Fall into fall: Seasonal activities ramp up in October

With fall getting under way this week, and October beginning next week, it’s time to focus on celebrating the season, which one can easily do this time of year with both classic and offbeat activities that fill the calendar between now and Halloween.

■ No October in Toledo is complete without a trip to the Fleitz Pumpkin Farm, located at 7133 Seaman Rd. in Oregon.

Now open through Oct. 31, the Fleitz farm is seven acres of fall fun, including a corn maze, pumpkins as far as the eye can see, and delicious donuts and apple cider in the snack shop. For more information, visit fleitzpumpkinfarm.com .

■ Take in the rich, changing fall colors from the deck of the locally famous craft the Sandpiper, which is now booking passengers for its seasonal voyages on its Fall Color Cruise, on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October, beginning Oct.5. Tickets start at $35 for adults and $27 for children aged 2-12. For more information, visit jmcruiselines.com .

■ The fall’s arguably most delicious festival, MacQueen’s Apple Butter Festival once again blessed Toledo with its presence on Oct. 5-6 from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. at MacQueen Orchards, located at 7605 Garden Rd. in Holland. Come help stir the apple butter, watch the canning, and of course, enjoy all the apple butter you can eat.

The orchard is also open most every day in October from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for selecting apples or the right pumpkins and gourds for your home.

For more information, visit macqueenorchards.com/ .

■ The Toledo Zoo is doing the fall season right, with plenty of events for both youngsters and adults. Harvest Fest will be going on throughout the month of October, which begins Tuesday, with a display of giant pumpkins, animal displays, and great new season food and beverage options. Grownups can kickoff Harvest Fest on Thursday with the beer tasting event Zootober Fest. Tickets are $60 and the event runs from 7 to 10 p.m.

For the whole family, come to the zoo for the Pumpkin Stomp & Chomp on Oct. 26 at 10:30 a.m., where the animal caretakers will feed a bunch of the animals pumpkin. Some will find it to be a delicacy, others will make a mess.

For more information on Harvest Fest and other activities throughout the month, visit https://www.toledozoo.org/harvest-fest .

■ Toledo’s “Halloween for Grownups” scene is looking fairly spook-tacular this year.

The wine pours like blood at a vampire’s ball over at Benfield Wines at 102 N. Main St. in Swanton on Oct. 11 from 6 to 10 p.m. with Love & Terror: A Night of Romance and Horror. Come meet local authors of modern horror and contemporary romance— including Jason Myers, Stephanie Eding, Tom Madigan, Anastasia Ryan, and others — at the spooky literary event of the season. Includes book shopping courtesy of Gathering Volumes, bath and personal care products courtesy of Green Bubble Gorgeous, and food and wine courtesy of Benfield Wines. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit benfieldwines.com .

■ Venture to the Edward D. Libbey House, located at 2008 Scottwood Ave., on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. for “A Doggone Night of Mystery.” Enjoy an evening of suspense as you and the fellow guests try to solve a mystery. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit libbeyhouse.org .

■ Indulge in the season at the Manor House for the third annual Eerie Manor Tours, which begin Oct. 18 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Wildwood Preserve Metropark, located at 5100 W. Central Ave. This family friendly and free event includes more than 30 scarily decorated spaces throughout the stately Georgian Colonial home on the former Stranahan estate. For more information, visit metroparkstoledo.com .

■ It’s all about brraaaaaains at Imagination Station’s Science After Dark: Zombies on Oct. 19 from 6 to 10 p.m.

This adults only (21+) event includes truly horrific and entertaining experiences, including the chance to get your own fake wounds and zombie makeup done, engage in a Nerf gun battle, or for the daring, dissect a sheep’s brain for $20.

Learn to concoct the fabled Corpse Reviver cocktail (non-alcoholic option available). Tickets are $20. Imagination Station is located at 1 Discovery Way. For more information, visit imaginationstationtoledo.org .

■ And Halloween for the youngsters will come to the National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., once again this year in the form of Boo on the Boat.

The event will be held over three days on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Oct. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. aboard the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship. Treats will be in pre-portioned, sealed bags at various haunted stations. The program is free for museum members and children ages 0-5. Otherwise, it is included with regular museum/ship combo admission: adults: $17, youths (6-17): $14. Visit nmgl.org for more info.