Every day in fall conduces the same Snapchat stories, similar Facebook posts and identical Instagram pictures. Each social media post commemorates similar fall activities such as apple picking, hay rides, pumpkin patches and pumpkin spice lattes. While all these activities are classic autumn elements, there are definitely new ways to spice up the season.
Here are six unique adventures to embark on to celebrate the change in season.
China Lights Hosted by the Friends of Boerner Botanical Garden
Location: 9400 Boerner Drive Hales, Corners, WI 53130
Emulating traditional Chinese lights festivals may not seem like a typical fall activity, yet “China Lights,” an event hosted at Boerner Botanical Gardens, celebrates traditional Chinese lantern festivals based on 400-year-old roots. From 40 colorful lantern exhibits, illuminated by LED lights, to live stage performances of Tibetan dances and “Bian Lian,” a dramatic opera, “China Lights” has activities that appeal to a range of demographics. The month long event, running from Oct. 1st to Oct. 30th, incorporates the changing colors of trees within the exhibits. The $15 dollar tickets include three-fourths of a mile of displays, traditional Chinese and American food, beer and nonalcoholic beverages and an illumination parade. There is a marketplace to purchase souvenirs such as toys, artwork and jewelry. Although the botanical Gardens is about twenty minutes away, China Lights is an event that immerses Chines culture and beauty into the fall season. what/who is that?
Untapped Tours
Location: Milwaukee’s City Hall located at 200 East Wells Street
“Untapped Tours” is an adventure that can be booked online at untappedtours.com for audiences 21 or over. With ticket prices at $38 dollars, 14 friends can squeeze into a tour bus and experience sites such as the Lakefront brewery, cheese tasting at the Clock Shadow Creamery, mansion viewings on Lake Michigan and much more. While the tour is guaranteed to have unique stops, it also allows one to see Milwaukee as it changes in the fall season.
The Hill Has Eyes – Haunted House
Location: 7900 Crystal Ridge Rd, Franklin, WI 53132
With the fall season comes an exciting and spooky holiday: Halloween. The Hill Has Eyes is for those who enjoy Halloween activities aside from pumpkin carving and enjoy a good scare. Rather than a traditional haunted house, The Hill Has Eyes is a five part haunting experience, involving chainsaws, a field of zombies, a death lift and much more. The Hill Has Eyes was named Milwaukee’s number one haunted experience by the Journal Sentinel. Tickets start at $25.
“Last year, my friend and I decided to check out The Hill Has Eyes, except when we got there we were so terrified, because of the dark entrance,” Jaila Coleman, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. Coleman said she could hear screams when she walked in.
Coleman said The Hill Has Eyes is well-worth checking out, if you’re looking for a scare. It is open from September 30 to October 30.
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
Location: 2220 N. Terrace Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53202
The Villa Terrace decorative arts museum echoes the designs of the Italian Renaissance, with sculptures and a garden. Located about 10 minutes northeast of campus, the Villa Terrace offers tours for $7 in which you can experience the grandiose foliage, sculpture and art collection by Cynil Culnick. Visiting Villa Terrace will transport any visitor from Milwaukee to an Italian fall.
UW-Milwaukee Paranormal Conference
Location: 2200 E Kenwood Blvd, Milwaukee, WI 53211
The UW-Milwaukee Paranormal Conference (MPC) is geared toward audiences who find themselves reading ghost stories or interested in Milwaukee hauntings. Tickets are $10 and include a wide variety of events such as a pre-conference mixer with guest speakers, a paranormal investigation of the Milwaukee Theater, a lesson in paranormal engagement and much more from guest speakers. For those who love hands on experiences, MPC also offers a third ward walking tour presented by Milwaukee ghosts, as well as a Raven’s Masquerade Ball. The event starts on Oct. 15 and ends Oct. 16, getting attendees involved in the Halloween spirit.
Milwaukee Zoo: Halloween Spectacular
Location: 10001 W Bluemound Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53226
The Milwaukee County Zoo’s motto, “Where nature and wonder meet” can be changed to “Where nature and Halloween meet” during October. The annual “Halloween Spooktacular” mixes the fun of viewing live animals with “Barely Spooky” activities such as a haystack maze, a train ride featuring scares along the way and elephants Ruth and Britney chewing and stomping on giant pumpkins.
“The zoo train ride is surprisingly fast and fun filled, even for adults,” Shaun De Guzman, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said.
