Top 5 Things to Do in October

By Addie Klimek and Isha Lele

October: 31 days of pure excitement, horrifying adventures, and cozy nights snuggling alongside all the free candy you just snagged. Although for some of you, October just means the release of pumpkin flavored coffee drinks at Starbucks, for many of us it is also 30 days that lead into the best night of our lives: Halloween. Halloween is praised not only because of the numerous miles trekked through the cold and rain, but also because we will have the 30 pounds of chocolate to feast on the next day. But until the last night arrives, let’s travel the land of CLE in search for the top five best ways to spend your weekends this October (besides typing those lab reports).

OMG! Did you know that a grande pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks is almost 400 calories! Crazy, right? Now, you would go work out, but your weekends are already booked with hanging with your friends, watching Netflix, and attempting some paper your teacher assigned… so that probably won’t happen. If you find yourself in the predicament facing thousands of other teenagers across the nation today, don’t fear because luckily for you, the second best way to burn calories (other than exercise, of course) is being absolutely scared out of your UGG boots. For a hardcore workout, make your way over to the 7 Floors of Hell with your friends. From the moment you exit the parking lot, with mummies and murderers chasing your heels, it’s complete with seven different terrifying buildings, featuring names like body snatchers, metal ward, and house of nightmares.

http://www.7floorsofhell.com

Now, if you are really up for a challenge, a scarier, more difficult haunted house is in your future. Nightmare in The Wilderness is a thrill like no other, takes place in the depths of the Medina forests, also known as the middle of nowhere. After taking a hayride a mile out, your driver soon deserts you in the middle of the pitch black. It is now your mission to return back to the starting camp, facing obstacles and monsters, with just the feeling in your hands, no lights. Good luck, and from everyone here at The Hath, it was nice knowing you!

http://www.nightmareinthewilderness.net

Looking for something to give you the chills? And no, we’re not talking about the home screen of NetClassroom. If the real life monsters are a little too intense for you, you can still get a lot of fear in your life without the risk of heart failure. Experience the thrills behind the safety of a television screen by planning a horror movie marathon, featuring films new this fall, like Annabelle, Insidious 2, or The Purge: Anarchy. After finishing off those and you’re still looking for more, take it back with the all-time classics such as Friday the 13th, Scream, Dracula, or The Blair Witch Project.

Stuck babysitting the neighbor’s kid this Saturday night? Might as well make the best of it by going to the I-X. And no this is not the I-X Indoor Amusement Park, nice try, this is the I-X Trick or Treat Street. It’s an indoor Halloween festival every weekend until November, where candy is given without the cost of numb fingers and blistered toes. Drag along the kids you are babysitting, so you don’t look weird as the only teenager there. You can invite a friend and have a blast pretending you’re just there for the kids. But, for all the people that want to go and don’t have a babysitting gig, I suggest you buy a good baby costume because this high class trick or treating is only for ages 3-12.

http://www.ixtrickortreatstreet.com

Looking for an assortment of fun October activities? Miss pumpkin picking and corn mazes from your childhood? Well it’s time to hop back on the wagon and take a trip with the fam down to the Maize Valley October Festival. One of the cheaper events of the month, the festival has a variety of activities, including beloved pumpkin picking. Other “special” events also take place, such as pumpkin cannons and a small petting zoo. The real highlight, however, is the eight-acre corn maze where you will soon find yourself to be almost as dizzy as after a math test.

http://www.maizevalley.com/fall-family-outings

Although most of you will continue spending your October nights sipping on pumpkin spice lattes and eating Oreos, we hope to see you out and about this fall, enjoying all the thrills and chills Cleveland has to offer!