It is finally my favorite time of year! The air has become crisp and chilly, and beautiful foliage has begun falling. It is time to ghoul around with friends at a haunted house, get lost in a corn maze, go apple or pumpkin picking, enjoy pumpkin-spiced lattes, and root for your favorite football team. Monmouth County is the prime venue for fun autumnal activities.
To start us off is Middletown’s own Thompson Park Day. Thompson Park Day was Sunday, October 15 from 11 am to 5 pm. This fun-filled day included pumpkin painting, wagon rides, food trucks, stage and stroll entertainment, contests, and so much more. The best part was that admissions and parking are free!
Middletown Day is a family-friendly community event that took place Sunday, October 22nd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Croydon Hall in Leonardo. The fall festival included a food court, first responder demonstrations, a hayride for the children, live entertainment, inflatables, games, and booths from local vendors.
If you are craving fresh apples, visit Eastmont Orchards, where you can pick your own apples. When visiting, shoppers walk around the orchard with a bag. When they have gathered their desired amount of apples, they take their bag to the checkout. Here, they are charged for their apples per pound. The location is also a beautiful place to take aesthetic fall photos. Eastmont Orchards is open all season long!
If you are interested in live music and are free on Sunday, October 29, consider seeing Exit 109, a band composed of Middletown South students, perform live at the Stony Pony for a Halloween showcase. Costumes are strongly encouraged at this fun event for all ages. The showcase features other local and talented bands. The doors will open at 1 p.m. and Exit 109 will play at 2:10 p.m. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased in advance. If you are interested, check out the band’s Instagram for more information at @exit_109_middletownnj.
For those who love the scary part of Halloween, the 20th annual Brookdale Haunted Theater will last all through October. The students, staff, alumni, and community members of Brookdale Community College transform the performing arts center at the Lincroft campus into a self-guided haunted maze. Each section of the maze is decorated as a different haunted setting, such as an insane asylum, a deadly butcher, and a graveyard. Participants dress up in terrifying costumes and special effects makeup. They hide in the maze and jump out at the visitors, chasing them to their doom. The event will continue every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night until Halloween. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. You can find them online for $20.
Monmouth County is full of seasonal activities to participate in! Whether you prefer town-held events, live music, or being scared, you will find something to do in your area. If you missed out on any event, these events are all annual and will be back next year.