Weather forecasters and almanacs alike are brushing aside the prevailing discourse about the climate, and calling for a brutally cold winter. If those predictions are correct, that leaves New Yorkers with only a few months to take in the fall’s cornucopia of lively smells, colors, and traditions before a prolonged hibernation from the outdoors. With a trip to an old-fashioned apple orchard in Connecticut, a boating adventure on the Hudson River, or a tour of one of Long Island’s best vineyards under your belt, the winter freeze might just prove bearable.

A Trip to the Orchard

Situated atop a picturesque corduroy of rolling hills in northwestern Connecticut, Averill Farms in the attractive enclave of Washington has been run by the same family since 1746. While the crops have changed in the last few centuries, apples has remained the stock in trade of the Averill family business since the 1940s. The orchard boasts 87 different varieties, including the usual suspects like Macintosh and Spartan apples.

But what separates Averill from larger commercial orchards is a taste for the past. Many modern orchards have shunned what owner Susan Averill calls antique apples, which often appear more homely than popular varieties and also tend to bear less fruit. The Averills, however, promote their unattractive but tasty Rhode Island Greening and Northern Spy apples. “They make the best pies,” Ms. Averill said. “They don’t have as much moisture so they don’t turn into applesauce pie.”

What may be more famous than Averill’s apples, though, are their apple cider donuts made from unpasteurized cider brewed in the farm’s cidermill. It is illegal to brew non-pasteurized cider in New York State, which is truly a shame, according to Mrs. Averill. “There is no comparison between the two” she said, noting that it can be pasteurized at home with a quick boil. The orchard is also a bucolic setting for a picnic lunch.

Averill Farms, 250 Calhoun St., Washington, Conn., 860-868-2777, $1–$1.50 a pound.

Cast Away

A five-minute trip on a double-decker ferry — from the water taxi terminal at Vesey Street in Lower Manhattan — takes you to Liberty Landing Marina, seemingly a world away from the bustle of the city. There, you will meet your captain inside the Typhoon Boat Club’s floating offices aboard the marina’s own antique lighthouse boat, the Winter Quarter, which once guided ships up and down the Atlantic coast.

The boat club offers eight-hour day trips for up to six people on their custom-made, 31-foot center console boats. On one trip, you’ll cruise south and east to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Brooklyn Bridge; on another, you’ll cruise north, stopping for a meal along the shore of the Hudson River.

As the cooler weather arrives, so do schools of tasty striped bass. The fishing grounds in the shadows of the Verrazano Bridge are some of the best in the northeast for lining up stripers, so participants should bring their rods and lures.

Typhoon Boat Club, 80 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, 201-432-2711,www.typhoonboatclubnj.com $910.

Tasting Tour

Wine enthusiasts agree that Wolffer Estate Vineyards, nestled between Southampton and East Hampton about three miles from the Atlantic Ocean, is producing some of the East Coast’s finest wines. Visitors touring the 55-acre winery, founded and owned by the German-born Christian Wolffer, can explore rows of chardonnay, merlot, and pinot noir grapes in the estate vineyards — all the while learning the delicate process of cultivating the often-fickle crop. Tour groups see the cellar where winemaker Roman Roth ages grape juice to create fine wine. The finale is a tasting of the winery’s award winning merlots and chardonnays, which can be paired with fine cheeses. The fall wine harvest is dependent on when the grapes reach proper maturity, a timetable that varies from year to year, so the winery recommends that those interested in being part of the festivities come to the annual harvest party on Sunday, October 7. It includes activities for both adults and children. The fete costs $65 for adults, and $25 for people ages 20 and younger.

Wolffer Estate Vineyards, 139 Sagg Rd., Sagaponack, 631-537-5106, www.wolffer.com $25.