Chicago Confidential: Fall things to do

The leaves are turning, the apples are ripe and the pumpkin spice is flowing. That means one thing: Fall has descended upon the Chicago area.

Instead of just searching the internet for all things autumn, we are giving you an insider's look at some of the activities and delicacies that might be off the beaten path.

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It's Chicago Confidential: Fall edition.

🎃 The standard choice for pumpkin patches: Illinois is the top pumpkin producer in the country , meaning there are a lot of options for pumpkin patches in the Chicago area.

• If you are looking for a pumpkin experience in city limits, Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up . It's an urban experience with less emphasis on farms and families and more on booze and Instagram-friendly photo backgrounds.

Insider's pick: It's gotta be Goebbert's in South Barrington. This place gives you the pumpkins, a corn maze and the haunted house all in one spot, making the prices worthwhile, especially for kids.

Pro tip: Be prepared to walk after parking.

• If you are just picking up a pumpkin for carving, take a new look at an old friend (Jewel).

Saieh Hall for Economics Tower at the University of Chicago. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

🍁 The standard choice for leaf peeping: Starved Rock State Park. The sprawling 700-acre nature preserve, hiking trail and campground is a state gem. It's a trek for Chicagoans, and it does get crowded.

Pro tip: Go earlier in the day.

Insider's pick: The University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. The vibrant colors mixed with the Ivy League-like architecture make the campus a sight to behold. It's not a forest preserve, but it's urban nature at its finest.

• More leaf-peeping ideas .

🍎 The standard choice for apple picking: County Line Orchard just over the Indiana border. This orchard pulls huge crowds from both Indiana and the South Side and suburbs. It also doubles as a pumpkin patch and is a great option for apple cider doughnuts.

Insider's pick: Edwards Apple Orchard . This is for all of you who love a day trip but don't like small, confined destinations. Edwards is a sprawling family-owned orchard in Poplar Grove, just north of Rockford. It has been the preferred destination for all things apples since the 1960s.

Apple cider doughnut at Dip and Sip Donuts. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

🍩 The standard choice for apple cider doughnuts: Long Grove Apple Haus . This Lake County suburb loves apples, strawberries and chocolate so much that it holds annual festivals for each. Apple Haus is the main draw for cider doughnuts in the Northern suburbs.

Bonus: Take a photo at the old bridge .

Insider's pick: Dip and Sip Donuts in Roscoe Village. Every doughnut is made to order, which is key to producing one of the best things in the world: a warm doughnut.

• Axios readers also have some killer suggestions .

🌽 The standard choice for corn mazes: Richardson Adventure Farms . This maze boasts being the largest in the world, sprawling over 28 acres of live corn. Chicagoans love to flock here, even though it's located just north of Spring Grove along the Wisconsin border.

Insider's pick: Parking lot of the Hard Rock Cafe in River North. We're not sure they do it anymore, which is a huge shame because there was nothing better than a fake cornfield across from the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's.

• If they aren't, we recommend you try out Heap's Haunted Corn Maze in Minooka, which just sounds delightful.
• Here are some other corn mazes to check out .

Justin doesn't think he's in Kansas anymore while visiting the Hard Rock Cafe corn maze in 2017. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios

☕️ The standard choice for pumpkin spice: Everywhere.

Insider's pick: Nowhere.