Fall: Upstate New York's Favorite Season

I'm convinced nobody does fall quite like we do here in Upstate New York.  As the weather turns cooler and Halloween approaches, we focus on flannel clothes and hoodies, apple picking, scary movies, cider donuts, pumpkin spice, haunted attractions, and more.

Although I've never been one to over-decorate, I do appreciate the extra mile taken by Capital Region residents who go all-out with their Halloween decorations. In mid-October, I'll drive around the area with my son to take a closer peek at some of the spooktacular Halloween houses.

Have You Seen These Frankenstein Pumpkins?

Of all the cool Halloween decorations we enjoy seeing, the enormous skeletons and front-yard graveyards are some of our favorites. But I must say, if I were to see these Frankenstein Pumpkins—found at an apple orchard in Upstate New York—on someone's front porch, I'd be pretty impressed.

The cool thing about these pumpkins is that their likeness isn't carved into the gourd; it's grown into it, giving the appearance that an actual head is popping out of the pumpkin.

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Frankenstein Pumpkins from an orchard in Upstate New York. Photo: John Kucko, Facebook
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Where Did He Find Them?

The ones I saw were on a man named John Kucko's Facebook page, and I wasn't the only one fascinated by the freaky design.  John's post has over 1,000 shares and hundreds of comments.  Here's, in part, what he says about them:

"Frankenstein pumpkins can be found at certain farm stands across the region. I found a large crate of them the other day at The Cider Mill in Endicott, NY...When pumpkins are grown, a clear mold of a Frankenstein likeness is attached to the pumpkin when the pumpkin is the size of a softball. The mold is screwed onto the pumpkin, bolted on, if you will. I’m told there are Dracula ones, too. These have been around for several years now—neat to see."

 

 

See The Capital Region's 10 Best Cider Donuts [RANKED]

As we enjoy the last fleeting moments of summer, there is a silver lining to the end of the season. We will soon replace summer concerts with all of our favorite Upstate New York autumn activities like pumpkin picking, leaf peeping, and indulging in our season favorite - CIDER DONUTS! We have a LONG list of great cider donut spots, but to determine the best of the best we once again went to our listeners to determine which ones to visit this year. So Who serves the best cider donuts in the Capital Region? Here are the top 10 for autumn according to you - with 3 new spots on this year's list!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff

Epic Apple Pies Are in the Oven at These 12 Upstate New York Bake Shops

Who doesn't like apple pie season? Fall is in the air, we are sipping apple cider, and we are staring down some of the best apple pies in the Empire State. These dozen Upstate bakeries are ready with some pretty awesome apple pies!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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