Celebrate the Season with Campus Events, Local Adventures, and Autumn Inspiration
Author Sarah Rolph ’22/’26 is a Culinary Science major.
Everyone knows and loves the changing colors that signal the start of apple picking, sweater weather, and pumpkin spice season, but the enchanting reds and oranges are just the surface of fall at CIA New York. Here’s a list of my favorite fun fall activities found here in the Hudson Valley.
Tuxedo Renaissance Faire
Running from mid-August until October, this magical event is the perfect weekend activity to start your fall semester for our fairy folk. Get dressed up, grab some friends, and chow down on a turkey leg and some of the biggest pickles you’ve seen while enjoying a joust or axe throwing.
Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival
This festival (October 18–19, 2025) has been a fixture of fall here in the valley since the 1980s and is ready for all the crafters in the room. I was able to take a Dutchess County bus to the fairgrounds, convenient as there is a stop right across from campus and again right by the fairgrounds, so there’s no need to deal with the chaos of parking.
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
Just across the river from campus is a celebration for everyone’s favorite stinky allium. Explore hundreds of garlic varieties and if you’re daring, give the famous garlic ice cream a try!
Apple Picking at DuBois Farm
No fall list would be complete without apple picking. Enjoy the fall colors with a warm apple cider donut and a hayride at one of the many apple orchards here in the Hudson Valley.
Sleepy Hollow
Take the train down the Hudson River to this spooky town perfect to get you into the Halloween spirit. They have events throughout the season, like the “great jack-o-lantern blaze” which features over 7,000 hand carved pumpkins!
Discover All the Fun Waiting Just Beyond Campus
Check out more Hudson Valley activities!