A quick guide to the area from a seasoned Upstate-r

If you go outside, you can already see leaves falling, giving no doubt that fall, and the holidays that accompany it, is upon us. Now that summer is over and you’ve settled into a school routine, you might wonder what is left to do. Well, fall is the perfect time to discover places in and around Spartanburg. Below you will encounter a list of fall activities that you and your friends are sure to enjoy:  

1. Scarowinds: Every year, Carowinds is transformed into a nighttime Halloween-themed park. This year, it starts on Sept. 13 and lasts through Oct. 27 (open only on Fridays, Saturdays, and a few Sundays—check their website for calendar). Attractions include haunted houses and mazes, rides, shows and scare zones (a perfect opportunity to ask for pictures with your favorite characters). For more information and ticket prices, check their website: carowinds.com. Insider tip: Purchase your tickets the day of your visit to the park, since they do not offer refunds or rainchecks. Additionally, purchase your tickets online. It’s cheaper and you secure your place.   

1. Corn mazes: You might remember going to them as a kid, but even if you didn’t, they’re kind of self-explanatory: mazes in cornfields. Since we are surrounded by farms, there is a great variety of corn mazes in the Spartanburg area. Some of them are open during the day, some at night and others, my favorite, are haunted corn mazes. One popular farm, Strawberry Hill USA, is located about twenty minutes from Wofford in Chesnee, South Carolina. They have daytime and nighttime corn mazes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (check ticket prices and hours at strawberryhillusa.com). However, if you are looking for a nighttime haunted corn maze, you can check out Shelby’s corn maze on Fridays and Saturdays throughout October (check shelbycornmaze.com for more information on prices and hours).  

1. Haunted Houses: If you really want to be spooked, you should visit “Madworld Haunted Attraction” in Piedmont, South Carolina. This haunted house has a five out of five rating. They are open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights starting in September and lasting all throughout November (check madworldattractions.com for ticket prices and hours of operation).  

1. Apple picking: This is one fall activity to take advantage of if you want to relax and enjoy time with friends. As I mentioned before, we are surrounded by farms, which makes it easy to find one that offers apple-picking during the fall. The farm “Grandad’s Apples N’ Such” is known to have a great variety of apples to choose from. But if you’re hesitant to drive all the way to Hendersonville, North Carolina just for apples, they also have a pumpkin patch, a delicious bakery, a barnyard corral and more. They’re open Monday-Sunday until November (check grandadapples.com for more information, phone number and hours of operation).  

These are just a few of the activities going around near us! Hopefully this list will inspire you to try out some fall-related activities. Don’t forget to take pictures, bundle up and enjoy with your friends or family!