I enjoy a good pumpkin dessert as well as the next person (I've been baking this one several times each fall for years), but geez, people! Do pumpkins have to get all the credit?

Every August I roll my eyes when I'm still drowning in humidity and Starbucks is announcing the PSL has been released early. I roll them again the Monday after Labor Day when it's still 90+ out but women determined to summon fall temperatures are shopping for pumpkin spice flavored yogurt, cereal, gum, and...laundry detergent? All while bundled up in sweaters and Uggs. Why!?

I'm here to speak up for fall's underdog and my personal favorite: the apple. More specifically, the yummy cider that it produces.

Meander around blog land for a moment and you're sure to be pummeled with fall bucket lists that have to do with pumpkin, pumpkin, a leaf pile, and some more pumpkin. Apples might get some love with "go apple picking" (admittedly I still want to do this, we were rained out last year when we tried), but they clearly deserve more fall real estate.

I love the craft beverage movement. While I don't enjoy beer and I'm still quite picky when it comes to wine, I do love a good cider, and craft cideries are popping up more frequently which made for the perfect fall date this weekend: one gorgeous Saturday and two fall cideries within an hour's drive from our home (and there are plenty more to look into!).

Just look at those gorgeous  open-air windows!

We then continued north into Pennsylvanis for our second stop, Wyndridge Farms. We happened to be at our local liquor store one day last year when they were offering a tasting and I became hooked on their Crafty Cranberry cider. An Instagram follower clued me in to the fact that Wyndridge's farm was both local and gorgeous, so of course a visit and tour was in order! Everything was gorgeous as promised, but photos were few as there was a wedding that day (and every Friday/Saturday/Sunday in October and November—Wyndridge has become quite the popular wedding destination for a new kid in town).





Wyndridge had a very modern and almost corporate feel. Everything was shiny, new, and meticulously branded. I've been on a few brewery tours with Sean in the past and was stunned that the beverage making and bottling process at Wyndridge all happened in the same room. In contrast to Millstone, The ciders are pasteurized and filtered for clarity like most product you would find in stores.

In addition to ciders, Wyndridge produces their own beer, wine, and craft soda (you can sample any drinks in their onsite bar and restaurant). They have a permanent beverage line-up which you can find in stores as well as various rotating small batches which they serve in their bar/restaurant. I discovered two new favorite ciders only to be devastated when I realized they weren't a bottled product I could take with me (growlers are available, but we didn't think to bring any and I refuse to allow any new ones into our house).

Love that you can mix and match beer and cider in flights at Wyndridge!

We had a blast touring and tasting at both facilities, and I loved that we did two in the same day. Seeing how different Millstone and Wyndridge are made the experience a lot more interesting. One isn't better than the other; they simply offer distinctly different products that are all a matter of personal taste.

If you're on or visiting the East Coast, I'd definitely encourage visits to both facilities. I've also put together a list of additional hard cideries in the mid-Atlantic area for fellow apple lovers in need of a good fall date:

Hard Cider in Washington, DC

Hard Cider in Virginia

Bold Rock
Blue Bee
Old Hill
Foggy Ridge
Castle Hill
Buskey 
Courthouse Creek
Albemarle CiderWorks 
Big Fish 
Blue Toad
Chateau Morrisette 
Cobbler Mountain
Corcoran 
Kindred Pointe 
Mt. Defiance 
Potter’s
Wild Hare 
Winchester Ciderworks

Hard Cider in Maryland

Millstone
Willow Oaks
Distillery Lane Ciderworks
Faulkner

Hard Cider in Delaware

Rebel Seed

Hard Cider in Pennsylvania

Wyndridge Farm
Jack's Hard Cider
Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar .
Big Hill Ciderworks 
Blackledge 
Broad Mountain Vineyard 
Civil War Cider 
Colonel Ricketts
Commonwealth
Conneaut Cellars Winery 
Deep Roots
Frecon’s Cidery 
Good Intent Cider 
Hardball Cider 
Keewaydin Cider Mill 
Knockin Noggin
Kurant Cider 
Moon Dancer Winery & Cider House 
Power Core Hard Cider 
Reid’s Orchard & Winery 
Rowan Asher Winery & Hard Cidery 
Stone & Key Cellars 
Threadbare Cider and Mead 

Hard Cider in New Jersey

Ironbound 
Melick’s Town Farm 
Twisted Limb 

Hard Cider in New York

Bellwether
Critz Farms
Warwick Valley

It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and the nights are getting spookier. Yes, it's time for tricks and treats, goblins and ghouls, chills and thrills and huge amounts of sugary sweets. But at the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog it's also time for the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Join Laughing Vixen Lounge and our bewitching co-hosts The Kids Did It, The Mommy Island, Herding Cats and Burning Soup, The Hopping Bloggers, Mama Smith's Reviews and Women and Their Pretties for a spooktacular Halloween event.


Enter to win a $250 Prize Pack filled with goodies from 10 wickedly fabulous shops. All shops are offering Gift Cards or your choice of item(s) so there will be something for everyone. You'll find lots of unique, handcrafted and custom designs to choose from.


Visit the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog daily during the giveaway for the Halloween Movie Marathon. Test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Then try to solve the Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt, if you dare! Each event will get you daily entries in the giveaway plus a special giveaway for the Scavenger Hunt. Find full details for these events HERE.


You can start by entering the Rafflecopter widget below. To experience all the games, movies, shop features, giveaway info and all around awesome fun make sure to stop by the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog HERE. 
 

The giveaway runs October 18th - November 1st and is open worldwide to anyone 18+. 1 winner will win the Prize Pack and 1 winner will win the Scavenger Hunt Prize Pack. Laughing Vixen Lounge is responsible for all giveaway details. Click HERE for full details.

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I can't believe we've already been back in the states for a week. Ireland has been a dream destination for Sean and I for...ever, and what an amazing whirlwind it was. I'm already dreaming about a return trip.

Lots of reading through blogs and TripAdvisor suggestions had us feeling prepared to visit a new destination, but let's face it, there's always things you have to learn yourself. Next time, these are the things we'll be more prepared for:

1. Sales tax is both included and refundable

I quickly noticed when purchasing souvenirs that the amount charged to me matched exactly the combined amount on the price tags.

"No sales tax?" I asked.

"It's included," the cashier assured me "do you have a card yet? Non-EU members can get some of it refunded."

What!?

Ask the cashier any time you spend money. Some stores swipe a card, some give you a form, and some are just clueless, but you can get a portion of your sales tax back. We were ill prepared and had to sift through a mess of receipts and work everything out when we got back to the states (our only devices were our phones and the card must be registered online). If you're prepared, keep up with it during your trip and you can get your refund at the airport before coming home!

2. Some tolls require immediate offsite payment

Most of Ireland's toll roads have traditional tool booths, but some roads have nothing but a sign telling you to pay online before 8 PM the next day. Yikes! Again, we only brought our cell phones, which isn't the most secure or convenient for making unfamiliar payments. In future trips we will definitely be bringing a tablet or, even better, a small laptop like a chromebook to help take care of such things. We had to remember how many times we'd driven on the road and remember (and hurry) to pay. I'm sure for locals, it's easy enough to prepay, but as newbies, this was just one more detail to worry about remembering.

3. You really do get used to driving on the other side of the road

With roads this narrow, there's really only one "side" anyway

I left all the driving to Sean, but I did quickly get used to walking to what we consider "the driver's side" to ride, and within a couple of days the traffic flow looked normal. Enough so that things did look weird by the time we arrived back in the states. I will repeat the most common warning, however: look right before turning right! You don't want to learn the hard way about this one.

4. Top sheets aren't a thing

Quite possibly my favorite room of our stay — Loch Eske Castle

We were asleep on our feet by the time we got to our hotel (sleep was not happening on the plane - upgrading your seats if you can is worth every cent!), so while I thought it was odd that the bed had only a duvet, I ignored it in favor of 12 hours of sleep. Our trip included 4 hotels which revealed the same trend - duvet only. It looks like they simply swap the covers out between guests.

5. Stew is a lunchtime deal

No stew procured here. Just happiness at finding multiple establishments bearing Sean's name.

The weather in Baltimore still said "summer" when we left, making the cool Irish air feel chillier than its 60 degree high. I found myself eating soup often and craving one particular Irish staple: beef stew (I know, I know). Towards the end of the week, we'd had no luck until one bartender let us in on a secret: beef stew is a "lunchtime" dish in Ireland, and some places don't even add it to their menus until winter. Thankfully one of our hotels had some leftover from lunchtime and gave it to me at dinner. Delish!

6. Duty free really is better

I mean, really...how could I not take this picture?

This was our first non-Carribbean international trip, so until now, we didn't really understand the appeal of duty free shops. On our cruise ship and our Jamaican honeymoon, the shops were full of liquors we could buy at home for about the same price. Sean wanted some Irish Whiskey, which he bought plenty of before our departure, only to find at the airport that they actually were much cheaper at duty free. Noted.

7. A week isn't nearly enough time

Yes, it rains every day. Be prepared: Sean's jacket | my jacket (similar)

Little details aside, Ireland is gorgeous and well worth the visit. Our tour included 4 areas in the northern regions of the country and we barely even explored those, let alone Northern Ireland and Ireland's southern counties. The more time you can spare, the more you can explore and enjoy. Here's to hoping for a two week vacation next time!


What have you run into on your international travels that you wish you'd been prepared for?