With the satisfying crunch of the ever color-changing fall leaves and the dwindling summer heat, fall break has arrived. However, fall break is not limited to those with gas money. There are plenty of options for students who wish to remain inside the state of Indiana and perfect the art of the staycation.
A fall favorite Nashville, Indiana. With many places to stay and tons to eat and do, it has quite a bit to explore. The area can provide many different places to dine like Artists Colony Restaurant, offering a variety of different entrées made fresh. On the menu, there are hot ham and cheese sandwiches, Lucie’s pot pies and country fried steak.

Not too far from Nashville, Brown County State Park is full of wildlife. Hiking trails are scattered around the park, showing the trees, occasional animals, flowing creeks and an inn called the Abe Martin Lodge, where people can spend the night in the state park. People can walk the hiking trails and see the changing colors of the leaves and wildlife of the park.

English teacher Sam Hanley has gone hiking in Brown County with his friends and recommends it as a good destination to hike.

“It’s crisp fall air…,it’s that nice temperature between warm and cold, and it’s awesome,” Hanley said, “You see the squirrels, and you hear the leaves fall around you, and it’s beautiful.”

For those stuck in town, the Indianapolis area has many unique destinations to offer, even for locals. The Eiteljorg Museum, Newfields and Circle Centre Mall are all popular locations. Other locations, like the Monon Train in Broad Ripple, can offer fall scenery and interesting hiking spots while walking across bridges For students interested in indoor activities, Escape Indy has many different challenges throughout escape rooms including a James Bond Mission, an activity where people will try to disarm a bomb before time runs out.

Free to students of SHS and other local schools, Newfields, formerly known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, also has a lot to offer. The museum can provide students with exposure to internationally famous artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keefe and Pablo Picasso. In addition, the property is situated on 100 Acres, which doubles as a fall hiking destination and an outdoor art exhibit, containing multiple well-known sculptures like Funky Bones.

Getting into the Halloween spirit is another way for students to spend their fall break.
The season’s Spirit Halloween stores are starting to pop up. Apple orchards, like the Adrian Orchard and their pumpkin patches and bakeries, are open for visitors. The Indianapolis Zoo is another example with their “Zooboo” experience, which lets children dress up in their Halloween costumes and stroll through Pumpkin Town.

Senior cross country runner Lee Ellyson, enjoys staying in Indiana for fall break. He likes spending time with friends and family during his staycations.

“What makes Indiana home sweet home is the people here as I plan on spending my time here with my friends, with my teammates,” Ellyson said.

According to Ellyson, there are many car shows, fish fries and many other outdoor activities that seem to rise in popularity during the fall. He also suggested Fountain Square as an interesting place students could visit during break.

In the Internet age, binge-watching has also become a fall break activity. Some students from the freshman study hall suggested “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Fosters,” “Jane the Virgin,” “Riverdale,” “The Office,” “Friends,” “Naruto” and “Grey’s Anatomy” as their preferred binge-watching shows.
Those staying in Indiana for fall break aren’t alone. Assistant Principal Andrew Ashcraft has spent breaks in Indiana and enjoys travelling. He believes students can find lots of activities to enjoy in state.
“Enjoy the mix of weather, it can be warm, it can be cool, it can be a roller coaster…,” Ashcraft said. “And I recommend people, students especially, to be of service to someone else for a day. You have ten days off, go serve someone.”

The movie “Coraline” can be described in a few simple words. With button eyes and a parallel universe, things can only go one way for a girl like Coraline. Known as the new girl at her housing complex, Coraline has a sour attitude. Her neglectful parents don’t help the matter. The motion picture is not only great quality but all in all a creative movie with vibrant colors filling the screen. The twisted plot leaves the watchers with just enough suspense and mystery to keep them watching, especially when transportation into the parallel universe is involved. A rain of purple and blue is exceptionally beautiful compared to bland colors used in the real universe. With the movie’s aesthetically pleasing look, one can only wonder if this is how the director saw the real world versus dreams. As the adventure unravels, so does the depth of the background and origin of the other world Coraline enters. The movie is truly an interesting concept and can be interpreted in so many different ways that every rewatch can spark different theories about its subject.

This movie is aimed at most students with the goal for the tedious school years ahead of them, also known as just surviving the school year. In “Edge of Seventeen” the relatable situations are both hilarious and a little painful. The relatable problems of the main character can even bring back nostalgia to students. Better yet, relief that fall break is in session and students get a break from high school.

With strange creatures and an in-depth storyline, the show “Stranger Things” is a binge-worthy show bound to give your break a bit of mystery. The show has a telekinetic girl referred to as Eleven, as well as a group of friends saving their friend, Will, from the alternate world known as the upside down.

Yet another movie about high school. However, this is about sabotaging the queen bee, Regina George. “Mean Girls” is relatable and most importantly used to educate the student population on high school society rules such as cliques, unspoken friend codes and how to and how not to deal with drama.

“Grey’s Anatomy”: a drama about doctors, the hospital they all work at, mystery diagnosis and love. It’s interesting to watching Meredith Grey, the main character, blossom into a confident doctor. In addition, the medical show presents exciting cases, thrilling love triangles, sob-your-heart-out sweet moments and tragic character deaths. What more could you ask for from your fall break?

It has come to that time of year when the leaves start to fall and the smell of pies fills the air. For students, the fall season officially starts when fall break starts. Apple orchards are the perfect way to spend time and enjoy the smell of apples coming from all around.

I recently went with my family to Pleasant View Orchard in Shelby County. It was a beautiful evening with a clear sky and a cool breeze. The orchard was quiet with a small crowd at the barn store. It was smaller than some orchards I have been to and felt homier. The barn store had a rustic, southern vibe to it. They sold apple-themed foods, as well as other food items and souvenirs. We decided to buy one of their homemade fudge, maple nut flavored, and their popular apple cider slushie. The fudge had a sweet, delicate texture and rich flavor to it. The slushie blew our minds and immediately proved to us why it was the drink the orchard was known for. It was sweet but tart with a strong apple flavor.

There was something rewarding about the idea of picking our own apples. We got a one peck apple bag and were very excited to walk around the orchard and explore the many types of apples. Since the orchard was small, we got to see where the orchard ended on all sides. One side was bordered with a large, peaceful cornfield that filled us with a calming sense. When we bought our bag, the worker gave us a paper showing the rows that were ripe enough to pick. It was a struggle trying to find trees with apples on them. Every row we went to that was marked ripe was lacking in the abundance of apples. However, as soon as we finally found a tree bearing fruit, that’s when the fun really started.

The serenity of the orchard with the lack of people picking apples made our experience a genuine and pleasant one. It is a satisfying experience to pick an apple off a tree and being able to bite into it. I was very delighted in picking apples and being able to see where it came from. Soon, apples started filling our bag, and it was full before we knew it. The apples we picked had a sweet and tart flavor and all had a crunch to them.

Pleasant View Orchard had a lot to offer to the customers. After we finished picking, we decided to head back to the barn and explore what else they were selling. There was a small playground with a haystack for the kids to play near the barn. There were pumpkin patches and newly planted fruits as well. Every customer I saw was with someone else, and there were a lot of families with kids. It was a friendly environment with respectable staff members and lovely people who seemed to be enjoying their evenings at the orchard.

Many little things, such as the environment and area, made our experience all the more delightful. We had a really great time there and enjoyed each other’s company. I strongly believe that going to any apple orchard, including Pleasant View Orchard, with loved ones is a fun, worthwhile activity to do over fall break.

Honorable Mentions

Adrian Orchard Inc is an orchard in Perry Township and is the closest to the school. They have a lot of variety of fruits including peaches and pumpkins. However, this orchard only sells pre-picked apples to ensure the ripest and best quality of the apples.

Anderson Orchard is about 30 mins away and is a larger orchard than Adrian. The orchard hosts many events every fall season and has a much larger variety of fruits and vegetables. They have hayrides, an apple barn, and barn tours. There are many different types of apples to pick from and many more attractions to explore.

Fall Recipes