School's back in session. The weather is (finally) beginning to cool down. Leaves are turning and pumpkin spice has made it's annual appearance in coffee cups and grocery store shelves. In honor of autumn, 10Best set out to find the best seasonal attractions: haunted houses, corn mazes, covered bridges, beautiful college campuses and escape rooms.
For the past four weeks, our readers have been voting daily for their favorites. The results are in! Click on each link below to see the 10 best winners in each category.
Best Covered Bridge: Elizabethton Covered Bridge in Elizabethton, Tenn.
The earliest documented covered bridge in the U.S. was built in 1805 in Philadelphia. These structures quickly became popular as a way to prolong the lifespan of a bridge, and at one point, there were as many as 12,000 in the country.
By the 1950s, when the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges was formed, that number had dropped to under 1,500.
The Elizabethton Covered Bridge, winner in this category, is one of only four remaining covered bridges in the state of Tennessee. Built in 1882, the 134-foot Howe truss bridge still carries pedestrian traffic across the Doe River.
Winners: 10 Best Covered Bridges
Best Corn Maze: Coolspring Corn Maze in Mercer, Penn.
Photo courtesy of Coolspring Corn Maze
There are more than 500 of these mazes across the nation (visit Corn Mazes America to find a maze near you), but it was the Coolspring Corn Maze in Mercer, Pennsylvania that took home top honors as Best Corn Maze. The 2016 maze takes inspiration from one of the year's biggest crazes, Pokemon Go. Visitors to the farm also enjoy a hay maze, hay ride, mechanical bull and many other family-friendly activities.
Best Haunted Attraction: Nashville Nightmare
"While Halloween will always have all the traditional haunted houses, hayrides and other favorites, we are seeing more and more attractions offer some level of interactivity for guests and an increase in personal experiences that get customers more involved in their events," says John R. Eslich, President of the Haunted Attraction Association, on what's trending in 2016.
"Specifically, we are seeing new products such as laser tag within attractions and an explosion of problem solving and scavenger hunting activities."
Photo courtesy of Nashville Nightmare
Nashville Nightmare, voted the Best Haunted Attraction by 10Best readers, stages four haunted houses inside it's 50,000 square foot facility: Night Terrors, Horror High, Fairy Tale Hell and Industrial Undead. The acting and costume quality are both top notch, and the haunts engage all the senses – including the sense of smell – to frighten.
Winners: 10 Best Haunted Attractions
Best Escape Room: Ream Escape Game in San Francisco
The first escape room game opened in Kyoto, Japan in 2008. It wasn't long before these physical adventure games began popping up all over Asia, and eventually, the U.S. By 2015, there were some 2,800 worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Real Escape Game
Real Escape Game, the company behind the first escape room game in Japan and the winner of the category Best Escape Game, has brought the experience to San Francisco with two different immersive experiences. Escape from the Submarine has teams battling the clock to find a way out of a submarine lodged in a seabed fissure. The 8 Suspects is like a real live game of Clue, with participants working together to uncover the killer.
Best Beautiful College Campus: University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
Photo courtesy of Visit Mississippi / Flickr
We asked readers to help us pick the nation's most beautiful college campus, and they voted the University of Mississippi to the top. Ole Miss comprises 2,000 acres of expansive lawns, wooded trails and historic architecture, like the Greek Revival-style Lyceum.
Winners: 10 Best Beautiful College Campuses
Remember to visit 10Best.com daily to vote in other Readers' Choice contests. Your vote counts!