Finally! There’s a breeze in the air. The humidity has hit the road. I love Fall. Actually, I love the smell of Fall! When I was a kid I lived on a farm. There was a distinct shift in the winds on the farm that carried on them this sweet, nutty smell, kind of like hay. Well it probably was hay. It’s like I would feel, smell, and actually hear this shift to Autumn in my bones. It was magical for me. I would always do a wind witch dance (that’s my made up name) in the grass fields near my home.
What comes to mind when you think about fall… campfires? football? beer and chili? pumpkins? Charlotte has it all!
Here are a few fun to-do’s to add to your list.
In the mood for a campfire?
The Charlotte area has some great places to go camping within an hour or two drive but you don’t need to leave town to enjoy the best part of a campfire—the S’mores!
Head over to Bonterra for a dessert that will make you feel like a kid. The S’mores Chocolate Brownie. Here’s the description right off the menu: Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Streusel, White Chocolate Ganache. Uh? There are no words I can add to that. Go there now. Enough said.
New brews? Yes!
Charlotte has 24 craft breweries. 24—that’s a lot of seasonal brews to try.
Sycamore Brewing’s pumpkin amber Gourd Have Mercy is already out. NoDa Brewing’s Gorgeous is a favorite with pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cardamom, cloves and ginger root. Most of the breweries offer some kind of seasonal selection. Don’t even get me started on the Hard Ciders perfect for this time of year. I would have put that on the list but that seemed like an excessive amount of alcohol.
Football, please!
Grab a sweatshirt. Pinterest new tailgate recipes and get going with your friends. Remember the Panthers aren’t the only game in town. We have lots of colleges here. UNCC Football is still new and from what I hear from the college kids, the 49-ers put on a good show.
Chili, of course!
I know, chili is almost a rite of passage in the fall. If you aren’t careful you’ll find yourself in an argument over which style of chili is the most authentic. You can taste some of the best at the 9th Annual Dilworth Chili cook-off – This year it’s in November. There’s a reason the event has been going strong for 9 years! Of course, you can just make everyone happy and go to Lupie’s Cafe on Monroe Road where they serve 4 kinds of chili: Texas(their spiciest), Cincinnati, Vegetarian, and Southern Style.
Finally, for the Kids!
There are a lot of pumpkin patches near Charlotte but to enjoy the pumpkin madness in town check out the crazy carvers at GUTS. Watch the madness unfold from 2-4pm at BB&T Park on October 27th. The over-the-top creations benefit Make-A-Wich of Central and Western NC.
Now when you google, ‘best things to do in the fall in Charlotte’ a lot of the articles will take you technically outside of Charlotte for Fall traditions outside Charlotte like Scarowinds, The Renaissance festival and Carolina Balloonfest. Those are all perfectly acceptable to put on your fall must-do list BUT I think Charlotte offers enough that you don’t have to go outside the city limits to experience the best of the season.
