Saturday, October 03, 2009

Fall Favorites 2009

You can't beat this time of year to get outside and enjoy the changing weather. Yes, even you southerners with your high 80 degree days.....it's still a relief from summer. I always love the change in temperatures and cool air sneaking in gradually, reminding us of snowy days approaching.

Since arriving in May, we've had unusually mild days here in the Midwest, which makes us wonder if we have an eventful winter ahead. Colorado seems to be headed in that direction and often their weather veers toward us and then lands in lesser strengths. Time will tell!



My favorite things to do outside? Walk. Play with the kids. And, soon, visit Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun. You know my all-things-haunted loving self is more excited about this than the kids. I can't wait.



And, if you live in Texas, you can't beat the State Fair. Please go and have 3 corny dogs for me. OK, 4. With lots of mustard. Live a little.

Some discounts on the $15 admission price:

Dr Pepper $3 Tuesdays--Every Tuesday, bring an empty Dr Pepper can and enter for $3. Most rides (excluding the Thrillway and the Texas Star) are 5 coupons.

Kroger "Three for $1" each Wednesday--Admission is $1 for each visitor bringing 3 cans of food for area food banks.

Coke $4 Thursday--Bring an empty 20 oz. bottle of a Coca-Cola product and enter the Fair for $4 admission.

Seniors FREE Thursdays--Senior Citizens 60 years and older get in to the State Fair FREE each Thursday.

FREE Thursday admission with a Cinemark Theater ticket stub.

Any Day--McDonald's offers $3 off General Admission with one of their State Fair coupons any day of the Fair. Each $3-off-General Admission ticket allows you to bring in one child for free. Offer may not be combined with any other offer.


All of the information regarding State Fair discounts was found on http://www.dfwareamoms.com/. Great resource for you Texans!

And, no matter where you live, there are options for scenic drives and hiking. I found this for the Kansas City region:

Fall colors will start to become more pronounced as nighttime temperatures drop lower. The peak in the Kansas City Region should be sometime around October 20-27. We're expecting a good color display this year. However, the intensity and duration of fall color depends on the weather between now and leaf drop--the best fall color will occur if we experience warm days, cool nights and enough rain. For scenic fall color drives in the region, try Highways 45 and 224 along the Missouri River. For hiking opportunities, the following areas are showy in the fall: Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area, Benton County; Maple Woods Natural Area, Clay County; Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area, Jackson County; White Alloe Creek Natural Area, Platte County; Knob Noster State Park, Johnson County.



This is a great site for Missouri's options. I have been excited about seeing the leaves change here since arriving in May. In Colorado, we saw lots of yellows in the trees, but not a ton of range. Most Midwestern areas see more traditional fall colors.

Lake of the Ozarks seems to be the place to be near us and I can see why:


Click here for nation-wide options. Take a look and plan a day trip. Fill up the car, pack a picnic, and go!

4 comments:

Dee Stephens said...

Love...love scenic drives! BRP is my fav but we're headed to Arkansas this next weekend and hope to see some color there in the Ozarks!

Heather said...

yeah - uh huh---leave it to my KC friend to give me the State Fair of Texas specials!!! thank you! I've been meaning to call Big Tex and find out what they are. You just saved me some time. And I'll eat a fletchers corny dog for you or nine!

Shannon said...

We just bought tickets to see Mary Poppins at Fair Park in a couple of weeks and will visit the fair that day. I'll be sure to have a corn dog for you and some kind of exotic fried food. Butter or Oreos maybe?

starnes family said...

Thanks, Heather and Shannon! Love the term "exotic" being used for such foods.

Dee, your BRP was on many top 10 lists I found in researching nation-wide routes. Looks fabulous!