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10/01/2015 12:01 AMFall is officially here and there is no shortage of activities along the shoreline. From fairies to foliage, pumpkins to apples, prehistoric times to the middle ages, clam chowder to local beer and wine, the many area events happening this fall will pique almost anyone’s interest.
Get Outside!
Due to the warm, dry weather we’ve been having, peak fall foliage is estimated to start in northern Connecticut around Saturday, Oct. 3 to Thursday, Oct. 8, and roll down to southern Connecticut sometime between Saturday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 30. That peak is a bit earlier than usual, says Christopher Martin, the Connecticut state forester with the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. The Connecticut shoreline from East Haven to Clinton will be among the last areas to go, with the peak estimated at late October to early November.
Despite the ongoing drought along the shoreline, Martin said, if you go hiking in a forest, there is still quite a bit of green, and that “overall the foliage will be brilliant.”
Avid leaf-peepers should keep checking in with the state’s Fall Foliage reports and maps, which can be accessed by visiting www.ct.gov/deep. Click on the Fall Foliage link under “Advisories” on the left hand side of the page, and you’ll find the current foliage report, tips on where to view fall foliage, and information on why leaves change color.
Take a Ride! Pick Your Own!
If you are looking for a new point-of-view on New England foliage, take a ride on the Essex Steam Train and riverboat. The 2 ½ hour journey begins on the steam train and continues along the Connecticut River on board the Becky Thatcher with foliage views throughout.
An Essex Clipper Dinner Train, serving a four-course meal, is offered on weekends throughout October with departures at 11:30 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m, and 5 p.m. The 2 ½ hour train ride offers scenic views while dinner is served. A three-course option is also available on Thursday, Oct. 1; Thursday, Oct. 8, and Monday, Oct. 12.
If you’re looking for more traditional fall fun, pick-your-own season is in full swing at the local orchards with apples and pumpkins ready to harvest. Lyman Orchards in Middlefield also has a four-acre Pez-themed corn maze, which is open daily.
In addition to pick-your-own at Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, there is family-friendly fall fun every weekend during the fall season at the Little Red Barn. Entertainment includes scarecrow-making, face-painting, donkey rides, a concession stand, and the Kids’ Play Korner featuring a hay maze, hay pyramid, tractor track, and corn kingdom. The hay maze, which is located at 526 New England Road, is open on weekends and holidays throughout October.
North Branford’s Rose Orchards also features both a hay maze and a corn maze. In addition to the pumpkin patch, apple-picking, visiting with the animals, and the creamery, “Pumpkin Head” will offer scenic wagon rides.
Calling All Knights & Fairies
For some fantasy fall fun, check out the Connecticut Renaissance Fair on the North Haven Fairgrounds, which runs on weekends and Columbus Day through Sunday, Oct. 25.
“The Connecticut Renaissance Faire is an enchanted recreation of an old world harvest fair as one might have been in the Middle Ages,” according to ctfaire.com. “Costumed performers wander the streets interacting with guests, craft shops line the streets selling unique wares and eight stages run continuous entertainment throughout the day.”
Guests are encouraged to wear costumes and each weekend has a theme that will carry through the entertainment, featured foods, merchants, and more. The 2015 themes are Pet Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4; Fantasy and Romance from Saturday, Oct. 10 to Monday, Oct. 12; Time Travelers Weekend with Clash of the Cupcakes on Oct. Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18; and All Hallows Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25. Halloween Knights are featured on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct.24.
You can visit another fantasy world at the Florence Griswold Museum with the Wee Faerie Village from Thursday, Oct. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 1. Along the Wee Faerie Trail, there will be more than two-dozen faerie-scaled castles, towers, and palaces on the museum’s campus that “celebrate fiction’s greatest princes and princesses in a new and imaginative way,” according to florencegriswoldmuseum.org. The museum also is hosting several special events throughout the month, including lectures, Creative Crafternoons in the Kingdom, concerts, book talks, and more.
Food & Drink
The fall weather provides the perfect time to enjoy some outdoor dining, a visit to one of the many local breweries or wineries, and other special events.
Mystic Seaport will host Chowder Days from Saturday, Oct. 10 to Monday, Oct. 12 on the Village Green. In addition to chowders and bisques, there will be several other fall favorite foods to try, including apple fritters, berry pie, and mulled cider.
Activities at Chowder Fest include horse and carriage rides, face painting, a scarecrow activity, games, arts and crafts, and live music with Hartstrings Duo on Saturday, Oct. 10, Andy & Bethany on Saturday, Oct. 11, and Junkyard Heartstrings on Monday, Oct. 12.
Several restaurants, breweries, and wineries along the shoreline offer seating with a view. New Haven Restaurant Week is Sunday, Nov. 1 to Friday, Nov. 6 with 32 downtown restaurants featuring $18 lunch and $32 dinner prix fixe menus.
Indoor Fun
In case the great fall weather doesn’t cooperate, there are still plenty of options for things to do. The Ivoryton Playhouse is wrapping up Little Shop of Horrors, which runs through Oct. 11. The next production, which runs from Monday, Oct. 12 to Monday, Nov. 16, is Liberace. At the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, the world premiere of Indecent opens on Friday, Oct. 2 and runs through Saturday, Oct. 24. And Madison Lyric Stage, an arts collective in Madison, is staging It’s Finally Over; Final Operatic Scenes on Friday, Nov. 6; Saturday, Nov. 7; and Sunday, Nov. 8.
If you’re looking for something fun and different for your children, members of the Peabody Museum in New Haven can spend the night from Saturday Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 8 as part of the Yale Dino Snore. There will be activities throughout the evening, along with a snack and a movie before lights out. Continental breakfast is served on Nov. 8.