10 fall date night ideas in champaign county

By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design

​1. Explore a Cave
 
If you have never been in a cave before what better time of the year to do it? Thankfully we have one of Ohio’s best caverns right in our backyard. You can visit Ohio Caverns any time of the year to experience the year-round temperature of 54 degrees. Directly above the caverns is a 35-acre park where you can have a picnic lunch before or after your adventure!
 
2. Local Wine Tasting
 
If you are looking for a way to spend an afternoon outside in the crisp fall air, plan an afternoon wine tasting at Folck Family Farm. They make wine from the berries they grow on their farm including strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry. You can sometimes even catch some live acoustic music while you are there. 
 
3. Enjoy Comfort Food for Dinner

Lincoln and Main is a restaurant and bar located in Urbana, Ohio. It all started with a food truck, Dine and Dash, and has formed into an amazing restaurant where you can find great beer and food. Their menu is built of comfort food and slow smoked meats and they are constantly creating new dishes to add to it.

4. Pick Fresh Apples for Baking

A classic fall date idea is to go apple picking! Head over to Nana’s Orchard to pick apples of 15 different varieties. Their apples are ready at different times throughout the season, but there will always be something great to choose from. Once you have your apples you can head home to make pie, cobbler, candy apples, and so much more!

5. Go on a Scenic Hike

Tall, majestic oak trees and beautiful tulip trees make Davey Woods an excellent place to go for a scenic fall hike. The hilly terrain, unique for this part of Ohio, provides hikers with an unforgettable experience. Along your hike you might also run across the Pence family cemetery.

6. Enjoy a Classic Movie Night

Gloria Theatre by GrandWorks has been hard at work on renovations to their building but this is not slowing the down! You can take in a movie here any day of the week but be sure to check their schedule online to see what they are playing. They often have throwback nights to nostalgic films of the past but play current films as well.

7. Carve Pumpkins Together

Nothing says fall like carving pumpkins! Get the best pumpkin for the job at Seth’s Produce & Garden Center. Starting about mid-September you will find pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes there. Get a little competitive and post your results on Facebook to have your friends and family vote on who’s is better!

8. Grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte

This is a fall essential. It is the season for all things pumpkin spice, but the one that started it all is the Pumpkin Spice Latte. We recommend you ditch the chain shops though and grab one from the Spotted Cow Coffehouse. You can shake things up and try their Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte or the ShiverMoo with pumpkin!

9. Visit a Haunted Attraction
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If you like the kind of fall activity that leaves you feeling scared, try heading to a local haunted attraction like Crybaby Bridge. Legend has it that in the 1800’s a woman threw her baby off the bridge and you can still hear it cry to this day. The bridge was one located on Black Road but no longer stands. Allegedly all of the supernatural activity in the area has ended, but why not go see for yourselves?

10. Go for a Drive to see the Leaves

Champaign County is lucky to have so many amazing spots to find fall foliage. There are an abundant number of backroads to travel but for the easy-going a drive straight down US Highway 68 will leave you with an amazing view of fall. If you have more time, consider traveling US Highway 36 which runs East and West through all of Champaign County.