Fall fun on a budget: 10 things to do under $10
Got $10? That’s all you need for fun in southcentral Pa. this fall.
Yep, a crisp Alexander Hamilton will get you inside a haunted house, lost in a corn maze or on a spooky ghost tour.
Here are 10 fun things to do for just $10 (or less) this season.
Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch
Nothing says fall quite like pumpkin decorating, apple picking and hayrides. And at local farms, like Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market in Hellam and Smyser’s Farm in York, you can do it all.
On Saturdays from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22 (and Columbus Day), guests can paint a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch for $5, take a wagon ride for $2 or go on an apple-picking adventure for less than $10 at Flinchbaugh’s Fall Fun Fest. (A medium bag costs $9, and a small bag costs $5). A straw bale jungle gym, trike bikes, games and other children’s activities are also available for free from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.
Smyser’s Farm also holds a Fall Fest with pumpkin picking, food and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays throughout October. $5 admission includes a petting zoo, hayride, corn maze, straw maze, sorghum maze, corn box and children’s games.
Go out for cider
It’s officially cider season, and local varieties are calling your name. Grab your 21-and-over friends and take a trip to a local cidery this fall.
Reid’s Orchard and Winery in Orrtanna and Gettysburg offers a flight of five 3-4-oz. hard cider samples for $8 – the perfect option for those struggling to decide between its 10 different flavors (like peach, cherry, pear and raspberry).
Or, try the $10 flight of four 5-oz. glasses of craft cider, beer and/or soda at Wyndridge Farm in Dallastown. Current cider offerings include apple, hopped and cranberry, corporate sales manager Molly Blymire said.
Willing to spend a little more? Stick around for lunch or dinner at Wyndridge’s sit-down restaurant. Free tours of the facility are also available upon request.
Get lost in a corn maze
Take your pick from several area corn mazes this fall.
Oregon Dairy in Lititz, Flinchbaugh’s Orchard and Farm Market in Hellam, Paulus Orchards in Dillsburg, Risser-Marvel Farm Market in Annville and Country Creek Produce Farm in Chambersburg each offer corn maze attractions for less than $10.
Visit their individual websites for more information.
Celebrate Oktoberfest
York’s $5 Oktoberfest celebration is sold out, but you can still participate in the city’s Oktoberfest Week Sept. 18-24. Participating downtown restaurants will offer special Oktoberfest Week-exclusive dishes like pork schnitzel, bratwurst and cheesy potato beer soup – most of which can be purchased for under $10.
Click here for a list of more Oktoberfest celebrations in the region.
Get spooked on a ghost tour
Looking for a spooky, historical ghost tour? Gettysburg is the place to find it.
For $10, you can take one of Ghostly Images of Gettysburg’s nightly 90-minute walking tours, where you’ll hear haunted tales inside the historic Jennie Wade House or Homestead Orphanage.
Or, take a candlelight tour of locations that were once active battlefields and listen to stories of real Civil War soldiers on a variety of Gettysburg Ghost Tours, offered throughout the fall. Prices start at $9 for adults and $5 for children under 12.
Go on a ‘Pumpkin Walk’
Take in the beauty of York County’s fall foliage on a leisurely 0.6-mile walk through the Seven Valleys section of the Heritage Rail Trail. From 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, the trail will be decorated and lighted with hand-carved pumpkins.
A donation of $5 is suggested. All proceeds benefit the York County Rail Trail Authority.
See a Halloween parade
Area Halloween parades make for a fun evening out. Plus, they’re free.
Mark your calendars for the Lititz Halloween Parade at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 on Main Street, the Gettysburg Halloween Parade at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 through Lincoln Square and the York Halloween Parade at 2 p.m. Oct. 30 on Market Street through Continental Square.
Expect to see plenty of marching bands, floats, candy and costumes. The York parade will also have a family fun zone with inflatables, carnival games and extreme laser tag from 1-3 p.m. in Continental Square.
Walk through a haunted house (if you dare)
You’ll have to shell out more than $10 for a good scare at most haunted houses in the region. But if you’re looking for a bargain, head to DreamWrights – or should we say DreamFrights – for its first-ever theatrical haunted house Oct. 28 and 29 in York.
The spooky attraction has modified fright factor levels “from mild to menacing,” according to marketing coordinator Hilary Trout. So young children, teens and adults can all participate.
Attraction times are 7-9 p.m. Oct. 28 (menacing – age 13 and up); 2-4 p.m. Oct. 29 (mild – age 6 and under); 4:30-6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 (medium – age 12 and under); and 7-9 p.m. Oct. 29 (menacing – age 13 and up).
Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online or at the door.
Get crafty with cardboard
York’s Global Cardboard Challenge is the perfect cure for boredom this fall. It’s a free day of play and imagination that's sure to get your creative juices flowing.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 8, participants can build anything they can dream up using supplied cardboard and recycled materials at York’s Agricultural & Industrial Museum. Maybe it’s a house or a racetrack or a robot – you decide!
Local artist David Lynch will also be looking for volunteers to help him build a six-foot-tall version of York’s cityscape to celebrate the city’s 275th anniversary. The cityscape will then be on display in the museum from Oct. 15 through the end of November.
The event is open to all ages, but it’s especially great for children and families. Cardboard, art supplies, snacks, drinks and games will all be provided.
Go on a brewery tour
Fall is a great time to check out the latest seasonal offerings at local breweries and learn a little something about the beer-making process, too.
Area breweries like Tröegs Brewery in Hershey and Appalachian Brewing Co. in Harrisburg offer tours that take customers through each step of the brewing process.
The Tröegs tour in Hershey costs $5 and includes beer samples and a souvenir pint glass, and the Appalachian Brewing Co. tour is free.
Visit their websites for tour times and more information.
