The leaves are changing and Halloween is just around the corner. If you’re new to Bowling Green or just looking for some fun, check out these local hot spots for fall fun. 

Chaney’s Dairy Barn

By Maxis L. Bryant

With the arrival of chilly wind, short days and clouds in the sky, Chaney’s Dairy Barn is a Bowling Green staple for capturing the fall season.

Chaney’s recently opened its newly grown corn maze to the public. The farm welcomes all who wish to have a fun afternoon with friends, using only flashlights, trial and error to find their way out of the corn.

On arrival at Chaney’s, patrons get a mixture of the fall season and a sense of walking into an old fashion Southern home. You can purchase a range of fall items such as candy, stuffed animals, Kentucky-made foods, clothes and, most importantly, ice cream.

Chaney’s Dairy Barn is best-known for its ice cream, with roughly 31 different flavors. It has standard flavors like strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, but also uncommon flavors such as toasted coconut, mocha moo (coffee flavored) and cookie dough. 

Other than its ice cream and gift shop, the farm also has a large Jumbo Jumping Pillow, which works as a bigger version of a trampoline and often provides tours to visitors.

Chaney’s is located between Bowling Green and Franklin on 31W. 

Jackon’s Orchard

By Julie Sisler

After leaving the main roads of Bowling Green, the scenic route to Jackson’s Orchard continues on winding roads through trees and overlooking fields.

Upon arrival at Jackson’s, the large, red barn welcomes visitors and lists all that Jackson’s has to offer. Inside, visitors can find an array of Jackson’s signature homemade items, as well as some pre-picked apples and pumpkins.

To the right of the barn, the smell of fried apples wafts through the air. The concessions stand features a full menu with a variety of apple- and pumpkin-flavored goodies. From sandwiches and caramel apples to homemade ice cream and apple cider, there is plenty of food to tempt anyone’s taste buds.

Down past the barn, patrons can find a kid’s area that is exciting to any child—or child at heart. Inflatables, slide races and a playground complete with tires and wooden tractors for climbing—all of which is open to ages 4-21—and makes for an exciting trip down memory lane.

For $3, a hay wagon ride takes visitors down to the lower end of the orchard. There, visitors have a variety of activities to choose from.

Rows upon rows of brightly colored apples hang from the trees of the orchard, ripe for the picking.

A pumpkin patch dotted with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes beckon visitors to come choose one to take home.

The twisty, meandering paths of the corn maze provide a touch of excitement, inviting those brave enough to enter its rows of corn and find a way out.

Just Piddlin Farm

By Eleanor Tolbert

Now that fall has officially begun, many people are looking for a place to get their pumpkins.

Just twenty minutes away from WKU’s campus is a small farm for just that. On a country road surrounded by fields sits Just Piddlin Farm, a family-friendly pumpkin patch.

Inside the barn, there are dozens of pumpkins, gourds and squash of all shapes and sizes on display. There is a large variety of types, from fairytale pumpkins that look like they came right out of “Cinderella” to pink and blue pumpkins.

Right outside, the 8-acre pumpkin patch where all the pumpkins, squash and gourds are grown can be seen. Inside the barn is a corn box—a sandbox, but with corn. In it are shovels and pails so kids can make corn castles while their parents shop.

If you wander outside the barn, you can see where more fun begins. There are many activities for children and plenty of seating for parents. There are several games such as duck racing, where you move a rubber duck down a pipe by pumping water on it from a spicket, a 3-mile corn maze and a giant mound of hay for children to climb on. There are also animals to look at and play with in cages, including chickens, a goat and a baby cow.

To visit Just Piddlin Farm is a great way to get you in the mood for the fall season. It is located on 10830 S. Morgantown Road and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. until Nov. 3.

Scarecrow Trail

By Kelley Holland 

For the month of October, one of Bowling Green’s staples, Lost River Cave, has added a trail lined with scarecrows to celebrate the fall season.

The seventh annual Scarecrow Trail features scarecrow displays by local businesses, families and organizations. It serves as a fundraiser for the cave’s Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom, which is designed for children ages 2 to 12 to play and learn.

Colorful scarecrow displays line the walking trail and show off the creativity of the locals. As visitors make their way down the path, they’ll come across a variety of well-crafted pieces from some of their favorite places around Bowling Green. Many of this year’s displays reference pop culture like films “Coco,” “Despicable Me” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Others feature scarecrows dressed according to the business they represent, including dentist offices, veterinarians and even a scarecrow doing yoga to represent a local yoga studio.

Nicole Coomer, marketing manager at Lost River Cave, said over the years the Scarecrow Trail has transformed into more than just a fundraiser.

“It’s turned more into an opportunity to get people outside,” Coomer said. “Our mission is to educate and enrich lives through connections with nature. This is a great opportunity for families to come out and walk the trail.”

The trail is free and open from dawn to dusk seven days a week. Coomer estimated that the trail receives about 6,000 visitors throughout the month of October. This year, the trail features about 50 scarecrows from 48 businesses.

“We had first, second and third place that was decided by a panel of seven judges,” Event Sales Coordinator Maegan Williams said.

This year, local dog daycare Dog’s Day Out won first place, the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society came in second and the South Warren Middle School Art Club came in third place.

The Scarecrow Trail will be open until Oct. 31.

Features reporter Maxis L. Bryant can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected].

Features reporter Julie Sisler can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected]. Follow Julie on social media at @julie_sisler.

Features reporter Ellie Tolbert  can be reached at 502-386-4608 and [email protected]. Follow on her on social media at @ellietolbert.

Features reporter Kelley Holland can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected].