Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 11 Extraordinary Outdoor Travel Experiences to Try This Year

      11 Extraordinary Outdoor Travel Experiences to Try This Year

      Have you ever slept in a treehouse? Paddled by moonlight? Seen the Milky Way? We challenge you to try one of these activities. Read More
    • Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      One has conquered the world of plant-based baking. Another runs a microbakery from her home. Two own businesses with their spouses. And the fifth is a James Beard finalist chef. The common thread? Absolutely delicious cakes. Read More
    • The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      For many Midwesterners, holiday feasting kicks off with a relish tray. We dare not mess with an icon—at least, not too much. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Des Moines' Hottest Food Neighborhoods You Need to Know About

    Des Moines' Hottest Food Neighborhoods You Need to Know About

    Korean egg sandwiches, Australian baked goods,Southeast Asian bing bing wraps—here’s an in-the-know guide to eating your way through this culinary capital.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    The Delicate, Spongy Basic Crepe Recipe You Can Master at Home—Plus 4 Ways to Upgrade It

    The Delicate, Spongy Basic Crepe Recipe You Can Master at Home—Plus 4 Ways to Upgrade It

    With encouragement from the owner of a Kansas City, Missouri, creperie, you’ll perfect these delicate pancakes in no time.
    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal With These Ideas from a Minneapolis Makeover

    Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal With These Ideas from a Minneapolis Makeover

    With fresh paint and a terraced slope, a Minneapolis stucco goes from mousy to magnetic.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    How to Plant a Rain Garden

    How to Plant a Rain Garden

    Turn a wet trouble spot into a lush and Earth-friendly oasis by capturing the rain.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath

    Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath

    For this do-it-yourself spring wreath, we bundled inexpensive paper-mache eggs in fuzzy, vibrant yarn.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Tamales are a project, but many hands—even tiny ones—make lighter work.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • DIY Pistachio Wheat Stalks for Fall Decorating
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    About Us

    About Us

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
    • Fall 2022 Issue
    • Winter 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Holidays & Entertaining
  3. Why We Love Fall

Why We Love Fall

By Producer: Tara Okerstrom-Bauer; Hannah Agran; Illustrator: Jean Wilson August 22, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Layers
After Labor Day, autumn stretches ahead like a country road, winding through a few glorious weeks of corn mazes and apple cobbler, home games and scenic drives. Savor a few more of the essential fall experiences that await us around this season's bend.
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Fall in the Midwest

Fall in the Midwest

Pecan pie, harvest moon, Oktoberfest, apple crisp, scary stories, tailgating, hayrides, slow cookers, wineries, flannel sheets...click ahead to discover more reasons we love fall!

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bonfires and more

Bonfires and more

Bonfires Laughter fades to contented silence. The only sound is the fire, crackling until a log settles like a sigh, releasing a cloud of orange sparks into the cold night sky.High school football The familiar sounds filtering across the neighborhood mark the passing weeks. Marching band practice on foggy mornings; whistles and cracking pads on weekday afternoons; cheers on Friday nights.Ghost tours You can ride a trolley to the graveyard anytime of year nowadays, but the heebie-jeebies are a lot more fun when dry leaves skitter around crooked headstones and barren trees reach for a full moon like skeletal hands.Caramel apples We are traditionalists. Crisp fruit. Thick caramel. Peanuts (maybe). Small enough to eat on a stick without cutting slices, but big enough that the first bite requires a bit of dexterity and potentially a juicy dribble down your chin.Corn mazes Some of us grew up running along the rows on Grandpa's farm, but city-dwellers may doubt the corn's really as high as an elephant's eye. That is, until they're standing on tiptoes in the middle of a forest of rustling dry stalks, wondering which way to go.

2 of 7

3 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins Plump, petite, warty or smooth-one is never enough! How to make a pumpkin forest Our woodland scene has carved, etched and painted pumpkins (plus a few zero-effort masks). Click for free templates and instructions.

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Changing leaves

Changing leaves

Changing leaves We've heard it (or even said it ourselves) before: "The leaves don't look so good this year. Spring was too wet. Summer was too dry." The reality is we're just impatient. Every year, the day comes when we drive home from work and discover our street alight with fiery maples and golden oaks. Fall is fleeting, yes, and a bit fickle, but nearly always as good as we remember.First day of school Nervous energy. A hug and a kiss. A box of Crayolas, waxy, pointy-tipped and ready. Empty notebooks, packed backpacks and new beginnings.Pumpkin-spiced everything Lattes, ice cream, muffins, granola, chai, beer, candles …Candy corn As marshmallow Peeps are to spring, so candy corn is to autumn. Utterly pointless wedges of sugar that we dare you to resist when they're sitting in a bowl on your coworker's desk. Guilt-free through December 1. 

4 of 7

5 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Fight songs

Fight songs

Fight songs Shake down the thunder, hail the victors, and plunge right through that line! Even if you mumble some of the words, count on goose bumps and instant camaraderie when the ol' song starts blaring.Harvest landscapes Something deep in our Midwest souls stirs when we see a combine rolling across a cornfield, a season's worth of hard work and watchful waiting coming to fruition, another year gone by.Trick-or-treaters As a kid, you think it's about the candy. But looking back, what sticks is the thrill of being out after dark, running from lawn to lawn with your friends, faces hidden behind painted whiskers and plastic masks, emboldened by a taste of independence even more sweet than the Snickers and Tootsie Pops weighing down your sack. 

5 of 7

6 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Baking

Baking

Baking Soften, sift, beat, bake, whip. It's time to indulge. Ultimate Fall Celebration Cake If you love glam desserts, check out Minnesota blogger Amanda Reteke (iambaker.net), the baking wizard behind this crazy-rich, utterly unforgettable Chocolate Pumpkin Cake. See the recipe. Watch a short video about creating this cake.

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Layers

Layers

Layers Pile on the cozy sweaters, tall boots, wool jackets and snuggly scarves.Raking leaves By raking, of course, we mean jumping in the pile.5ks After a long muggy summer, fall weather can make even people who wouldn't run from a bear think about lacing up their shoes. Most autumn festivals include a fun, beginner-friendly 5K run (that's 3.1 miles to you newbies) that provides the perfect motivation to get active.Chili suppers We'll leave debates about beans to the enthusiasts, and simply say-white or red; chicken, beef or veggie-we want a pile of grated orange cheese on top. Preferably a big one.Mounds of mums Yellow, purple, magenta, bursting from pots outside the supermarket, cheerfully asking for a ride home and a spot on your stoop.Flower bulbs The squirrels have their acorns. We Midwesterners have our tulips and daffodils, buried in the fall, hidden in the frozen ground through the winter, waiting patiently for spring. 

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Producer: Tara Okerstrom-Bauer; Hannah Agran; Illustrator: Jean Wilson

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 7 Fall in the Midwest
    2 of 7 Bonfires and more
    3 of 7 Pumpkins!
    4 of 7 Changing leaves
    5 of 7 Fight songs
    6 of 7 Baking
    7 of 7 Layers

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Why We Love Fall
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.