Kentucky in the Fall Time!

Fall is my favorite season for all the foods and the festivities this time of the year. The crisp chill in the air, the smells, the way the leaves change, and the anticipation of all the fun holidays around the corner are all signs that fall is in the air. This is my first fall season in Kentucky so lots of new foods and activities happening over here. I had asked a coworker what Kentucky was known for with their pumpkin foods and they answered Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, so I was determined to go outside the box and find the hidden fall foods in Kentucky. I have found some yummy new seasonal foods, some oldie favorites that are here too, and of course some new fall activities that we have found in Kentucky. Here is what we have found so far this fall season! 

Soup From Panera: The second the cooler weather hits I crave soup! I am so excited for fall in Kentucky since we live by a Panera which has the yummiest soups ever. The Broccoli soup in a bread bowl is my go-to from there. They have multiple soups on their menu and all look so good. I love the cinnamon crunch bagels. There are some fun fall treats and breads to get from there as well. I have been keeping my eye out for their pumpkin decorated shortbread cookies! 

Pumpkin Steamers: This year was a little different for me since I wasn't in Utah with all my go-to spots for my favorite Pumpkin Steamers. I had to adventure out a little more to find some places that made the steamers. My first pumpkin Frappuccino was from Heine Brothers Coffee and it was so good! I hadn't done cold drinks until a year or two ago since the fall weather is starting a little later into the season, or am I just starting to crave pumpkin sooner?. Pumpkin steamers are still my favorite and I got my first one from North Lime Coffee and Donuts this season. Deaz Beanz in Bardstown had a really good pumpkin steamer and for a good price. I did see Quills Coffee has pumpkin options, but they start a little later in the fall. It's good to know there are so many spots here for them, too! 

Hiking: We really enjoy hiking and it's even better in the fall when it gets cooler and the scenery starts to change. The Bernheim forest has been our go-to spot this summer and fall. I have heard the Red River Gorge and Cumberland Falls hikes are beautiful this time of the year. Hopefully we will make it out that way before winter gets here! I do love this time of the year to be outdoors though. The smells, the feeling of fall in the air, the leaves changing are all things I love for a fall hike. The Bernheim Forest has a Color Festival in November that we have on our calendar to check out. The sunsets and sunrises have been absolute beautiful this season, too! 

Hadorn's Bakery: Every time I ask where the best fall treat spots are someone mentions Hadorn's. We have been a few times this fall season and haven't seen much fall flavor options, but you can never go wrong with a good donut. We did try their Pumpkin walnut muffin which had good flavor and crunch. We did go later in the season and they had a pumpkin cake donut, which was really good. The donut holes are my absolute favorite from there. I do like the cinnamon glazed pretzel twist donuts, too! They have a few cookies decorated for the seasons that you can get from there. I have heard Amazin Glazin donuts do have pumpkin flavored donuts. They sell out quick in the mornings so be aware of that.

Trader Joe's: It is not fall for me until I walk into a Trader Joe's. The vibe of the store screams its fall every time I go there. I have a few favorite items I buy there every fall and I love trying all the new seasonal items, too! My absolute favorite fall treats are the Spice Pumpkin Cookies that are covered in yogurt and the Apple Cider Donuts. I buy multiple boxes of them every year. I have tried quite a few of the seasonal items though that you can see on my "Fall Edition Trader Joe's Haul" or this years blog about "Fall Items from Trader Joe's and Aldi." I haven't had an Aldi in my state before, so I was so excited this year to see what they have to offer! Their items do sell out very fast.  

Fall Leaves Drive: Wow, Kentucky is beautiful every season! The fall leaves are starting to show up along our drives here and we are loving it. The colors are so vibrant and since there are so many trees everywhere the colors just take over the scenery. I can't wait for the full fall colors, but it's already been beautiful and it's only the end of September. 

Apple Cider Donuts: We love Apple Cider donuts! We usually get them from Trader Joe's or a country store in Utah. This year we grabbed some from Aldi which were so good. They are more like the homemade ones we would get from a country store. The flavor was just enough to know it's apple cider, but wasn't too strong. These one's didn't come with a sugar coating like the Trader Joe's ones do. We of course got some from Trader Joe's. We are on the look out for a new country store to try some new one's here in Kentucky. 

Dunkin: Most of the Dunkin's closed in Utah, but Kentucky still has some open. We live near a Dunkin so I thought why not add it to our fall list this year. They come out with their pumpkin drinks and donuts every year. I don't ever remember going during the fall season to a Dunkin so I was excited to try their pumpkin donuts. I heard the munchkins were the best so that is what I went with and they were so right! I loved every bite of those donut holes. The pumpkin flavor was just right and the texture of the donut was so good. This will be on my list every year from now on! 

Simpsonville Outlets: We went fall shopping at the Simpsonville Outlets and found that they decorate for the season. There are pumpkins and little picture spots throughout the shopping center. They had really good deals at all of the stores, as well. The weather was just perfect for a walk outdoors. It does get pretty chilly during the winter to be out there walking so this will probably be our last trip until spring! 

Cupcakes: There are a couple of fun little cupcake shops in Kentucky. We have tried Sweet Retreat in Elizabethtown, KY, which is my favorite spot so far. They have a variety of flavors all the time and a few rotating flavors. There are cookies, cakes, and brownies, also. We went at the end of September and they hadn't put out fall flavors yet, but I bet they will have some in October. I did find a pumpkin spiced cupcake from Just Baked in Bardstown, KY. It was not my favorite bakery, but the cupcakes were good. There are lots of cute bakeries around, so hopefully I will find more spots to share with you. 

Homemade Caramel Apples: My mom would make caramel apples each fall and then we would grab some from our favorite shops in Utah. I wanted to keep the traditions alive even here in Kentucky, so I made some this year. It ended up being good. We used the little caramel chips from the baking isle instead of making the caramel. The only down side of the caramel was it didn't stay good for the next day. It was still a good treat and was fun to do. I haven't seen any caramel apples yet here in Kentucky though! 

Halloween Decorations: I have been super impressed with how many houses decorated for the season here in Kentucky. There is the coolest house with a ton of inflatables in our neighborhood that I get to drive by every morning to go to work. There is a witches scene with a light that shines them onto their house which is my favorite one to see. There is a house with a lineup of scary decorations and people in their yard. There is a famous street in down town Louisville that has a whole street decked out for the season. 

Wild Eggs: My husband was the cutest and watched out for when the pumpkin pancakes were here for the season at Wild Eggs. They got here at the first of October and we just went and tried them. There are two pumpkin pancakes, but they are thick and is plenty for a meal. They have candied walnuts, whipped cream, caramel, and powder sugar on top. I really enjoyed them! The potatoes and bacon were yummy, too! This is going to be a new Kentucky tradition for the fall time for us!

Pumpkin Spectacular: We had this on our plans, but the night we were going to go it rained like crazy so we didn't end up going. I have heard and seen so much about this outing in Kentucky. There is a park in down town Louisville that is known for seeing the city scape of down town that has a pumpkin walk during the fall. They have thousands of hand carved pumpkins, lights, and decor that you walk through. This will be a must next year for us! 

Steak' N Shake Pumpkin Shake: I was excited to try the pumpkin milkshake from Steak' N Shake. The flavor was very strong at first, but the more I drank the less the flavor stuck out. I did like that it had Oreos mixed in. The whipped cream is my favorite from there. I'm sure you are able to add any of the add in's to the pumpkin flavoring. I don't know if I would pick that flavor over their chocolate shakes, they are the best!  

Cheesecake Factory: Who knew the Cheesecake Factory would have pumpkin cheesecake! My husband surprised me one day after work with a cheesecake in the fridge and I loved it! The cheesecake is pumpkin flavored with pecans and a gooey layer. The crust is just like a pumpkin pie crust. This is probably my favorite cheesecake I have had from the Cheesecake Factory. This was our first cheesecake in Kentucky, too! 

Pumpkin Decorating Contest: Our local hospital had a pumpkin decorating contest this fall. I was so impressed with all the designs and creativity that everyone had. It was fun looking for the new pumpkins put out throughout the week. I had never been apart of an activity like that, so it's been a fun little Kentucky memory for this season. My favorite was a pumpkin disguised as a turkey dinner. We made ours look like a little kid blowing a bubble with some bubble gum. There were clowns, nurses, a little Shrek house, and so many more. It was a neat little community event in town for anyone to go and look at. 

Costco: This year my husband did the shopping at Costco a lot more since it is a little bit far from our house. He was cute and brought home a new treat every so often. He just got the little pumpkin Madeleines cookies. They are actually so good! They taste like a pumpkin bread with the crispy edges in every bite. We fell in love with the Smores Clusters from Kirkland. We got the Apple Cider Donuts that were yummy.

What have been your favorite fall foods and activities in your state?