Have Fun on the Cheap with Our 5 Favorite Fall Activities for College Students

By Amelia Woolard

Summer is winding down, which means that you’re likely getting into the groove of college life again while looking forward to cooler temps, shorter days, and the return of your favorite seasonal coffee beverages. And sure, we’re all for summer fun, but there’s something distinctly magnetic about autumn that makes you want to break out of your summer daze sooner rather than later! Plus, with the change in weather, there are countless opportunities for seasonal enjoyment.

Looking for something awesome to do over the next few months? Check out uCribs’ list of 5 fun and budget-friendly fall activities for college students and “leaf” no stone unturned in your quest for fall fun!

Enjoy a few seasonal treats.

Depending on where you’re located, fall is accompanied by nice, barely chilly temps—or downright cold weather. No matter your location’s current temperature, there are a few seasonal treats that scream fall, regardless of whether it actually feels like autumn. Best of all, these snacks are typically very simple to make and easy on the wallet.

• S’mores – All you need are graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate to make you feel as though you’re spending an evening penning an adventure novel in the Smokies…or something along those lines. No access to an open flame? Get creative with either a stovetop or a microwave, and you’ll be on your way to ooey, gooey chocolate-y goodness in no time.
• Hot Chocolate – Another big favorite for chocolate lovers! Plus, there’s nothing quite as soothing as a warm cup of hot chocolate after a long day of classes, and with cocoa packets being ultra-cheap, you’ll fork over a mere 2 to 3 dollars per box. That leaves you plenty of wiggle room for adding fun flavors (Nutella Hot Chocolate, anyone?) or flipping the recipe on its head altogether with Frozen Hot Chocolate!
• Apple Cider – Not into chocolate? I mean, we don’t really compute, but we understand that there are different strokes for different folks. Luckily enough for you, apple cider is just as seasonal and tasty as S’mores or Hot Chocolate. While there are plenty of pre-bottled apple cider varieties at your local grocer, making the drink from scratch is budget-friendly and way fun, resulting in enough for everyone in your squad to enjoy. If you’re 21 years of age, you can also add bourbon or rum for a special treat.

Spend some extra time outdoors.

One of our favorite things about fall is the wide variety of outdoor activities associated with the season. With the weather nice and cool, you’ll likely find it much easier to traverse the outdoors without the sun beating on your back. Plus, who doesn’t love to hear the crunch of hundreds of brilliantly colored fall leaves underneath their feet?

Take your outing one step further and plan a bonfire night for you and your closest friends. As long as you build and extinguish the fire safely in a stable, approved space, there’s no reason not to gather with your best buds and spend the evening roasting marshmallows, telling creepy ghost stories, and catching up on the latest gossip. Better yet, you can also ditch your campus’s cafeteria for a night and prepare hot dogs over an open flame. Delicious!

Want to soak up seasonal vibes without sacrificing air conditioning quite yet? We can’t blame you; we know this year has been on record for its scorching temperatures, especially in the southern region of the U.S., but even a long drive through your town’s winding roads or an afternoon spent within a cool covered porch will provide you with an amazing glimpse into nature’s seasonal changes. If you ask us, few things compare to taking a drive with the windows down and your favorite tunes blasting from the speakers or curling up with a good book and a caramel latte on your favorite porch swing.

Get in the Halloween spirit – all season long.

Is it just us or does the Halloween season come and go far too quickly?! Fall is the perfect time to indulge your spooky side every day of the week. There are so many affordable, seasonally-appropriate activities lined up in virtually every city to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve that you’ll never run out of things to “boo!”

First of all, if you’re not carving at least one pumpkin per year, are you really celebrating fall? This time-honored tradition is one of the most fun and wallet-friendly around. All you need is a carving kit, which you can purchase at your local dollar store for a few bucks, a stencil of your choosing, and a perfectly plump pumpkin to get the party started. Make it fun by inviting over a few friends and deciding on a theme. Will you create a pumpkin homage to famous superheroes? Cartoon characters? Classic Halloween motifs? You can even award a fun treat (or trick!) to whoever completes the best carved pumpkin! And afterward, don’t forget to roast the seeds in the oven with a little butter and a touch of salt—yet another long-established tradition.

Speaking of tricks and treats, don’t forget about the classic haunted house excursion when planning your fall itinerary. There’s nothing quite like a spook or two to feel the thrill of the season. Even if you’re not into all the things that go bump in the night, many communities host hayrides and corn maze puzzles for a more G-rated take on this seasonal tradition.

Catch a football game.

To many Americans, fall is the best time of year for one reason: college football. If you attend a university, odds are, you’ve already located the best spots to catch the big game, and you definitely aren’t afraid to incorporate team colors into your fall fashion repertoire and showcase them on campus.  If you’re somehow a stranger to the event that is watching a football game, don’t overlook this awesome opportunity to cheer on your team, form camaraderie with your peers, and have a great time while doing it.

College football is typically quite a spectacle with huge jumbotrons relaying every play, energetic marching band performances, and upbeat cheer routines. And, who could forget the overly ambitious school mascot? That guy is something else! But even for large games, tickets are pretty cheap, especially if you’re a student, which you are. Yay! You may also score entry into an alumni or university-hosted tailgating event where you can enjoy free food, drinks, and perhaps a round or two of horseshoes, cornhole, ring toss, or any other beloved backyard game.

And we weren’t lying when we previously implicated that football games offer the perfect, low-stakes environment to meet new people, socialize with the friends you haven’t caught up with since last spring, and even hang out with professors or alumni. Let’s face it, there’s nothing like bonding with school peers and staff over chicken wings and face paint!

Scout out fall festivities around town.

You know how everyone gets a little lazy in the summer because the heat is just an all-out drag? Well, fall is the equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte to the face (but, like in the best way possible!), and you’ll probably notice a lot more activity going on around campus and the community at-large.

Once the temperatures start to cool down, you can most likely locate a few festivals and fairs within the general area of your college campus. Oktoberfest is usually a highly anticipated fall event as is the seasonal opening of local orchards where you can pick apples and plan picnics with friends. If an apple orchard is too difficult to locate in your area, there are fortunately many Oktoberfest celebrations that occur nationwide.

Located in a smaller town? Well, believe it or not, they tend to host a fair amount of community get-togethers. So, even if your university isn’t located within a metropolis, you can bet that there’s something fun and Insta-worthy going on! Check out your local event listings online or in the weekly paper, round up your pals, and hit whichever event sounds best for the seasonal fun you’ve been seeking— and will have you reminiscing for years to come.

In the immortal words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” Celebrate new beginnings and a new school year when you enjoy these 5 fun and budget-friendly fall activities for college students. These unbe-leaf-able ideas will have you “fall”-ing in love with autumn all over again!

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