Guide to Fall Festivities in Muncie

If you’ve ever found yourself in Muncie, IN, you’ve probably noticed that there’s not a lot to do. I am a Muncie native and I go to Ball State University, so I am very aware of the limited options for entertainment and activities. Over the years I’ve learned about different events and places to visit in the Muncie area. Since it is the beginning of fall while I’m writing this post, I will be talking about different things to do during the fall in Muncie. This post will be a guide to make your experience in Muncie a little more interesting, while also giving you the flavor of Muncie as a town. The main audience for this post will be Ball State students, since they might not be too familiar with the area or traditions. I want to encourage students to get outside and be involved with the community around Ball State, that provide you with meaningful experiences. You’ll find that this area isn’t what you may be led to believe. Muncie seems to have a negative connotation attached to it, and there are a lot of negative opinions surrounding this city. I hope to change your opinion throughout this post and show you that there is a strong sense of community, service, and family.

Now that I’ve introduced the topic, let’s get familiar with the surrounding area. The two places in the area that have the majority of events and places to go to are downtown Muncie and Ball State University. Downtown there are plenty of places to eat and bars to go to. There are also many shops to peruse, and an outdoor venue where people come and play music. North of downtown, across the river, is Ball State University. Ball State has a beautiful campus with a distinctive red brick look to the buildings. There’s always something going on, on campus. Just south of campus is the village, where students of age are able to drown their miseries at the bars. There are a few restaurants and a coffee shop there as well. Also, right on the eastern edge of Ball State is Minnetrista. This is a historic area dedicated to the founders of Ball State, the Ball brothers. Here you can find the Ball brothers original houses, beautiful gardens, and a museum highlighting the historic upbringings of the area. If you aren’t downtown or at Ball State, the only other thing to do is go eat at a restaurant on Mcgalliard.

Now you have a general idea of the area and where the hub of activities are. In this post I will be talking about specific events that may be lesser known to people. The first two events I will be talking about are one’s that I found out about freshman year in college while volunteering for my fraternity. These are the Old Washington Street Festival and the Luminaria Walk at Minnetrista. I enjoyed these events so much that I’ve been going back to volunteer ever since.

Let’s talk about the Old Washington Street Festival. This is a two-day event in September, on Washington Street in downtown Muncie. This year was their 43^rd annual festival and was held on the 14^th and 15^th of September. Here you can enjoy live entertainment, go on a historic house tour, or browse the various booths. The booths offer homemade food, arts and crafts, and information regarding community organizations. For me this event is somewhat of an introduction into fall. When I first went, I was surprised that I haven’t heard of it before (living in Muncie for 20 years). I hadn’t even been in that area before actually. It honestly doesn’t even feel like it’s in Muncie. The houses are very extravagant and have a historic feel to them. I have never done a house tour, but that’s on my list for next year! It better be your cheat day when you go because there are tons of food trucks with fair food: elephant ears, lemonade mixers, and deep fried everything. Did I mention there was a beard contest? Of course there’s a beard competition, this is Muncie, IN. If you think you’ve got what it takes, sign up and groom that beard to perfection.

I just volunteered here a couple of weeks ago, and it was a blast. I worked at the bean booth, where I served food and apple cider slushies. The bean booth has been open for business since the festival’s inception. It is a tradition, for some people, to get the homemade ham and beans with a crisp apple cider slushie every year. I spent the Sunday afternoon serving food, listening to live music, hanging out with friends, and sipping on apple cider slushies. Doesn’t sound that bad, right? The weather was starting to cool down, so it was starting to feel more and more like fall. The best part about volunteering here is that you get free t-shirts with a pretty cool print design on the front. If serving food isn’t your fancy, there are plenty more opportunities to volunteer! There’s an information booth, house tours, and helping set up and take down.

Now let’s talk about the Luminaria Walk at Minnetrista. Last year it was on the Friday and Saturday of November 30^th. This year it’s on December 6^th and 7^th. This event is a kickstart to the holiday season with seasonal music, enchanted carriage rides, and warm treats. The gardens, woods, and paths of Minnetrista are surrounded in candles that light the way through your walk. On your walk through the beautiful scenery, you can stop by a tour of the historic houses of the Ball brothers. These estates are massive, and the insides have been preserved the best they could throughout the years. It’s as if you’re walking through and experiencing the same hallways George Ball did in the 19^th century. On your walk you can also wait in line to get the chance to go on a carriage ride. These carriages go around the whole campus and are towed by massive horses. I’ve never been on these carriage rides so I can’t give a review, but they seem like they are really fun. While at this event you can also explore the main Minnetrista building. This is a good opportunity to warm up in the cafeteria and satiate your hunger and get a cup of hot cocoa. When you’re done eating, head upstairs for an interactive exhibit/museum highlighting the beginnings of Ball State and the lives of the Ball Brothers. This was significant to me because I got to learn a little more about the origins of the school I go to and how the Ball brothers influenced the community I grew up in.

I have volunteered the past two years at this event and will go back for a third time when December hits. I love how it’s right after Thanksgiving and get’s me in the mood for the holiday season. The past times I’ve volunteered they had us come before the event started and begin lighting all the candles on the campus. After that we took turns standing at posts, telling people where to go and to watch out for carriage rides. When we weren’t at a post, we could wander around and explore. I really am surprised that I’ve never even heard of this event until I was a freshman in college. It is a great place to bring the family and spend time with each other.

The best part about these two events is that it brings the community together. Living in Muncie, I haven’t really felt that before. I didn’t even know Muncie did stuff like this. I like to see all of the families attend these events and see people that I’ve grown up with. It feels good to take part in these community activities and provides a source of connection with the town I grew up in. Now, let’s shift our focus to a tradition around Ball State University.

Ball State’s homecoming is another excellent event to participate in during the fall. This is an annual tradition of most schools to welcome back alumni and celebrate the school’s existence. Ball State has a weeklong celebration of fun activities for both current students and former students. It usually takes place sometime in October, and this year homecoming day is on Saturday the 19^th, celebrating 93 years of homecoming. Activities during the week include a food truck festival, campus dinner, air jam, and bed races. Air jam has to be one of the most popular events of the year at Ball State. It is a competition where different teams dance and compete in an annual lip-sync competition. Maybe one of the most exciting and iconic traditions at Ball State are the bed races. In this competition, teams race for glory by pushing bed frames down the main road of Ball State. This is just as exciting as it sounds! On Saturday, homecoming day, we conclude the week with a parade in the morning and a home football game in the afternoon. Various organizations build floats and showcase them Saturday morning in the parade that starts in downtown Muncie and ends up on Ball State’s campus. I was able to take part in this my freshman year of college and thought it was really cool. Our float may not have looked the best, but we had a lot of fun. After the parade has concluded, everyone heads to the football game. This is where the real celebration starts (especially in the tailgate lots).

The past events I’ve talked about happen on specific days in the fall. So, what if you aren’t able to make it on those dates? Well, I have another place you can visit, Jacob’s Family Orchard. It’s just south of Muncie, in between Muncie and New Castle. Given from the name, they are known for growing and selling various types of apples and making their own cider. In addition, they operate a farmer’s market that includes vegetables such as sweet corn, beets, kale, cucumbers, potatoes, and pumpkins. All of these are grown locally on Jacob’s Family Orchard. They might be just as known for their delicious homemade cider as they are for their cinnamon donuts. Along with all of the products they sell, they also have fun fall activities. They have wagon rides, a farmed themed play area, a sunflower trail, and goats to feed. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with your visit to Jacob’s.

I hope that you have found this post useful. These are just some of the places and events that I’ve found out about and have been going to these past few years. There are a lot more events and things to do around the area if you look. I can imagine that it might be hard to learn about events around Muncie if you’re not from the area. Hopefully this post reaches a few students at Ball State and motivates them to take part in these community events. It may even spark a tradition in their own lives. I hope this post is also useful if you aren’t a student and are just looking for things to do around Muncie. You will have no regrets by following this guide.

This is my absolute favorite time of year and it’s great to go outdoors because of the temperate climate and beautiful scenery. Also, there is so much to do during autumn. It seems like there’s always a festival or celebration happening. Thank you for reading this post and stopping by the Great Outdoors blog. I hope that you find these posts interesting. If you liked this one, you should check out some of our other posts, like Cheyenne’s “Exploring Minnetrista” and Taylor’s “Fun Autumn Activities Near Ball State”. These are great videos that are in the same vein as this post. Now you have enough information and no excuse not to get outside and soak in the fall festivities. See you out there!