The weather has finally cooled off and if you’ve recently PCS’d perhaps you are coming up for air after getting all of your worldly goods unpacked and organized in your new home. What should you do now that you are ready to get out there and explore?
Well, enjoy the lovely fall nights, of course!
One of the best ways to get connected in your new community is to scour your information sources on the best local music scenes, bars, and festivals in your area. Even with some distancing and masking restrictions in place, most venues are open and ready for enjoyment.
How do you find out the happening places? You can join local social media groups, ask around in your neighborhood, check out websites like your local library, chamber of commerce, or by doing a quick Google search with your town and the dates you are looking to be entertained.
Local Music Scene:
How long has it been since you have been to a concert? The answer is probably too long! Look online to see which music or theater venues are hosting musical groups this fall. Are any of your favorite cover bands coming to town? Your favorite oldies group or 90s R+B group? Many military installations offer outdoor concerts for military families around some of the fall federal holiday weekends. Whether it’s an adults-only event or a family affair, consider plugging into some indoor or outdoor music events to help you both relax and enjoy your new city as well as meet some like-minded folks!
Local Bars:
What, besides a yummy beverage can your local bar scene offer you? Well, you might be surprised. Many bars not only tout themselves as the locals’ favorite watering hole but also offer secondary entertainment like karaoke nights, viewing parties for professional and collegiate sports, or popular television shows. Currently, other popular trends include bars with darts, billiards, or ax throwing, trivia nights, board game nights, group meet-ups, and charity nights. And you just thought you were going out for a drink? These days many bars are pulling double duty as places that offer specialty or signature cocktails, locally brewed beers as well as genre-specific entertainment. If you’re looking for a group to gather with, consider finding your next favorite bar in town!
Fall Festivals:
If the bar scene is explicitly for the 21 and older crowd, consider the fun-for-the-whole-family opportunity of local festivals in your town or surrounding areas. During the fall months, apple picking, pumpkin picking, and corn-mazes abound. Many towns offer haunted houses, local cemetery tours, and craft fairs that not only cater to lots of levels of fun but also tend to showcase interesting learning opportunities about the local area and its history. As the time gets closer to Halloween, check out local churches and even the military installation you are affiliated with as many do fun costume contests and trick-or-treat events.
Whether it’s the pleasant weather or just the rhythm that fall brings, there never seems to be a shortage of fun things to occupy your nights and weekends. If you want to get connected to the people at your new duty station, get to know the place itself, as well as begin building some memories of family fun, consider checking out your local music scene, local bars, and local festivals.