By: Charlotte Gargiulo and Kyndal Shafer 10/8/25
The leaves are falling, and it's time to turn in all your school work, but you know what time it is: it's almost fall break! When it comes to deciding what to do during your break, it can be difficult, but no need to worry; that's what this whole article is about. So let's dig in to find out what you could be doing this fall break.
An elephant eating a pumpkin from the pumpkin smash
One place you could visit is the Indianapolis Zoo for the Zoo Boo, for a ticket costing $15 for people above the age of 2. There are many various attractions that they have to offer. Such as the ZooBoo foodie trail, candy walk, a Roller Ghoster, and so much more, like adopting a ZooBoo kitten, Casper and Frankie. The Indianapolis Zoo Boo even has a “Round-go-marry” that, as you could expect, is a Merry-go-round that goes backwards to give it a more spooky vibe. Something else that’s a little scary is the Roller Ghoaster, which is a Coaster with a Halloween twist that’s located a little ways past the Alligator and Crocodile enclosure. Lark Ranch is also helping present the Elephant Pumpkin Smash, which includes the elephants at the zoo smashing pumpkins to help entertain elephants. So, as you can see, this is a great place to visit to interact with many different activities for your entertainment.
Maybe the Zoo Boo isn’t something that speaks to you; maybe carnival rides and activities are more your style, and if so, maybe Lark Ranch is for you. Lark Ranch locations are found in Loogootee, Greenfield, Lanesville, and Lark Valley, all of which can be found in Indiana. Lark Ranch does charge money for tickets for entry, but Lark Ranch offers many activities like carnival rides, a pumpkin patch, hay rides/train rides, and so much more. Melody Willis, a 7th grader at EJHS, states,” The rides are really, really fun!” Lark Ranch also features a few small restaurants located near the park entrance. Before the ranch became a popular place to visit during the fall months, it was just in Matt Lark’s backyard in 2001. To make the first ranch location, it took the help of Matt’s sons, Adam, Kyle, and Eric. Overall, this place is a great place to visit, and has many things to do to cure your fall boredom.
One of the rides that you can go on a Lark Ranch.
An area at Brown County State Park where you can stop to look and take pictures.
You may also hear a lot of talk about McCormick’s Creek, but not so much about Brown County State Park. Brown County State Park is located in Nashville, IN, and offers a lot of fun things to do, too. Brown County has camping, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and so much more. Many people like visiting and experiencing the nature at Brown County State Park. Including Andi Beckman, a seventh-grade student at EJHS, states, “It's just a really fun thing to do over any break.” Plus, the entry fee is typically just $9. You can also stay in the cabins or the Inn they offer. One of the main cabins is the Abe Martin Lodge. The Abe Martin Lodge is a cabin you can stay in while you visit Brown County, but the cabin also offers a restaurant and, of course, great views of the horizon.
Another place you could visit that has tranquil scenery is Griffy Lake, right here in Bloomington. Admission is free for everyone, and it has many trails to offer. One trail takes you along the shoreline of Griffy Lake and shows its vibrant leaf colors on the trees. Griffy Lake is a calm place where you can boat and fish, while, unfortunately, swimming is prohibited. Griffy Lake is a pretty place that you can enjoy from 5 am to 11 pm every day of the week. To see some great views of the lake, you can take a boardwalk along the shore to take in all the sights to see.
An evening view of Griffy Lake.
So now that you know some places you could go during fall break, maybe deciding on what you should do over break won’t be so hard.
Author's Bio:
Kyndal Shafer is a 7th-grader who loves to write, be creative, be outside, and hang out with friends and family.
Charlotte Gargiulo is a 7th-grader who enjoys being outdoors, crafting, and playing Roblox with friends.
Sites:
Lydia Daraban
Andi Beckman
Melody Willis