FALL AT THE COTTAGE
We'll let you in on a little secret. This is, hands-down, our favorite time of year to be here. Come see why.
THE ALLURE OF AUTUMN
Warm, sunny days kayaking out on the lake, or hanging around local farms and markets, become cool nights around the fire, and in the hot tub.
WILDWOOD FARM
Many farms start to rest in the fall, but Wildwood keeps the summer momentum going. Live music varies, from acoustic campfire music sessions in the beer garden, to electric rock and country shows in the barn, to elegant Carriage House concerts, but you can trust that the full bar is always open. There are also farm to table dinners, Michigan wine tastings, and Food Truck Fridays.
APPLE PICKING
You could grab already harvested apples, but they don't taste quite as sweet! Hanulcik's Orchard in Ionia has had over 80 years to master their craft of cultivating Michigan's best apple varieties, ten in all, including heirloom Northern Spy, and you'll find only dwarf trees in their U-pick fields. Cotant's in Hastings may offer only 6 varieties, but they press their own cider, and bake donuts fresh daily.
CORN MAZES
Navigating these laberinths is a can't miss Michigan fall tradition. Heidi's in Lowell is our go-to, a 10 acre course with adult and junior sections and cider slushie prizes, open late October weekends. Caledonia's Deep Roots' 10 acre maze can be done day or select glow and fright nights, and boasts GPS tracking, food trucks, farm golf, and a petting zoo. Cotant's in Hastings is the biggest at 14 acres, and is not meant “for the faint of heart!”
FALL TREATS
Right in town, seasonal treats abound. Mays' Macs whips up pumpkin caramel chocolate cupcakes, pictured. Delectable Delights crafts gourmet caramel apples. Meyers' Bakery cranks out pumpkin pie and donuts. Carl's and the beer caves carry fall inspired Michigan wines and beers. Out of town, Denny's Farms, Heidi's Farm Stand, and Deep Roots stock local fresh cider.
HALLOWEEN EVENTS
Trick or treating kicks off with Boulder Ridge's Park After Dark. It ramps up the last weekend of October, when Deep Roots and Red Barn Market host trunk or treats, Charlton Park celebrates All Hallow's Eve, pictured, and Ionia's Skateland has their costume skate. On Halloween, you'll want to stay in Lake-O, where downtown houses compete aggressively for best decorations and kid and adult treats.
FALL SHOPPING
Mid-October, travel barn to barn hunting for treasures on our local Barn Sale Trail, which includes a stop right in town, Rustic Love. All three of our antique shops have a holiday sale the first weekend of November, and another blowout Black Friday weekend. Also Black Friday weekend, goods from local artisans are to be had at nearly 30 Christmas Round the Town stops, many right in town, including the Train Depot Museum.
FALL HIKING & BIKING
There's really no better time to hit the trails, whether Lake Odessa's Jordan Lake Trail, pictured, the Ionia State Rec Area's system, or Grand Ledge's parks and paths, of which Fitzgerald is a guest favorite. You can ditch the sunscreen and bug spray, and capture on camera foliage awash in fiery hues and flocks of migratory birds on the wing.
FALL KAYAKING
This is our favorite time of year to paddle across Jordan Lake to the canal and over to Tupper Lake, as the air is warm, the sky blue, and the lake calm, without the choppy wake of summer boat traffic. Water fowl and wildlife also dig the tranquility and mild weather, so sightings are likely. And, early autumn, you might even wear your swim suits, as the shallows around Tupper's sand bar stay quite warm.
FALL GOLFING
The greens look all the more green, and the skies all the more blue, when set against the blazing backdrop of fall's fiery shades. All three courses near the cottage--Saskatoon, Centennial Acres (pictured), and Morrison Lake--are lovely draped in autumnal hues. But Saskatoon's four courses, three of which are wooded, are especially dressed to the nines.
FALL PICKLEBALL
There are plenty of full and partial sun days yet to be had, but lower temps and breezes rustling the just changing leaves will keep you cool. Come to the fall party in early October, a Friday Nights Lights open play, or just any time the fancy strikes!
FALL FISHING
One of the fishing hot spots on the lake is just off shore from the cottage, but most locals have by this point in the year hung up their poles for the open water season. So just drop a line from the dock or overhanging deck. Or head out for a color tour adventure in the row boat or kayaks, to try your luck farther out in Jordan, the canal, or Tupper.
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