As the first full month of fall, October is when our thoughts of pool parties change into desires for evenings around a cozy fire.
 
And when the sky darkens and the air gets crisper, nothing beats spending time around one of Embrey Mill’s fire pits!
 
Fire pits are wonderful campfire alternatives that give you all the joy of being around a comfy fire without all the work of building a campfire space!
 
So, as you prepare your first fire pit experience of the season at Embrey Mill, here are a five suggestions on how to make it even more fun.

1. Make S’mores

Sure, they’re an around-the-fire classic, but they are a classic for good reason: S’mores are delicious! A chocolate bar made melty by a fire-roasted marshmallow and embraced in the arms of two graham crackers… a culinary masterpiece! But like all classics, they can always be reinterpreted and updated for the times. By that, we mean new recipes!

An easy substitution to make is switching out a peanut butter cup or some Nutella for the chocolate bar to have two flavors instead of one! Add some small pretzels to the insides and you’ll have a crunch and some salt to punch up the flavors. For a fresh blast of taste, add some seasonal berries or some smokey bacon. And finally, don’t be content with just graham crackers: You can use cookies, Rice Krispies treats, or donuts! The only rule is they have to be tasty enough for you to want s’more!

2. Tell Stories

Stories around a fire are even more iconic than s’mores, and that’s saying something. Actually, stories around a fire date back all the way into prehistory. Fires were central to our evolving civilization, and stories told around them helped share learning, warn of dangers, and invent stories to explain the natural world. Even now, one of the most enjoyable things to do around a fire is tell stories.

But what sort of stories? Well, you can tell the obvious spooky stories that being the month of Halloween seems to easily conjure. And you can gather with friends (aka, neighbors) and share adventures from your week at work. But you can also tell family stories. Have Grandma and Grandpa come down from their home in Cascades at Embrey Mill, and share generations of familial tales. A night of stories by the fire is a night that will be remembered forever.

3. Cook Dinner

Just like telling stories, cooking around a fire goes back to the very beginning of humankind. With recipes and techniques stretching back nearly that far, cooking over an open fire can be as simple or as complex as you desire.

Perhaps, your culinary prowess is a hotdog on a stick. Delicious, commendable, quintessential campfire food. Or, maybe you’ve graduated to the more complex shish kabob, with a few chunks of meat and/or veggies on a stick. And while you’re at it cooking things on a stick, you can even make cinnamon rolls over a fire pit! Just keep in mind: with the fresh smell of dinner cooking on the fire, you’re going to attract your fair share of admiring neighbors. But that’s just one reason why Embrey Mill is such a great community!

4. Search the Stars

As you sit by the fire, your gaze will eventually turn upwards to the night sky. Above you, stars that burned in the past share their brilliance and twinkle. But why settle for just seeing little specks of light as you rest fireside? Bring a telescope with you, and you can get up close and personal with the cosmos!

Having a good telescope is a great way to share the love of space exploration with your friends, kids, and grandkids. With even a budget telescope, you should be able to see sights such as craters on the moon and the redness of Mars. Get a nicer telescope, and you can dial in the planets, stars, and other celestial phenomena and it will turn and focus right on them. What an out-of-this-world experience, right here in Embrey Mill!

5. Savor a Special Drink

This can go along with the other ideas to do around a fire pit, of course, but it’s still important enough on its own to mention. A drink with friends, a toast with family, a shared sip with that special someone are memories that we cherish, and having them around a fire pit makes them all the more unforgettable.

Now, when we say “special drink,” we don’t mean something simple like a soda or beer. A special drink is like mulled wine or cider, a secret-recipe punch, or hot cocoa using 3 different types of chocolate and gourmet marshmallows. These are the champagnes of fall drinks, so to speak: the pumpkin-spiced concoctions that you normally only have during the autumn. Cheers!

Enjoy the Fire Pits at Embrey Mill

Gathering around a fire pit is one of those timeless activities that brings people together in ways that few other things can. Whether you're indulging in the sweet, gooey delight of s’mores or enjoying a special drink under the stars, fire pits serve as the perfect setting for relaxation and connection. There's something about the warm glow of the flames and the crackle of burning wood that makes everything taste better and feel more memorable.

But the best thing about enjoying these fire pit activities at Embrey Mill is that you're doing so as part of a thriving, vibrant community. Because at the end of the day, the true joy of sitting around a fire pit here is that you're not just visiting, but living in Embrey Mill.