12. Hebron Rock Colony By accident last year, I discovered that this was the most beautiful place around Boone to soak up fall. While it entails a brief hike to reach the rock laden gorge, this is the least of a visitors worries. Navigating the plethora of boulders requires a lot of rock hopping and scrambling, however, this can easily be achieved as long as you're being extremely careful. I could have spent all day marveling (and photographing) at the luminous display of golds, oranges and yellows blanketing the surrounding trees. We visited Hebron just yesterday and it appears as though we missed the peak colors, but it was still very pretty.
13. Sleep in the Woods: One of the great things about being in western North Carolina is that there is never a shortage of places to sleep outdoors if you're looking to commune with nature for a night or weekend. There's nothing better than bundling up during the chilly nights, and waking up to crisp, cool mornings that warm up as the day wears on. With the Blue Ridge Parkway near by there are a number of well-maintained campgrounds that are typically less than $20 a night if you want to car camp. However, there are just as many free options to be found if you know where to look and aren't afraid of a hike (or trespassing :D j/k). For instance, backpackers can camp for free (with some restrictions) in the Linville Gorge, Pisgah National Forest and Grandfather Mountain's backcountry to name a few available options.
14. Getting lost in the New River Corn Maze is a surefire way to get the giggles and have a goofy good time. This year a new maze opened just outside of Boone that winds through 4 acres of corn along the New River. Expect to be laughing too hard to notice whether or not you took a wrong turn until you hit a dead-end, although the little street signs marking the paths help to steer you in a new direction. Cody and I went with a couple of friends and the boys insisted on teaming up to scare us many times along the way. However, we did manage to make it out in just 23 minutes even with their shady shenanigans!
15. ASU Football Game: I've lived here in Boone,NC for over 5 years now and I had never been to a football game until last weekend. I suppose that I just didn't have the urge to dilly dally with a boat load of drunken college kids, and I'm not sure why I chose to do so now, but it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Initially, it was sort of a way to say that I've gone to a football game, finally, but I actually enjoyed myself and we're already talking about going to another one. Over the years, I must have forgotten how much fun it is to cheer on a team alongside a bunch of overexcited fans who are hooting and hollering.
16. Play Disc Golf: A 30 minute drive from Boone is an amazing disc golf course in Ashe County with 20 holes to accommodate both amateurs and pros. Playing the course doesn't cost you anything, although you need to have your own discs in order to do so. Besides having a really great course set-up with holes ranging from easy to difficult, you'll also be swept away by the mountain scenery surrounding you. For anyone who has never experienced the game of disc golf before, it's a lot of fun to play and it isn't too hard to get the hang of. Now, scoring a goal (or basket) is a different story.
16. Play Disc Golf: A 30 minute drive from Boone is an amazing disc golf course in Ashe County with 20 holes to accommodate both amateurs and pros. Playing the course doesn't cost you anything, although you need to have your own discs in order to do so. Besides having a really great course set-up with holes ranging from easy to difficult, you'll also be swept away by the mountain scenery surrounding you. For anyone who has never experienced the game of disc golf before, it's a lot of fun to play and it isn't too hard to get the hang of. Now, scoring a goal (or basket) is a different story.
17. Not Just Child's Play: Gather up a great big pile of leaves, launch them as high as you can above your head, and spin around as they fall! As goofy as it may sound, something magical happens and you're instantly transported to a more playful age (if you don't already act like a kid). I had such a blast and haven't laughed that hard in a while. The people who were watching as they walked by definitely looked like they wanted to jump in too. If you think that playing in a pile of leaves if just for kids, you should absolutely try it yourself sometime.
This short list of fun things to do in fall consists mainly of things to do around Boone, however, I'm sure that football games, campgrounds and corn mazes can also be found around your home as well with a little research.
This blog post is PART 3 of the "Fun Things to Do in Fall" series. In Part 1, I shared a list of Fairs and Festivals in and around North Carolina that we enjoy attending. And in Part 2, I shared our favorite National and State Parks in the Western NC region that we frequent during this time of year. If you missed those, the links can be found below.
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