Top Fall Experiences Only Found in Hendricks County Indiana
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Fall just feels a little different in Hendricks County, Indiana. The mornings get a little cooler, the leaves start changing and before you know it, weekends are filling up with trips to the orchard, fall festivals and afternoons spent outside.
Sure, you can find pumpkin patches and corn mazes all over Indiana, but we’ve got a few fall traditions you can't find anywhere else. Where else can you shoot an apple out of a cannon, make your own glass pumpkin, take a picture inside an old jail cell and watch monster trucks tear through the mud all in the same destination?
If you’re putting together a fall bucket list, here are 10 Hendricks County experiences worth adding.
Shoot Apple Cannons
If you’ve never shot an apple out of a cannon, fall is your chance and Beasley’s Orchard in Danville is the place. Test your aim, then stick around for the corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin patch and all the other fall fun around the orchard.
And if you really want the full Beasley’s fall experience, visit during the annual Heartland Apple Festival on Oct. 3-4 and 10-11.
Make a Glass Pumpkin
Anybody can buy a pumpkin, but at Hot Blown Glass in Clayton you can make one out of molten glass. Indiana Artisan, Lisa Pelo guides you through the process of creating a colorful keepsake you can pull out every fall for years to come.
You'll need to plan ahead because visits are by appointment only, and your finished piece will need a couple of days to cool before you can take it home.
Take a Scenic Hike Under a Canopy of Colors
When the leaves start changing, McCloud Nature Park in North Salem is one of the best places in Hendricks County and even Central Indiana to see them. The 232-acre park has more than seven miles of trails that wind through woods, prairie and along Big Walnut Creek.
For a little more activity, plan your visit around the park’s Fall Colors Festival on Oct. 24. The free event includes hayrides, a campfire, food trucks, vendors, axe throwing, butter making, candle dipping and other fall activities.
Sample Award-Winning Apple Cider
A fall trip to Beasley's Orchard isn't complete without some of their award-winning apple cider. Purchase it by the cup by trying one of their popular cider slushies or adults can try their hard cider. Once you try that cider, I'm guessing you will want to purchase more, so they do have it available by the gallon as well.
And if you're already treating yourself, you might as well add an apple dumpling. Fall only comes around once a year.
Get a Mug Shot
The Hendricks County Historical Museum in Danville is housed inside the county’s former sheriff’s residence and jail, which dates back to 1866. Head downstairs, step inside one of the old jail cells and take your best mug shot. The cells are a little creepy even in the middle of the day, so they feel especially appropriate around Halloween.
Stick around afterward and explore the rest of the museum. It’s filled with artifacts, rooms and exhibits that tell the story of Hendricks County and the people who lived here before us. The museum is open to the public Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Play Dress Up With Your Dog
Your dog can get in on the fall fun during Dog Daze at the Maze at Beasley’s Orchard, Oct. 17-18. Dress up your four-legged friend for the costume contest, meet other pet owners and even take your dog through the corn maze.
Your dog may not appreciate being dressed like a hot dog, dinosaur or pumpkin, but the pictures will probably be worth it.
A Day With Animals
One of our more unique animal experiences can be found at Oinking Acres Farm & Rescue Sanctuary near Brownsburg. The nonprofit provides a home for rescued farm animals, including plenty of pigs along with goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, horses, donkeys and others.
It’s fun to meet the animals, especially for kids, but there’s also a good cause behind your visit. Money raised through visits and events helps provide food, shelter and care for the animals that live there.
Dare to Experience Our Haunted Bridge
The Avon Haunted Bridge has collected its share of ghost stories since it was built in the early 1900s, making fall the perfect time to see it for yourself. Drive beneath the massive railroad bridge on County Road 625 East or walk over from Washington Township Park for a closer look.
Despite its spooky stories, the bridge offers stunning views, especially during fall when the leaves are a mix of colors. It's perfect for both thrill-seekers and as a fun photo backdrop.
Fall weekends in Hendricks County aren’t just about pumpkins and apple cider. The 45th Annual Tire Rack 4-Wheel Jamboree Fall Nationals returns Sept. 18-20, bringing monster trucks, mud bogs, Tuff Trucks, side-by-side racing and plenty of horsepower to the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds in Danville.
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