by Tim Froberg
October is a time of transition and change.
It’s harvest season for farmers, Halloween fun for little kids (and big kids) and buckle- down-with-the-books time for students who are no longer on summer vacation and starting the second month of school.
There is also a major climate and clothing adjustment for all Midwesterners as a chill in the air has replaced summer’s sticky humidity.
It’s also the most beautiful time of the year. The stunning fall foliage has decorated the landscape across the Badger State, creating photo ops at practically every country corner. Wisconsin looks like something right out of Oz – minus the munchkins and flying monkeys – during the month of October when the colors pop and peak.
A fun fact about October: it was originally the eighth month of the year in the ancient Roman 10-month calendar and given its name from the Latin word ‘Octo’ which means eight. The calendar was eventually expanded to 12 months during the Julius Caesar reign by adding January and February, but names of the original months like October were kept.
Many of us are ambivalent about this wonderful month and the whole fall season. Why? Because as gorgeous as October is, we know what’s coming next and it’s not great. The leaves will disappear by the end of the month, and we’ll get less daylight and sun and more weather-related frustration as the cold weather kicks in for an extended stay.
To make sure that you enjoy this short but glorious season, I’ve put together my “Fall Faves Top 10” list. Many of these fall-related activities and opportunities – such as viewing the eye-popping leaves and taking soothing hikes through the woods – are freebies courtesy of Mother Nature. Others such as Green Bay Packers games can create a bit of a dent in the budget, but often produce life-long memories.
Make sure to take full advantage of them, because it’s the last call for fun in the sun before we start muttering that dreaded four-letter word: s-n-o-w.
Oh, What a Color Show!
Mother Nature’s fall color show is truly spectacular in Wisconsin. This amazing kaleidoscope of colors draws leaf peepers (yes, leaf peepers are a thing) from all parts to witness the vibrant reds, oranges and yellows that create the gorgeous fall foliage background especially in October.
Science-wise, it’s pretty basic. Leaves turn color in the fall because chlorophyll – the green pigment necessary for photosynthesis – breaks down due to cooler temperatures and shorter days with less sunlight. Other pigments of the leaves that were there all along, but hidden, suddenly become visible. The leaves eventually die in a process known as abscission in which vessels that carry water and nutrients to the leaf are shut off.
Whether you’re taking a scenic drive, hiking through the woods or kayaking on Wisconsin’s waters, this visual feast never disappoints. But you need to approach fall color viewing with urgency because there is such a small window of two to four weeks to see the leaves when they’re “wow” worthy.
Fall colors in northeast Wisconsin usually peak in early-to-mid October – based primarily on weather conditions – and a week or so later in southern Wisconsin. High Cliff State Park in Sherwood, Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca, Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, 1000 Islands Conservatory in Kaukauna, Heckrodt Wetland Preserve of Menasha and Mosquito Hill Nature Center in New London offer terrific leaf viewing and require only a short drive.
For a birds-eye view of the colors, do yourself a favor and climb the observation tower at High Cliff State Park. You will get an incredible look at the foliage nestled up against Lake Winnebago. It’s a photo op that no one passes up. You are welcome.
If you’re up for a road trip, nothing beats the breathtaking beauty of Devils Lake State Park in Baraboo at peak color time. Elkhart Lake, Peninsula State Park in Door County, Dave’s Falls in Marinette County, the Bearskin State Trail in Minocqua and the Geneva Lake Shore Path in Lake Geneva are among my favorite fall color road trips.
Pumpkins – They’re Everywhere!
Linus never got to see the Great Pumpkin rising out of his sincere pumpkin patch, but let’s face it: Linus was a bit of a blanket-wielding rube. Pumpkin patches are an awesome way to get back to nature and celebrate the Halloween season. Many of them allow you to pick out your own pumpkin from the field and the cost is always nominal.
When selecting your own, look for a pumpkin that is firm, has a consistent color (typically orange) and a solid feel when tapped. Avoid pumpkins with bruises, check for a hard stem and make sure the stem is at least 1 inch long.
Hofacker’s Hillside Orchard (Appleton), Peter’s Pumpkin Patch (Kaukauna), Star Orchard (Kaukauna), Sprangers Orchard (Kaukauna), Heritage Orchard (Chilton), Polly’s Pumpkin Patch (Chilton), Sharky’s Orchard (Appleton), Mulberry Lane Farm (Hilbert), Red Barn Family Farms (Appleton) and Oak Ridge Farms in Neenah are among area farms and orchards where Halloween pumpkins are just waiting for you.
Most of these wonderful businesses also offer some incredible fall beverages and snacks such as apple cider, caramel apples, apple cider doughnuts, apple and honey crisp, various fruit pies and a wide variety of fresh apples and squash.
Fun Frights at Haunted Houses
Few things are more flat-out fun than slowly trekking through a (fake) haunted house and getting scared out of your wits by a costumed ghoul leaping out of a dark corner.
Many of these Halloween-themed venues are professionally done. They are planned, choreographed and orchestrated by knowledgeable people in the creative arts field and have a good chance of making even the most jaded (grumpiest) of individuals jump– at least a few times. Most support local charities, so by getting spooked, you’re helping a worthy cause.
The Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex in Neenah has been scaring the socks off local folks for 20-plus years. The complex provides five different attractions in one location, including two massive, haunted houses (Insanity and Adrenaline) and a haunted woods (Phobia). I’ve been a paying customer at Burial Chamber on multiple occasions and can almost guarantee these cats will scare you.
Hearthstone Historic House Museum in Appleton hosts a different approach to spooking those brave enough. It offers an actual theatrical production with actors portraying Victorian serial killers like Jack the Ripper and their victims along with roving police officers searching for clues throughout the museum decorated to reflect the Victorian period. It’s fun stuff and a major fundraiser for the museum.
The Realm of Darkness Haunted House in Kaukauna is another frightful destination. It’s a newer Halloween venue to our area but a good one, featuring a haunted house and interactive area with actors just itching to make you jump.
If you don’t mind a short drive to Green Bay, Terror on the Fox is one of the area’s longest running (29th year) and best haunted house attractions. It’s held next to the National Railroad Museum and starts with a haunted train ride – the Terror Train – to a dark trail that leads to a killer haunted house.
Enjoy the monster’s ball – costumed ghouls rocking out with air guitars to some killer heavy metal tunes – as you prepare to enter the haunted house which features 14 rooms and three uniquely themed hallways. It’s a high-budget operation and one of the best known (fake) haunted houses in this part of the state. I’ve done Terror on the Fox several times (there’s a pattern here, I’m a big kid) and it’s always been a blast.
How ‘Bout a Ghost Story
The whole Halloween experience – costumes, parties, taking the kids trick-or-treating – is one of the best parts of late fall. But the Halloween season wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if we didn’t have ghost stories to tell, preferably over a campfire or even a fire pit in your backyard on a crisp October evening.
I will share a few tales of paranormal potential that happened to me. I’m not sure they involved ghosts, but they were just weird, and I’ve never been able to fully explain them.
The first is connected directly to this magazine and one of the stories I wrote for Appleton Monthly. It happened in 2019 when I interviewed Stone Arch Brew Pub co-owner Steve Lonsway and a few of his employees for a Halloween story about Charlie: the notorious ghost that is said to haunt the Appleton brew pub.
Nothing strange happened when I did the interviews at the brew pub, but that wasn’t the case the next day. First, an alarm on my smart phone began ringing at 11:32 a.m. – even though I did not set an alarm for that time. What is interesting about 11:32 is that I was a few minutes late for the Charlie the ghost interview the day earlier, and remember checking my watch when I entered Stone Arch. The time was 11:32 a.m.
What followed was even more bizarre. Shortly after doing the Charlie research, I shifted gears with another series of interviews at Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle for a different story on their awesome guitar exhibit. I use a digital tape player for all interviews, and it records chronologically. But when I played back the tape, something unexplainable happened. The guitar interviews had somehow jumped ahead of the Charlie interviews in my digital files even though the Charlie interviews had been recorded first.
I’ve had the same digital tape player for 10-plus years and recorded hundreds of interviews. This is the first and only time that recorded material has not followed a chronological order. Somehow the interviews mysteriously moved around the folders of the tape player – even though that’s basically impossible.
Was it Charlie messing with me? I don’t know. I do know that I’ve never experienced either of those things before.
An even more startling incident happened to me a few years earlier in Oshkosh at the historic Grand theater where my wife and I attended a staged haunted house. It was a typical Halloween-themed haunted house with costumed actors prowling the premises to scare visitors. The twist was that the Grand has long been rumored to be actually haunted, making it a fake haunted house inside what might be a real haunted house. Creepy.
We waited patiently to enter the Grand at the very end of a long line. No one was behind us. Suddenly, I felt a firm, playful tug at the back collar of my jacket – like an old friend sneaking up behind you to say hello in a light-hearted, physical way.
I immediately turned my head to see who it was, yet no one was there. It wasn’t my wife, who to this very day denies any involvement in the mysterious jacket tug.
Was it a friendly ghost of the Grand? Quite frankly, I don’t know. But I’ve never forgotten that tug or been able to explain it. Maybe Charlie decided to take a road trip to Oshkosh.
Take a Hike
Looking to connect with nature or ramp up your exercise program?
You can do both – and enjoy the exercise part – by simply taking walks-hikes through the woods or starting an autumn running program.
Seeing the beauty of the colorful leaves and marveling over Wisconsin’s fall color show makes walking so much easier than in summer and winter, when barriers like heat and snow make outdoor strolls far more laborious.
The fall-autumn soundtrack is pretty good, too. I don’t know about you, but I love walking through quiet leaf-covered trails and hearing the crunch of dry leaves beneath my feet. It’s one of the best sounds of the season.
There are a wide variety of wonderful walking trails in our area where you can experience the crunch of the fall season. High Cliff State Park, Hartman Creek State Park, 1000 Islands Environmental Center, Heckrodt Wetland Preserve, Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, the Loop the Lake trail in Menasha, the Fox River Trail in Green Bay and the Wiouwash State Trail – a 21.8 trek through Outagamie County – are loaded with gorgeous walking opportunities.
The High Cliff trails are especially dazzling, taking you through gorgeous woody areas with Lake Winnebago as a backdrop. The Red Bird Trail Loop and Indian Mound trails are two of my favorites and Fido is allowed throughout the park, providing a leash is being used.
If you’re a runner, the cool fall temperatures present an ideal time to add mileage to your running program. It’s also the last call for outdoor cardio work before the snow flies and you resort to treadmills and indoor exercise equipment.
Fall Camping
Nothing allows you to connect with the great outdoors like camping. Fall is actually a great time to pitch a tent – providing you’re OK with the much colder temperatures. Wisconsin campgrounds can get very crowded during the summer months, but with the kids back in school and many adults back in full work mode after burning vacation time, there are less people to deal with at campgrounds. Less people make for less noise.
The beauty of the leaves combined with the absence of mosquitoes and bothersome bugs provide more reasons to grab your camping gear and do one more excursion before Old Man Winter comes storming in.
Campground rates are also lower during the fall and the ability to have campfires on a cool, crisp evening provides the type of peaceful atmosphere that isn’t always the case during the summer at jam-packed campgrounds.
Most campgrounds in the local area like High Cliff, Hartman Creek, Appleton Creek and Wolf River Campgrounds in New London are open until November.
Ready For Some Football?
Nothing screams fall in Wisconsin more than football: the undisputed No. 1 sport in America.
The NFL season kicked off in September (well, actually July with training camp) but it shifts into high gear in October.
The Green Bay Packers are just about the biggest thing during fall in the Badger State. This season, there is even more excitement about this storied franchise with the Packers’ blockbuster trade for pass-rushing terror Micah Parsons.
There is only one Packers home game in October, but it should be a good one. The Packers’ highly touted defense will get a major test when Green Bay hosts Joe Burrow and the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals in an Oct. 12 potential shootout at Lambeau.
But don’t forget the Packers’ Oct. 26 game. It’s a Sunday Night Football road contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers and a fella who used to work around these parts. Goes by the name of Aaron Rodgers.
If you are looking for one last Packer home game to squeeze in before the crummy weather hits, the Carolina Panthers invade Lambeau on Nov. 2.
Yes, Packers’ tickets are expensive. Plan a watch party (of a Packers game) if you want a fun football-filled experience with your friends, but don’t want to pay the high cost of a day at Lambeau.
The Wisconsin Badgers are also a huge part of the Wisconsin sports landscape, and the Camp Randall experience seldom disappoints. Luke Fickell’s Badgers host the always formidable Iowa on Oct. 11 and then perennial Big Ten power The Ohio State on Oct. 18.
Keep an eye on Neenah High graduate Matt Jung: a junior safety who is making a solid contribution in the Badgers secondary. See THE VOICE story in this issue on his father, Steve, who has resurrected Neenah’s once-struggling prep football program.
Lawrence University, St. Norbert College and UW-Oshkosh football games are a college football alternative to the Badgers and are far less expensive. All are Division 3 programs loaded with eager players driven by a love of the game.
Another excellent budget beater is high school football. Wisconsin’s Friday night lights experience is excellent entertainment – even if you’re not a sports nut. The small-town charm and atmosphere of high school football is endearing, whether it’s the fired-up student section, the proud parents in the bleachers or the marching band belting out “Sweet Caroline” at halftime.
Oh, and the level of play on the field is high. Notice how Fox Cities schools usually handle Green Bay, Wausau and Milwaukee opponents. Quality veteran coaches who have been on the sidelines for years like Rob Salm, Chad Michalkiewicz, Matt Binsfeld, Dave Hinkens and Steve Jung are major reasons why Fox Cities schools rule on the gridiron.
Take in the Friday night lights at Papermaker Stadium, Paul Engen Field (Appleton North), Rocky Bleier Field (Xavier) or at the new venues in Kaukauna and Neenah. You’ll have a blast.
But there is far more to the prep sports world during the fall. There are some terrific boys’ and girls’ volleyball, soccer, cross country, golf and tennis programs across the Fox Cities. Support high school athletics. They provide outstanding life lessons to the athletes involved and marvelous low-cost entertainment for the community.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
A long Major League Baseball season reaches its greatest height in October when the MLB postseason starts.
What makes the annual MLB chase for the World Series more interesting this fall is the surprising play of the Milwaukee Brewers, who emerged as one of the best teams in baseball during the regular season.
The postseason is nothing new to the Brewers. Milwaukee has reached the playoffs in eight of its last nine seasons. The problem is the Brewers are usually a one-and-done playoff team that hasn’t reached the World Series since 1982 – and it feels like 1892.
Is this the year the Brewers finally break through? We’ll find that out in the coming weeks.
The MLB wildcard round starts on Sept. 30 with the divisional series round to begin Oct. 4. The championship series for both leagues will start no earlier than Oct. 12. Finally, the Fall Classic, the World Series, is scheduled to open Oct. 24.
The big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers are the defending World Series champion. Anything can happen, though, during baseball’s often unpredictable season and perhaps it’s the year the Brew Crew finally plays late-October baseball.
Have a Fall Brew
Let’s face it: Wisconsin really likes beer. That should be obvious when you consider that the state’s professional baseball team is called the Brewers.
Yes, we drink beer year-round in this great state. But to me, fall brews are the very best. Whether it’s a classic Oktoberfest or a pumpkin-spiced ale, fall beer is not for those counting calories. It’s a heavier beer than most summer-themed offerings and usually packs more flavor.
In America, most Oktoberfest beer follows a Marzen recipe. The result is a German type of lager known for its rich maltiness, amber color and medium- to full-body hop profile.
Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Weihenstephaner and Erdinger are among the world leaders in producing quality Oktoberfest beers. I’m also fine with a cold Sam Adams’ Octoberfest.
Fall Food Rocks
The menu in houses across America often shifts dramatically during the fall months. Autumn is the season when the temperatures drop sharply, creating a need for warmth and comfort even in the culinary world. That means that soups. Chilis and stews take over during October and early November in Wisconsin.
Soups mixed with squash, kale, pumpkins and other fall veggies are especially popular during the fall and you don’t need to be the Soup Nazi to create them. Not only do they taste great, but they are hearty and generally more nutritional than most meals. In sticking with the Seinfeld theme here, yes, soup can be an actual meal.
As for chili, well, everyone on the planet seems to have their own recipe for what they claim to be the “best chili ever.” Chili is an American comfort food often eaten year-round, but it rises to the top of food charts in October.
As for a snack, there aren’t many things on this Earth that I enjoy more than a good caramel apple. We used to call them taffy apples when I was a kid, and I’ve never lost my taste for them. As long as I have teeth, they’re going to remain a prominent part of my fall.
This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue of Appleton Monthly Magazine.
