Outdoors

A 30-minute drive away, Eckert’s Farm is the place to go to satisfy all your fall cravings. Stroll through the rows of apple trees and reach into the fragrant branches heavy with fruit, finding delicious treats covering the whole spectrum of sweetness and crispness. Beyond the apple field, you can also acquire a new Halloween decoration in the pumpkin patches, catch up with friends while meandering through the corn mazes, or bond with the most wholesome and adorable furry friends at the petting zoo. The alpaca was especially affectionate! So, get a group of friends, make a playlist for the car ride, and go take part in this classic fall ritual. The ticket to enter the farm was $13, but parking was free.

One of my favorite parts about living in the Midwest is the chance to experience real autumn, and my favorite way of celebrating the season is taking a walk. Besides the fact that Forest Park is just a minute away from the medical school campus, you can visit a variety of parks just outside of St. Louis. Castlewood is the closest and offers some short hikes (some with an incline, for those who doubt elevation potential in the flat Midwest). Go to the Lewis and Clark trail to catch a sunrise or sunset. Go east to Cahokia mounds, the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico. You can also take a day trip on the weekends to Johnson’s Shut-Ins if you’re craving the water or Elephant Rocks State Park.