How to Do Fall in San Marcos

By Claire Hansen
Blog Content Contributor

Cloudy skies, flannels and the leaves crunching under your feet as you walk to class while you sip on your pumpkin spice latte — it’s quite obvious that fall is the most exciting season here in Texas. Whether you prefer pumpkin patch-ing or monster mash-ing, San Marcos and all of Hays County has got you covered for this spooky time of year. Sure, there may be tons of fall festivals and Halloween parties going on in Austin, but what about more local fun?! Here’s a few ways of how you can take full advantage of this wonderful season and all the festivities this area has to offer.

Things to do

There’s a lot more to this season than just watching leaves fall. If pumpkin patches are your thing, the First United Methodist Church next to the small H-E-B is hosting one daily, with pumpkins starting at just 50 cents! For the real pumpkin-carving enthusiasts, the Cross Plants and Produce Pumpkin Patch just had their grand opening in Kyle, and will be selling pumpkins and other fall-themed goodies through the end of the month. Not to mention, it’s also free admission! If you’re too cool for pumpkin patches, maybe it’s time to head over to The Spot or Starplex and get your scared face on with the latest horror movies like IT, Happy Death Day and Leatherface. Afterwards, you can stop by Mystic Marks or Twisted Rabbit and get a $13 tattoo on Friday the 13th, to celebrate yet another spooky holiday this month. Don’t spend all your money just yet though, because I almost forgot to mention that we have one more very special occasion to look forward to… did someone say, “Wurstfest?” Yup — get ready to have the “wurst” time of your life.

Get outside

Fall means that it’s finally not 100 degrees outside, which means more outdoor activities! Get a breath of that fresh autumn air by going for a walk or bike ride at Purgatory Creek Park. With all of the changing colors, the scenery in San Marcos is at its finest — perfect for cute fall Instagram pictures we’re all secretly dying to take. What’s even better about this change in weather, is your dog will be happier, too! Our beloved pups will be more comfortable outside now without the heat blazing down on their fur coats, so don’t forget to bring them along on any outdoor excursions! Plus, all the more reason to visit dog-friendly places now like Railyard, Louie’s and Sean Patrick’s for those Sunday football games. Speaking of football, if you haven’t been to a tailgate yet, or have found yourself deterred by the heat like me, now you can finally go and not die of heat stroke! Hooray for loud country music and Keystone! (just kidding).

Halloween

Many of you whom may be reading this are far too old to trick-or-treat and be taken seriously, so someone needs to provide the low-down on next-level Halloween fun in San Marcos. Instead of munching on candy, or wasting your time and money on 6th Street, stop by Spirit Halloween (conveniently located at the San Marcos Outlets), grab a spooky outfit, and wear it to The Marc on Halloween night for what’s going to be a crazy show played by EDM artists Carnage and Brillz. I’ve been to The Marc on past Halloweens, and I can assure you that they always throw down. If headbanging doesn’t necessarily appeal to you (trust me, I understand), go the opposite direction and see if you vibe better with the deceased at the San Marcos Cemetery for City Cemetery Tales and Tours on October 28th. As for haunted houses, you’ll probably have to go to Austin or San Antonio to get a really good scare, but a trip to The Square in your bumble bee costume could be just as exhilarating.

No matter how we end up celebrating this season, the liveliness and fun loving people of the area guarantee an enjoyable time for everyone. Texas in general is just a wonderful place to experience all things fall-related. For a lot of us, these next couple months will mean countless hours in the library, with the only indication of changing seasons being our next round of tests. Luckily for us, Halloween does fall on a Tuesday this year, so we have no excuse not to wear our costumes to class! (I think it should be required).

Featured image by Claire Hansen.