It may not have felt like it the past couple of weeks, but fall is here. The temperature and humidity are both finally about to go down to levels more associated with autumn, meaning we can enjoy outdoor activities without the muggy conditions we’ve become accustomed to the past five months or so.

Whether it’s wandering through corn mazes, picking the perfect specimen for a jack-o’-lantern at a pumpkin patch or gathering up a group of friends for game of two-hand touch football, now is the perfect time to do it, as your shirt won’t be clinging to your back from perspiration after being outside for all of two minutes.

If picking pumpkins is what you want to do, there’s a pair of farms south of the Pamlico you can visit. Located at 320 Harding Lane in Chocowinity, Southside Farms offers a selection of pumpkins to choose from, as well as several activities, such as building a scarecrow and a wagon ride. The farm is open Mondays through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Raised In A Barn Farm, found at 2100 N.C. Highway 33 in Chocowinity, also offers a pumpkin patch as well. The farm is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and operates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. And if you’re looking for a scare, Raised In A Barn Farm has something for you as well with its Nights of Fright, a 30-minute haunted trail. Opening night is Oct. 18, and it will be held Oct. 19-20, Oct. 25-27, Oct. 31 and Nov. 2-3. Nights of Fright will run from 8 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, and 8 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Continuing with the frightening theme, Hematoma Paintball Fields, located at 607 Haw Branch Road in Chocowinity, offers the Zombie Thrill Ride. The attraction will be held on Oct. 13, Oct. 20, Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Those are just some options available in the area for anyone who wants to take advantage of the cooler weather of fall by being outside — not unbearably hot and humid, but also not too cold either. Regardless of what you prefer to do, take your opportunity now to enjoy the outdoors in comfortable weather, before it gets too frigid.