As fall approaches, it’s time to discuss which activities are the best to celebrate this most exciting time of year. Case Western Reserve University’s campus offers a lot of fall-specific activities. In addition to the classics, like jumping in a pile of leaves or eating apple pie, fall at CWRU has its own one-of-a-kind activities. I’ve compiled a list of the best contenders.

My first recommendation is grabbing hot apple cider (with mulled spices) from The Coffee House. The Coffee House at University Circle is right across from Smith House in the North Residential Village and offers the best hot apple cider on campus (or around town for that matter).  The Coffee House also offers a great selection of coffee, tea and pastries, as well as a cozy and quiet study or hang out spot to escape from the cooling weather.

It’s a little bit out of the way, but if you can carpool with a bunch of friends, going to Patterson Fruit Farm to pick apples and walk around in the fresh fall air is always worth the trip. Apple picking is ripe with opportunity for fun. In addition to leaving with a bag full of apples, you also get to choose from a million and a half apple-related puns for the caption of an Instagram picture of you and all your flannel-clad friends. My personal favorite is “We’re so hard-core” for a picture of all of you showing off half or fully-eaten apples.

Patterson also provides the ultimate fall date activity, hayrides. Trust me, an itchy hayride may not sound like your idea of a hot date, but as the nights get colder, your hayride partner is going to want to get as close to you as possible. There’s also the romantic atmosphere that comes with the late night and the moonlight. And on top of that, it’s a great way to facilitate conversation. Even if you go with a big group, it’s easy to snuggle up to your date for some one-on-one time. Just remember to bring gloves and a blanket you don’t mind getting some hay on.

Baking is always a great way to have some fun with friends, if you don’t mind having to clean up after yourself when you’re done. Depending on your time and skill level you can do anything from pouring some caramel over cut up apples and adding sprinkles to baking a full apple pie, especially if you’ve just picked fresh apples. There are a million fall recipes that you can draw from to get yourself some warm eats on a cold night. Communal kitchens might be a little cramped for you and all your friends, but I made both gingerbread cookies and caramel apples last year in the first-year residence halls so it’s definitely possible.

These are just some of the many many fall activities you can do around campus. Others include taking a walk around the many green spaces on campus as they change color, or having a picnic at Wade Lagoon complete with fall favorites like apple cider and pumpkin bread. I also recommend going to Lake View Cemetery to have a “spooky” time.

At CWRU, there’s no shortage of fall fun.

Paulina Martz is a second-year student and a theatre and psychology double major. She is a self-proclaimed fall enthusiast and gets way too excited about the fact that she can balance an apple on her head.