My Favorite Fall Activities at Tufts and Beyond!
Fall has begun, and if you’re anything like me, you’re over the moon! Fall is, and pretty much has always been, my favorite season—and it’s not just because I have a fall birthday. I love fall because I love when the leaves change, I love rainy fall days, apple and pumpkin flavored things, watching fall movies like When Harry Met Sally or Hocus Pocus, and so much more. The Boston area, in my opinion, is one of the best places to experience fall. As someone from the Pacific Northwest with a lot of Pacific Northwest pride, I have to hand it to you, New Englanders; no one does fall like you do. So, if you are excited about the prospect of experiencing fall as a student at Tufts, here are some of my recommendations for activities to do at and around Tufts during the fall!
1. Take a Stroll Through the Boston Common/Boston Public Garden
Take the green line from the Medford/Tufts stop to Park Street and take a leisurely stroll around the Boston Common or the Boston Public Garden. Both are absolutely stunning in the fall. I highly recommend grabbing a pastry and/or a hot drink at Flour Bakery (located in the Common), popping in some fall tunes (maybe some Fleetwood Mac?), and taking a nice, long walk.
2. Attend Fall Fest
On the first weekend of the fall semester, TUSC (Tufts University Social Collective) puts on Fall Fest: a festival with live music, carnival games, free food, and more! It’s a great way to get in the fall mood and kick off the academic year.
3. Study at the Ginn Library or The Boston Public Library
If you love the Dark Academia aesthetic, there are so many great libraries to study at in the fall (and whenever!). At Tufts, the Ginn Library is the closest thing to a “Harry Potter” library we have, but if you’re willing to go off campus, the Boston Public Library is my personal favorite, especially the room with the classic green lamps. Bring your essay or your class readings and make studying an aesthetic at the BPL!
4. Take a Day Trip to Salem
If you’re feeling spooky, consider taking a day trip to Salem! It’s about an hour from Tufts, if you take the T and the commuter rail, but it’s so worth it! It is the Halloween capital of the world, after all. TUSC also usually does a day trip to Salem during the month of October, as well!
5. Go Apple Picking
There’s really nothing more quintessentially fall than going apple picking. Every year, TUSC has an apple-picking outing to Honeypot Hill Orchards, just outside of Boston. TUSC provides transportation to and from the event, as well as covers some apples and other goodies for you to bring home!
6. Attend a Fall Film Screening
There are so many classic fall movies, or just movies that I like to rewatch in the fall, and many theaters around Tufts and in Boston host special screenings. The Somerville Theater in Davis Square (a short walk or shuttle ride from campus) usually has fall and/or Halloween special showings during the fall months!
This list could go on and on, as there are so many fun activities to do at Tufts and in the Boston area during the fall. You might have noticed that I mentioned that TUSC hosts a lot of fall events, but other campus organizations do as well! I hope that these fall activities have gotten you excited about all of the fun things you could do in the fall as a student at Tufts!