The season of pumpkin spice everything is upon us, but the best things about sweater weather in Spokane don’t come in a Venti with suspicious blobs of oil floating on top.  Celebrate local flavor with adventurous fall outings this year to catch the most enchanting moments of the transition to cool weather — the first crisp breeze, the turning of the leaves and of course, the return of seasonal drinks and food.

Go Country

The mere sight of a pumpkin patch whips up the perfect kind of nostalgia to set the mood for a playful afternoon together. Green Bluff’s Apple Festival celebrates the season with live music and down-home amusements every weekend from mid-September through the end of October. Browse through local vendors’ arts, crafts and autumnal vittles as you munch on a caramel apple.

Beck’s Harvest House hosts a concurrent fall festival, “Friendly Family Farm Funland.” Sure, some activities are just for kids, but some are equally suitable for adults—one never outgrows the thrill of racing through the corn maze. Bring home supplies for a follow-up date of attempting to bake apple pie.

Green Bluff Growers: 

greenbluffgrowers.com

Beck’s Harvest House: 

greenblufffarms.com

Take a Self-Directed Cider Tour

Fresh, hot apple cider warms your hands, which is nice. Hard cider warms your spirit, which is better. Take your own short tour of the area’s three cideries, each with a unique approach to the craft.

The Twilight Cider Works tasting room overlooks the very Green Bluff orchard that supplies its production. Liberty Ciderworks in downtown Spokane, a small cidery and tasting room with edgy urban decor, stands out for its crisp, dry ciders completely unlike the saccharine varieties that dominate the industry. Order a flight and chat with the brewers in this intimate space. Wrap up the tour at the wildly popular One Tree Hard Cider’s tasting room in Spokane Valley.

Twilight Cider Works: 

twilightciderworks.com

Liberty Ciderworks: 

libertycider.com

One Tree Hard Cider: 

onetreehardcider.com

Dust off those Lederhosen

Spokane hosts its very own Oktoberfest at the River the weekend of September 23, packed full of German beer, food and entertainment. Yodeling pop singer and America’s Got Talent veteran Manuela Horn, a German native, headlines the music-packed show at the convention center. Engage in a bit of friendly competition in bocce ball, stein hoisting, Nagelspielen—a centuries-old game in which people take turns hammering a nail into a log.

Serious beer connoisseurs may prefer the Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival the same weekend at Avista Stadium, where 36 craft breweries pour more than 100 types of beer. The baseball-themed event celebrates an American pastime rather than a German one, but some things—beer, music and hearty food, to be specific—transcend cultures. You may be able to squeeze in both events, but we recommend changing out of the lederhosen before heading to the ballpark. (Or not. You do you, man.)

Oktoberfest at the River: 

oktoberfestattheriver.com

Northwest Craft Beer Festival: 

washingtonbeer.com