It’s no surprise that the arrival of fall is accompanied by an air of romance. The warm autumn colors, the breezy weather change, and the darkness of daylight savings all seem to work together to make us want the comfort of our significant other. Luckily, this season provides some unique opportunities for you and your partner to enjoy outdoor fall dates in Yakima.
If you and your partner are looking to undergo some outdoor activities, a slow walk or scenic hike is ideal for taking in the sights while holding hands. You’ll find a surprising number of leaves in their autumnal glory along the Yakima Greenway. This paved path traverses through Yakima and into Naches with an easy, almost undetectable incline that hardly fluctuates the deeper you go out of the city. Grab the bikes and ride next to your companion as this would be a fantastic route for any cyclist.
The closer you get to Naches, the more orchards you’ll spy. My favorite area passes over a remarkably overgrown canal that makes it feel like you’re a lot deeper into the wilderness than you are. Get immersed in the flora and wildlife. During a recent visit, I started a hunting hawk only a couple of yards away. Now that the weather has begun singeing the leaves into a series of reds and browns, the Yakima Greenway is a great way to appreciate the nature aspect of the season.
For those who prefer a less physically demanding fall activity, take your date to visit one of the many pumpkin patches in Yakima. The Thompson’s Farm Market is just off the Old Naches Highway, with their farm and market within a half-mile of each other. The cozy farm is only open to the public on exceptional occasions, and one of them is their pumpkin patch free to visit during any weekend in October. Browsing girthy homegrown u-pick pumpkins is far from the only venture at this farm. You and your date can enjoy hayrides, gem mining and apple picking. The pair of you can pick a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year at this farm, but this time you’ll find most prominently pumpkins, squash, Golden Delicious and Empire apples.
The Thompson’s Farm prides the Golden Delicious apples as widely universal and versatile because of their taste. Typically, the Empire apples grown in the Pacific Northwest are notably sweet with a crunchy but thinly wrapped layer of skin around it perfect for use in your garden kitchen for various dessert concoctions. These would be ideal for a baking date themed with fall foods. Apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies could be brilliantly executed or painfully slaughtered on your date night, depending on you and your partner’s baking skills.
With the pumpkins picked from Thompson’s Farm, a fun couple’s carving session could lead to creating a delightfully spooky photoshoot with your partner. These photoshoots are wildly popular in the last few years, with the subjects sporting a ghostly cut white sheet or a large, bulbous jack-o-lantern head.
This fun, fall photography session could take place in any of the listed locations for a beautiful seasonal setting, but one place you could never go wrong is at the Yakima Arboretum. The trees and shrubs that the Arboretum are typically known for have begun developing their seeds this time of year, and the grass is littered with pinecones and nuts, making a perfect floor and prop for you and your partner’s photo series. Alternatively, a venture here in the fall months could be a lovely picnic with a view for a date that won’t be easily forgotten.
In any case, there are endless date possibilities you and your significant other must experience in the Yakima Valley. Relaxing recreational trips, prime pumpkin farms and select photos spots will send you and your partner on a most romantic date series. And if all else fails, an evening inside watching a movie with a lit candle to prepare you for the charming months ahead is always a viable option.
