13 Things to do this Fall: A Seasonal Bucket List
Fall has to be my favorite of all the seasons. I just love everything about it so much – from the changing colors, to the cool, crisp weather. It makes me sad to think about how fleeting it is, but to combat that feeling, I’ve come up with a list of 13 things you must do this fall.
Visit an Apple Orchard
Living in Michigan, this is an absolute must! We have amazing orchards, and they oftentimes have numerous family-friendly activities to enjoy. Make it a date and go with a group to get the most out of the experience.
Bake Pumpkin Bread
It’s just not quite fall without a bit of pumpkin spice. Homemade pumpkin bread is the best way to get that fall feeling, in my humble opinion. It doesn’t last very long in my house, so this is one that happens a few times throughout the season.
Take a Hike
One way to enjoy the beauty of the changing leaves is to go for a hike. It’s not hot anymore, so the trails are a bit more enjoyable once the season starts to change.
Make Leaf Rubbings
A fun family activity can be to make leaf rubbings with crayons. Place a nice leaf behind a clean sheet of paper and rub colorful crayons over top. I recommend using red, orange, and yellow.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Even if you don’t celebrate Halloween, pumpkins are a staple of the season. After Halloween, you can enjoy pumpkins up through November. If you live in an area where you have access to a pumpkin patch, this is something you absolutely must check out! Locally bought pumpkins are so much better than those from a chain store, and as a bonus, I’ve found they’re cheaper!
Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas
I love this movie so much. It’s great throughout fall, all the way up until Christmas! I can’t go without watching it, and luckily it’s even on Netflix.
RELATED: Check out this Nightmare Before Christmas Gift Guide.
Visit a Haunted House
Although my kids are a bit young for this, I made a trip out to a haunted house with a friend. It’s such a fun experience, and it doesn’t take too much pre-planning to make it happen.
Make a Delicious Autumn Soup
In the past, I’ve enjoyed making soups from scratch. This year, however, I found that Sam’s Club has some wonderful Panera soups! I’m actually adoring their Autumn Squash Soup so much that I don’t really want to try making my own this year.
Rake Leaves (and let the kids jump in them!)
Now, we don’t rake and bag leaves – we just mow over them to turn them into mulch. However, raking them can create an opportunity for extra fun for the kids, and who doesn’t love that?
Drink Apple Cider
By this point, you already know that you should be making a trip to an apple orchard. While you’re there, get some of their apple cider. Authentic apple cider is fantastic – hot or cold.
Buy (or make) Halloween Costumes
If you’re not into Halloween, skip this one. But I feel like this is such a fun part of the year! My kids are very specific about what they want to be each year. Luckily, we haven’t had to venture into making our own costumes yet. Mommy doesn’t sew.
Visit a Farmer’s Market
A farmers market can be a great way to check out what your community offers. See what your local farmers and crafters have for you to buy. Shopping at a local farmer’s market is one way to make sure you incorporate seasonal produce into your meals.
Make a Fun Pumpkin Craft
Enjoy this fall by taking part in some fun seasonal crafting. In order to get the most out of your creations, involve holiday-neutral pumpkins, that way you can display them throughout the entire fall season. If you need some ideas, I’ve compiled a list of pumpkin crafts here.
I totally forgot about leaf rubbings!! Going to have to do that with the kiddo. I’m in the process of making our costumes, it’s SO fun! Cider is always a must for us too. Thanks for this list!
I still remember my mom making some of my costumes when I was a kid. Though she didn’t do it every year, I don’t know how she did it (with everything else that’s on a mom’s plate)!
These are so fun! I would love to do all of these except visit a haunted house! I’m too scared to do it! LOL!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
Haha! Haunted houses are definitely not for everybody.
You’re so lucky you live in Michigan! You get to feel the full effect of Autumn, the leaves changing color… etc. In Texas, we don’t get that. We don’t have apple orchards and I want to visit one! It’s pretty much “summer” here until late November. But, I can totally get into the fall spirit other ways!
Aww… yeah, that’s definitely a major perk of living in Michigan! Fall is my favorite season… I would be so sad to miss it.
I need to to the bread, soup and farmer’s market. Do you see how I just gravitated towards food? Oh no but I will still try to lol.
No doubt food is one of the reasons I LOVE fall… and probably why I gain weight when the weather gets cooler… Ha!
this is such a fun list! I would love to go apple picking this fall!
How fun! I definitely want to squeeze those things in this fall as well!