted house thrill, Ghost Lake is your place. Located 50 minutes from Behrend, these 13 levels of fear take place in the abandoned amusement park of Conneaut Lake Park. While this haunted house is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings through Halloween costing twenty-five dollars, it typically takes several hours to get through – making the cost potentially worthwhile. As someone who has gone year after year, I can assure you there are always new scares waiting with each visit.

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Whether you are looking to get your seasonal festivities in or scream your heart out at a haunted house, the Erie area is awaiting you this fall.