Top 10 Fall Activities in The Bend
Fall in The Bend is a pretty special time.
Crisp air swoops in to South Bend and Mishawaka along with Notre Dame football season.
Beautifully colorful leaves make for an experience that sticks with you. Harvest time also brings fresh bounty for local markets and restaurants. Here are some of our favorite fall activities.
Fall Foliage Tour
One of the best things about fall has to be the change of colors. Bright oranges and reds dot the landscape as trees prepare to shed their leaves before winter. And there are plenty of places to snap photos. Notre Dame's campus, Potato Creek State Park, St. Patrick's Park and Spicer Lake Nature Preserve are favorites in our Guide to Fall Foliage.
Thistleberry Farm
This isn’t your average pumpkin patch. Thistleberry Farm in South Bend bursts with activity. You can pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving ahead of Halloween. But there’s so much more — a sunflower field for photo ops, corn mazes, storybook walking trails, hayrides, etc.
Find a Fall Hike
Name a more satisfying sound than the crunch of leaves under your hiking boots. There are plenty of great hiking options from which to choose around here. Potato Creek State Park is an outdoor playground. St. Patrick's County Park, Bendix Woods and Rum Village are among the most popular.
Walking the South Bend Farmers Market
Fall isn’t called harvest time for nothing. Stroll the aisles at the South Bend Farmers Market and see for yourself. Local farmers bring all sorts of produce to the market specific to the season — fresh apples, sweet corn, pumpkins, gourds and more. Don’t forget the handmade crafts, delicious sweets and local coffee.
Family Fun at the Zoo
Potawatomi Zoo sits in the heart of South Bend. It’s home to more than 400 animals — including giraffes lions, tigers, rhinos and more — and hosts a series of special events throughout the fall.
Spooky Season Scares
Halloween isn’t complete without a scare or two. Fear Itself at Legend Park in Mishawaka is one of the largest scream parks in the country. Many locals consider the Niles Scream Park a must-visit for some frightful entertainment.
Beer and Wine Tasting
Exploring The Bend's local breweries, wineries and distilleries is a great tip of the cap to harvest season. Lagers, ambers and some Oktoberfest styles usher in fall at our breweries. If you're into wine, head to Ironhand Vineyard's tasting room (situated right on the St. Joseph River) for a tour of their recent vintages.
Head to the Golf Course
There are few better places to take in fall foliage than our area golf courses, which are both championship caliber and wildly approachable. Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open and is considered one of the best courses you can play in Indiana. Blackthorn Golf Club is a top South Bend course and Elbel Golf Course shows of some of the area's finest natural areas.
Visit the Museum District
Want to talk a walk down memory lane? Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum each tell unique stories about South Bend and area history, whether it's through classic cars or early settlers. You can also tour the pristine, 38-room Oliver Mansion and it's beautiful grounds.
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