10 Legendary and colorful ways to celebrate October in North Dakota Posted on 10/8/2009
For more information, contact: Sara Otte Coleman, Director, Tourism Division North Dakota Department of Commerce 701-328-2525
It's a colorful time of the year. Summer's greens are giving way to fall's browns, reds and yellows. Soon, they'll all give way to black and orange of Halloween, and eventually, the whites of winter. Don't miss out on a mosaic of colors and fun; get out and scare up a good time this October in North Dakota. Contact North Dakota Tourism at NDtourism.com or call 800-435-5663 or 701-328-2525 for more information on these, and other, colorful activities:
1. Yellow is for Amazing Corn
Before it becomes a staple of Sunday night dinner, corn serves a different purpose. Cornfields, with stalks more than head high, often are transformed into intricate mazes that amaze visitors well into late fall. Get lost for an afternoon at a corn maze.
2. Red, as in Chokecherries and Chili
The deep red coloring of North Dakota's state fruit is in abundance and wineries around the state have tapped the fruit for their product. Cap the day with a bowl of hot chili from a local cook-off or mom's stove.
3. Orange you Glad it's Halloween?
Black might be the official color of Halloween, with its emphasis on ghosts and goblins, and there's many haunted houses and tours to take. But orange is just as important to the season, just ask Linus and the great pumpkins in area pumpkin patches.
4. Purple Pride
Those bruises that your sons and their friends show up with on Saturdays are par for the course. High school football season hits the stretch run to the playoffs, and the state's college football teams bang heads in conference showdowns throughout October.
5. Brownout (Doors)
Harvested fields and shrubs, and tree rows that are quickly losing leaves are gathering places for upland game birds like sharp-tail grouse and Hungarian partridge and the world-famous ring-neck pheasant. Hunters take to the field in October in pursuit of various game birds.
6. Green with Waterfowl Envy
The cooler the weather gets, the hotter the waterfowl action becomes. The state's pothole region is one of the top waterfowl hunting areas in the world. Greenheads beware, as hunters from around the nation take to the fields.
7. Blackdrop for Fun
Haunted cemeteries and scary forts provide the perfect "blackdrop" for spooktacularly fun evenings. It's also the color one sees after the house lights go down and before the show goes on at the local theater.
8. Deep Blue See and Sea
From the deep blue fall sky to fishing in cool, blue waters, the outdoors is the place to be in October. The fall migration is in full swing and the famed V formations of geese fill the blue skies, while anglers troll lakes and rivers for late-season walleye.
9. Harvest Gold The amber waves of grain may be no more than stubble now, but their bounty can be found at arts and crafts fairs and farmer's markets across the state. Crafters and artisans fashion an array of unique items from North Dakota's harvested fields.
10. Snow White
The snow can wait, but those cool fall evenings make for a perfect marshmallow roasting atmosphere. Spend an evening around the fire or grill making S'mores and sharing your favorite ghost stories. These are just a few of the activities you can take part of throughout North Dakota. For more information, go to NDtourism.com or phone 800-435-5663 or 701-328-2525.
North Dakota received two legendary designations in 2008 – most affordable (AAA) and friendliest (Cambridge University).
