🍁 All the fall things

☀️ Welcome to Axios Chicago Sunday.

• It's our leisurely exploration of arts, culture, food, nature, history, and other subjects that define the city we live in.

🎶 Sounds like: Autumn Town Leaves

Situational awareness: Today's newsletter is dedicated to things to do this fall.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Chicago member Joseph Newberg!

Today's newsletter is 703 words — a 2.5-minute read.

The leaves are turning, the apples are ripe and the pumpkin spice is flowing. That means one thing: Fall has descended upon the Chicago area.

Instead of just searching the internet for all things autumn, we are giving you an insider's look at some of the activities and delicacies that might be off the beaten path.

It's Chicago Confidential: Fall edition.

🎃 The standard choice for pumpkin patches: Illinois is the top pumpkin producer in the country, meaning there are a lot of options for pumpkin patches in the Chicago area.

• If you are looking for a pumpkin experience within the city limits, Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up is a good choice. It's an urban experience with less emphasis on farms and families and more on booze and Instagram-friendly photo backgrounds.

Insider's pick: It's gotta be Goebbert's in South Barrington. This place gives you the pumpkins, a corn maze and the haunted house all in one spot, making the prices worthwhile, especially for kids.

Pro tip: Be prepared to walk after parking.

• If you are just picking up a pumpkin for carving, take a new look at an old friend (Jewel).

🍁 The standard choice for leaf peeping: Starved Rock State Park. The sprawling 700-acre nature preserve, hiking trail and campground is a state gem. It's a trek for Chicagoans, and it does get crowded.

Pro tip: Go earlier in the day.

Insider's pick: The University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. The vibrant colors mixed with the Ivy League-like architecture make the campus a sight to behold. It's not a forest preserve, but it's urban nature at its finest.

• More leaf-peeping ideas.

🍎 The standard choice for apple picking: County Line Orchard just over the Indiana border. This orchard pulls huge crowds from both Indiana and the South Side and suburbs. It also doubles as a pumpkin patch and is a great option for apple cider doughnuts.

Insider's pick: Edwards Apple Orchard. This is for all of you who love a day trip but don't like small, confined destinations. Edwards is a sprawling family-owned orchard in Poplar Grove, just north of Rockford. It has been the preferred destination for all things apples since the 1960s.

🍩 The standard choice for apple cider doughnuts: Long Grove Apple Haus. This Lake County suburb loves apples, strawberries and chocolate so much that it holds annual festivals for each. Apple Haus is the main draw for cider doughnuts in the Northern suburbs.

Bonus: Take a photo at the old bridge.

Insider's pick: Dip and Sip Donuts in Roscoe Village. Every doughnut is made to order, which is key to producing one of the best things in the world: a warm doughnut.

• Axios readers also have some killer suggestions.

🌽 The standard choice for corn mazes: Richardson Adventure Farms. This maze boasts being the largest in the world, sprawling over 28 acres of live corn. Chicagoans love to flock here, even though it's located just north of Spring Grove along the Wisconsin border.

Insider's pick: Parking lot of the Hard Rock Cafe in River North. We're not sure they do it anymore, which is a huge shame because there was nothing better than a fake cornfield across from the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's.

• If they aren't, we recommend you try out Heap's Haunted Corn Maze in Minooka, which just sounds delightful.
• Here are some other corn mazes to check out.

☕️ The standard choice for pumpkin spice: Everywhere.

Insider's pick: Nowhere.

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Chicago loves its autumn celebrations. We can't help but get all dolled up in our flannel and boots and dig into our Midwestern roots. So naturally, you are going to ace this quiz, right?

Last week, the rock 'n' rollers headbanged their way into perfect scores. Congrats to Steven M., Beth S., Matt R., Soyna B., Dawn G. and Timothy A.

• As always, screenshot your results and email me for a shout-out in next week's newsletter.

OK, the temperature is ready for a new quiz! Enjoy!

Extend your summer in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where you can enjoy everything fall has to offer — but with warmer weather.

What's in it for you: Stroll the farmer's market, leaf peep from a patio or the back of a bike, or grab a beer along the ale trail.

Fall in love with Fay.

A quick scroll through the Getty image archives shows that the past has been kind to Chicago when the leaves turn colors.

Since this is the last Sunday in September, here are three cool photos marking this city's history:

Fall in Fayetteville, Arkansas is truly magical.

What you're missing: Pumpkin patches, sunflower fields, cozy cafes, and scenic trails provide the perfect backdrop for the ideal weekend getaway and fall photoshoot.

Discover why Fall in Fay is unforgettable.

Edited by Lindsey Erdody.

Editor's note: Friday's newsletter was corrected to say Chagall's "Four Seasons" was dedicated to the city of Chicago (not the Art Institute) and that the piece is on display in the Chase Tower plaza in the Loop.

🥡 Monica is excited about today's Family Meal at Goose Island at the Salt Shed where Mike Jacobs will pair beers with his brother Dan Jacobs's Chinese dishes. Walk-ins only.

🤣 Justin is getting some heat for trash-talking Minneapolis. What happened to "Minnesota nice?"

⛵️Carrie is out.

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