Yesterday marked the Official Beginning of Fall (and the official ending of bathing suit season, finally). And Atlanta has a whole lot to offer during the autumnal months. But don't feel overwhelmed: it's as easy as remembering your ABCs.

A: Apple bottom jeans. Boots with the fur. Maybe not, but the first thing we Atlantans do as soon as the mercury dips below 75 is whip out our cashmere, leather, wool, and of course, our jeggings. We recommend acquiring all of the above at local faves like Fab'rik and Sole (okay, maybe not the apple-bottom jeans. But definitely some sweet fall-ready dresses at the former and Jeffrey Campbell booties at the latter. Fur optional.)

B: Botanical Gardens. Specifically, spending our Thursday evenings enjoying Fest of Ale and taking in the annual scarecrow exhibition, a 10-year-strong Atlanta tradition.

C: Chomp & Stomp. We'll never stop waxing poetic about the great and wonderful chili cookoff in Cabbagetown; a day of live music, cold beer, perusing local artists' wares, basking in the autumn sun, and, of course, binge eating on stewed legumes from countless restaurants and amateur chefs.

D: Dancing Goats at Ponce City Market. The new one, to be precise: one of the inaugural merchants at Ponce City Market, Dancing Goats might be our new favorite fall hangout. I mean, give us good coffee and a suh-weet patio, and we are yours for life.

E: Eastside Trail. With this kind of weather, there's no excuse to not be outside, and a stroll along the Beltline is the perfect way to take in the autumnal environs—especially if you venture over to the brand-spankin'-new Eastside Trail, a newly trailblazed 2.25 mile stretch of greenery. This fall, the Art On The Beltline will be graced with the likes of Klimchak, Christ; Lord, Crossover Movement Arts, and more. Time to dig up the ol' sneakers and strap those bad boys on.

F: Flux. If you didn't catch the Flux madness in Castleberry Hill last year, it's high time you get yourself ready for an evening of incredible public art throughout the neighborhood.

G: Getting lost in a corn maze. Or, to be more specific, getting lost in a Chipper Jones Tribute. (Consider bringing signal flares.) (Not really.)

H: Halloween. Our party. 10/27. Tickets go on sale 10/2. Stay tuned — and, in the meantime, relive the glory of last year's throwdown.

I: Indie Craft Experience. Sure, their next showcase isn't till November (hurry upppp!), but ICE's marketplaces are spectacular. Meet and fall in love with your friendly local printshop/vintage merchant/salt maker (and, of course, buy up all that local goodness).

J: Jameson. Or Jack Daniels. Or Jim Beam, or Johnny Walker... you catch our drift. Fall seems to be a particularly appropriate time to take to the whiskey bottle, and there are quite a few watering holes in town that know how to whip up a good whiskey beverage. Just saddle up to the bar at H. Harper Station and let Jerry Slater guide you.

K: Kerala. As in, the South Indian state. As in, the region around which Cardamom Hill's entire menu is based. Don't get me wrong—I love Asha Gomez's cooking all year round. But something about that vindaloo at Cardamom Hill just makes me want to nestle down with a big ol' pot of it for a couple days. It's the perfect food to warm you up.

L: Little 5 Halloween parade. Ain't no freakshow like a Little Five freakshow. This day just happens to involve floats.

M: Monsters. See: Netherworld. Not for the faint of heart. Or those prone to pants-peeing. Time and time again, this terrifying attraction has been named one of the best haunted houses in America. No, this ain't your middle school's haunted house ("oooh, these peeled grapes feel like EYEBALLS!").

N: No more bathing suits. Yeah, I said it. Now that we can put our swimsuits away, it's time to eat like we're hibernating. We recommend making a beeline to the mac 'n cheese 'n bacon-topped pizza at Jack's, the fried chicken at Carver's, and the queso at every Mexican restaurant in Atlanta. We can deal with the repercussions on 1/1/13.

O: Octoberfest shenanigans. Hey, we'll take any excuse to drink beer, especially with festivities like Hotoberfest and the Decatur Beer Fest. Hydrate, carbo-load, and prepare to imbibe plenty of solid craft brews. And if you're a hardcore Oktoberfest-er? Well, the only place you need to be (besides Deutschland) is Helen.

P: Pumpkin brews. Oh, two beer-related things in a row? Whoopsies. Forget a silly Starbucks latte: we're more excited about sipping on a craft brew infused with the stuff. Check out places like Hop City, Ale Yeah, and Blind Murphy's for the seasonal brew that's right for you (FYI, the Dogfish Head version is liquid pumpkin pie).

Q: Quiet Hounds. One of Atlanta's favorite local bands is gearing up for another show at the Goat Farm. We'll take any excuse to party there (see again: these guys) and pop a wheelie whilst checking out street art, the heart of the city, and more. (You can also acquire and/or tune up your steed at Sopo Bikes, Loose Nuts, and many more.

S: Soup. Soon it'll be time to slurp up warm bowls from the likes of Souper Jenny and the Soup Mama. Can we get a straw, please?

T: Trails. We sense a theme: playing outside is one of our very favorite things to do during fall. Enjoy frolic season (and the leaf changes) at one of the nearby hiking trails — we dig Sweetwater Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, Amicalola Falls, and many more.

U: Urban chickens. And their cribs coops. Check out the Urban Coop Tour this October, and spy on 13 backyard operations. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to spot a Silky. (Seriously though, those things are ridiculous. A Dr. Seuss character in real life if I ever saw one.)

V: Voting. You know what to do. (And if you don't, go here now.)

W: Wine. Nothing makes for a picturesque Sunday afternoon like a drive up north to the gorgeous Monteluce estate or one of the nearby wineries and taking a stroll. Add a few glasses of wine to that stroll (hello, Wine Hikers), and we're maybe moving to Dahlonega. Maybe.

X: Xiao long bao. Soup dumplings at Chef Liu warm the cockles like no other.

Y: Yoga. There's a yoga party coming up in Piedmont Park, and ain't no better way to enjoy down dog and deep breathing than breathing in that fresh autumn air.

Z: Zombies. The awesomely gory combination of the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse and the Atlanta-centric Walking Dead's return to television has us battening down the hatches and stocking up on canned goods.

So, there you have it: our guide, in handy-dandy alphabetical order, to getting the most out of this temporal season. Of course, this means we could only include 26 suggestions, so feel free to chime in. We'll be busy jumping into a pile of leaves.