A fall classic: Pumpkin Picking. The price will vary where you live, but for the most part you will always find prices to be below 75 cents a pound (with some places charging by the pumpkin, not by the pound!). This year, the farm we went to was 50 cents a pound. We had a blast walking around looking for the best pumpkins. Our personal goal was to find pumpkins for carving, decorating, and cooking (more on these below!).

Pumpkin picking was a great way to get to know each other– even though we have been best friends for years, my boyfriend and I were able to talk in a low-stress environment and learn more about each others past, present, and future goals. My favorite conversation was when we were discussing our ideal pumpkin; I wanted a round pumpkin with a curly stem, whereas he preferred a tall, slim pumpkin with a long stem. It seemed so mundane given everything else we spoke about while pumpkin picking, but it showed me just how different our thought processes can be. It is rare to have such a low stress date, especially when in graduate school, so pumpkin picking quickly went to the top of my list.

(Peep right to see one of my favorite pictures from our date. We both prefer to stay anonymous, so you cannot see his face but he was having a BLAST. We found the biggest pumpkin in the patch and it just had to come home with us.)

Ah, the Pumpkin Picking’s cousin: Apple Picking. The length of the apple picking season depends on where you live, but for most places in the US you can find apple picking until late October. Try not to go too late in the season, though, because they might have run out of apples! Apple picking tends to be fairly cheap, with some places selling by the pound and others selling by the bag. When I went apple picking this year, they said they were out for the season but we were welcomes to scrounge the floors if we truly wanted to bring home apples… so we did! And we came home with TWENTY pounds of free apples. How cool is that?!

If you are lucky enough to apple pick before they all run out, apple picking (in my opinion) is a little more stressful then pumpkin picking. I have noticed that strangers tend to be a little more aggressive and territorial over the apples, but that may just be the area where I live. If you are short like me, it can be discouraging to try to get apples and not be able to reach. However, I use this to my advantage. My boyfriend is over 6 feet tall and loves to feel included and useful, which means he has no problem reaching for those apples on the uppermost branches! You can then use these apples to continue the date at home.

(Image left is less than 1/2 our apple haul! I used these apples to make delicious apple cider and apple cider pancakes)

Pumpkin carving is one of the easiest date ideas because, other than the pumpkin, it does not require anything you do not already have in a kitchen/ household. All you would need are knives, a pen, and spoons. If you want to use pumpkin specific supplies, dollar tree has pumpkin carving kits for $1.25. These kits are surprisingly good quality– I have been using my kit for 3 years now.

If you do not want to cut the pumpkin or want to be able to use it for cooking later on, then you can paint them instead of cutting them! This is slightly more expensive, but you will be able to be left with a usable pumpkin once you decide you no longer want to keep it for decor. For less then $10 spent at dollar tree, you can get 4 paint colors, 1 pack of paint brushes, 1 pack of paper plates to put paint on, 1 pack of disposable cups to wash the brushes, and a tarp to cover the ground. Once the decorating and/ or carving is complete, post on social media to see who did better…. loser pays for the next date!

(Vote in the comments who’s you like better… the left one or the right one!)

Fall is synonymous to baking. When you enter any store, you are guaranteed to see a wide variety of fall goodies: pumpkin pies, apple cider, apple crisp, apple pies– just to name a few, are a fall staple. Making any of these dishes are easier than one may think and are very fun to make as a date. This would be the perfect opportunity to use the haul from an earlier pumpkin picking or apple picking date. Bust out your aprons, tie up your hair, and bake delicious treats to enjoy together. Season pumpkin seeds to be sweet or savory, turn leftover pumpkins into pumpkin bread, bake an apple pie, or a simple apple crisp. The point is to make lifelong memories with your partner or friends.

As adults we sometimes forget to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Sometimes that means creating a blanket fort and having a horror movie marathon… then being so spooked you decide to have a Disney Halloween movie marathon.

After a long day of picking apples/ pumpkins and baking, the only thing anyone would want to do is sit down and relax while enjoying the fruit of their labor. A movie marathon is the perfect time to sit and watch movies, while enjoying the desserts you created earlier that day.