Fall is more than Pumpkin Spice

When autumn rolls around, certain fall treats pop up seemingly everywhere. Each coffee shop has a pumpkin spice latte, the grocery stores roll out pumpkin flavored everything, it’s even quite common to find videos online mocking the so-called "Pumpkin Spice Epidemic." If the pumpkin spice flavor is too overdone for you, try a few of the favorites suggested by Olivet students:

Uncle John’s Cider Mill is located less than an hour north of Olivet College, on US-127. Sarah Hileman, sophomore, said her favorite fall treat hails from Uncle John’s. "My favorite would definitely be the cider doughnuts from Uncle John’s. I go there every fall and the cider doughnuts are amazing and a tradition for me and my family."

Uncle John’s also offers a corn maze, tractor rides, gift shops and much more. During the fall, they offer activities for children such as ‘Jumping the Pillow’, a train, pony rides and a pumpkin patch. For adults, they offer hard cider and wine tasting from their in-house winery.

Other local cider mills are the Country Mill in Charlotte, which offers apple picking, doughnuts, cider and a corn maze, and Phillips Orchard in St. Johns, which offers peach and apple picking, pruning classes and cider.

If doughnuts from a local cider mill aren’t for you, Brandon Goike, freshman, has another uncommon fall treat perfect for waking up on crisp autumn mornings. "Cinnamon roll cappuccinos are the best thing that can happen to my mornings. They warm you right up and make the mornings ten times easier to deal with," Goike said. You can find cinnamon roll cappuccinos at Starbucks in Battle Creek.

Freshman Amelia Tomalka recommends the autumn squash soup from Panera. "I wait all year for the autumn squash soup, and once Panera puts it on the menu, I go as often as I can." The autumn squash soup is a vegetarian blend of pumpkin and butternut squash and is topped with salted pumpkin seeds. There are Panera Bread locations in Battle Creek, Lansing and Jackson.

In Olivet, there is the Fay’s Willow Tree Coffee Shop. The Willow Tree offers many different flavors of espresso drinks, along with homemade cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. They also offer sandwiches, soups and salads for lunch and dinner.