🍂 Happy last day of September! We're still in Atlanta for our Axios team retreat, but we're ready to get back to Minnesota to catch the peak of fall fun.

• So today, we're sharing our tips for embracing October in the Twin Cities.

🌡️ Morning fog, but partly sunny later with a high of 77, NWS says.

Situational awareness: The Lynx season came to abrupt end last night after losing to the New York Liberty.

🌍 Support local journalism that covers your world by becoming a member.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Diana Mahmud!

Today’s newsletter is 868 words — a 3.5-minute read.

October is almost upon us, which means it's time to lean into ghosts and gourds.

Why it matters: Seasonal fun adds (pumpkin) spice to your life.

🎃 There are plenty of pumpkin patches for people looking to PYO for carving or porch decor. These seven are worth a look.

• What to expect: Pumpkin air cannons, ziplining, giant bounce pillows and more, depending on the patch you pick.

🍎 Lots of apples are still waiting to be plucked, even if some early-season varieties (for example, SweeTangoes) are likely picked over.

• Yes, but: Honeycrisps and Honeygolds are now ripe, and late-season varieties like Haralsons are coming into their prime.
• Plus: Hayrides, corn mazes, cider bars and concerts await at some two dozen local orchards.

🍷 If you get hayfever at the orchards, find your fall vibes indoors instead! Several restaurants, bars and venues are launching Halloween pop-ups with spooky-themed menus and events.

• Here are a few to try in Minneapolis, Robbinsdale and Oakdale.

🧟 Haunted houses are already busy delivering jump scares. This directory lists dozens — and Twin Cities Fear Fest at Mall of America offers interactive games and a bar for guests aged 21+.

🔦 Real-life history can be spooky, too. Embrace the season with a ghost or haunted history tour, like the one at St. Paul's Wabasha Street Caves.

🦇 In Anoka, Halloween is a monthlong celebration of parades, contests and civic events.

🍁 Fall colors will peak throughout the month across Minnesota, according to the DNR's forecast. Check out our fall colors road trip guide for ideas on where to make a pit stop.

• 🚂 Plus: Hop on a 90-minute scenic train ride from Osceola, Wisconsin, to take in the St. Croix River valley's fall color — or see the leaves from the water on a boat trip from Taylors Falls.

Share with a fall fiend

October's impending arrival means the return of another spooky-season tradition: Figuring out which empty big-box store is now haunted by a Spirit Halloween.

The big picture: This year, the responsibility of housing all those costumes — and the acrid stench of all that plastic — falls on crafters' dearly-departed friend … Joann.

• Of the 1,500+ Spirit Halloween locations analyzed by Axios, just over 1 in 10 were labeled "Former Joann" fabric and craft stores. (All Joann locations closed in 2025.)

Between the lines: Spirit, which bills itself as North America's largest Halloween retailer, relies on temporary leases.

• The arrangements bring property owners exposure and a few months of rent while they search for long-term tenants.

🩺 HealthPartners has announced plans to merge with Duluth-based Essentia. The merger will create one of the state's largest hospital systems. (KARE11)

🚔 Minneapolis' interim police chief said he inherited a financial "mess" from former chief Brian O'Hara, blaming lax oversight and executive staff turnover for the department blowing its overtime budget in 2025. (Star Tribune)

🥐 French Meadow Bakery & Café's Minneapolis location has closed after 41 years. The location on St. Paul's Grand Avenue will remain open. (Star Tribune)

🏒 The Wild's Brock Faber underwent surgery on Sunday after sustaining a skull fracture in a preseason game last week. There's no timetable for his return. (ESPN)

Axios Local journalists from more than 40 cities met up in Atlanta for meetings, training and a little together time.

Why it matters: We're a fully remote company, so it's really nice to put human faces with the Zoom squares!

Zoom in: Audrey, who's been hard at work helping other Axios markets grow their much newer Instagram accounts, led a session on social media tips and tricks.

• Torey also shared her beat reporting wisdom onstage.

Kyle here. Before Axios meetings in Atlanta kicked off, I paid a visit to the graves of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

• It was my first time, and I had no idea what to expect, but I was moved to find their resting place surrounded by a reflecting pool engraved with words of MLK's quote: "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls like water and righteousness like a mighty stream."

Directly south of the graves, and less than a block away, a George Floyd mural covers the side of a building.

🌯 Kyle also recommends Bell Street Burritos and exploring the Beltline if you're ever in Atlanta.

🏢 Audrey is excited to go to Ponce City Market.

🚇 Nick wonders why the MARTA gets a bad rap. Clean trains, and it beats Atlanta's traffic hell.

👚🫟 Torey thinks Axios' retreat swag game remains best in the biz.

This newsletter's editor is Larry Graham.