FAMILY FALL ACTIVITIES EVERYONE WILL LOVE
Finding family fall activities that we can do to make the fall memorable and fun has been so clutch for our family!
Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year. The weather is just starting to get crispy and the colors are insane! I definitely think that the reason why I have loved fall so much is because of all the activities we did as a family! I grew up in Arizona so fall is when people started coming back together and doing all the fun things. Now that I have a family, I’ve loved finding fall activities for kids that Josh and I can enjoy as well. I’ve narrowed it down to our favorites below and included some links for local Utah friends of the best places we have found to do some of these things! This post is all about the best family fall activities that the whole family will love.
Ultimate Guide to Family Fall Activities
FAMILY HIKE OR NATURE WALK
If we’re talking fall outdoor activities, this is one of my favorites. I didn’t grow up hiking because Arizona, but if you are in a cooler place during the fall, go for a hike or nature walk! These are so fun because of the crisp air and the beautiful colors and crunchy leaves. It’s the best!
FALL DRIVE THROUGH THE CANYON
I’ve mentioned a fall walk/hike, but if you’re not into that, how about a fall drive? There is a cool loop in the mountains near us called The Alpine Loop that we go on to see all of the fall leaves and feel the cool mountain air.
FAMILY BIKE RIDE
For the longest time, I have had this idea that we were a bike riding family. Only Ollie has a bike, after all. With bikes being in short supply, especially for a short thang like me, it’s still just an idea. Hear me when I say that when I can get a bike that is my size, I will be the first in line! Particularly either a Pure Cycles bike or an Electra Townie. The Townies are actually sort of in stock, but I have yet to find a place where I can test out for fit. Until then, my bike-riding fantasy will have to be put on hold. Here are the links though if you guys are interested!
FALL SCAVENGER HUNT
We love doing this on our walks, drives, or longer bike rides. We have a couple of different lists that we trade off between each time we do it so we don’t get sick of looking for the same thing.
PICNIC
I love fall picnics. They are the best because you don’t even need to be in the shade. If it’s chilly, sitting in the sun on a cool fall day is pretty cozy!
JUMP IN CRUNCHY LEAVES
This is a classic movie moment that all families need to recreate. Plus, it means that your leaves get racked up in order to do this.
FALL TRAIN RIDE
Have you heard of leaf peeping? Haha that sounds so funny, but I think it’s a thing and what better way to do that than with a fall train ride. If you’re in Utah, the Heber Valley Railroad (or Heber Creeper) is a good one to check out! They tend to have themed rides in the fall and some of them include a pumpkin at the end. Leaf peeping on the Heber Creeper. Haha!
DECORATE FOR FALL
Josh and I would usually decorate for each season by ourselves and that was great! Involving Oliver has made things a little more complicated, but it has also helped him feel responsible for the decorations and keeping them looking good! He will fix a pumpkin if it’s out of place or pick up anything that’s fallen. I’ve found him sitting in front of certain decorations and just examining them. It’s super cute!
VISIT A PUMPKIN PATCH
I love going to pumpkin patches so much that we usually go to at least 2 or 3 each fall. They are so fun and cute and photogenic! A lot of them even have activities for kids to do.
CARVE PUMPKINS
Is it fall without carving a pumpkin? Probably. But pumpkin carving is like THE fall pastime! Ollie loves squishing the pumpkin insides in his hands. It’s the best!
VISIT THE FAIR
Having been to the fair only once in my life prior to getting married, this is one that I stand firmly behind. They are so fun! It’s like a mini Disneyland with all the yummy carnival food and smells.
FOOTBALL GAME
To Josh, nothing says fall like football. I kind of agree. Whether you watch it live or at home or with friends, it’s such a fun memory to make.
OUTDOOR FIRE WITH SMORES AND HOT COCOA
I never really understood summer bonfires because it’s still a little warm out so the fire isn’t as cozy as it is in the fall when it’s chilly and you get to snuggle under a blanket in front of the fire and roast some mallows. It’s also nice with kids because they don’t have to stay up super late in the shorter fall days to enjoy a nice fire in the dark.
APPLE PICKING
This is a new outdoor fall activity for us that we are loving! We don’t have fruit trees to do this very often, but in the fall, there are plenty of apple orchards that you can go to and pick your own apples to later make into delicious treats! Our favorite in Utah is
GET LOST IN A CORN MAZE
There are always plenty of these around in the fall! Some are even attached to pumpkin patches which means you can kill two birds with one stone! My favorite is the one at Cornbelly’s in Utah County. They even have a tiny one for little kids to go through!
GO FOR A HAYRIDE
I grew up going on hayrides in the fall (and winter because again, Arizona), so this is one outdoor fall activity that is super nostalgic to me. You can usually find these at local fall festivals or pumpkin patches.
STARGAZING
I know you can go stargazing in the summer, but I don’t stay up very late so since the sun goes down earlier in the fall, that’s when we do it! We either lay out in our backyard or will go a little way up the mountain to a clear area to find some cool stars.
THANKFUL TREE
Why wait for Thanksgiving to start your thankful tree, when you can work on it all fall (or all November if you want to keep your holidays separate). I’ve even seen cute other ways to do Thankful trees using sticky notes and your fridge. It doesn’t have to get too crazy. You do you and write all of the things you’re thankful for in a way that will work for you.
BUILD A FORT
We love building forts on rainy fall days. It helps us feel super cozy and not too claustrophobic from not being able to go outside. It’s also super fun for Oliver to try to build something from pillows and blankets, and chairs. Sometimes we even have extra boxes lying around that we incorporate into it. We will read books and tell stories there.
READ FALL BOOKS AS A FAMILY
This one is one of our favorite fall activities for kids. We have reading time every night before bed and love whipping out all of the fall-themed books around September to enjoy through the season.
OUTDOOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Again, this is often a summer thing, but we love doing it in the fall because of the shorter days and earlier nights. Ollie goes to bed at around 7:30 pm so keeping him up until the sun sets in the fall is not as big of a deal as it is in the summer when it’s around 9 or 10 pm. We bring out a ton of pillows and blankets and lay out in the grass and set up a projector and a sheet on our fence. It’s a super fun outdoor fall activity and one that Ollie loves.
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VISIT A FARMER’S MARKET
I love how cute farmers’ markets are and we love them a lot in the fall. We tend to cook with more veggies and squashes in the fall, so this is where we get a lot of that stuff. It’s also fun to walk around and smell all of the fall smells of pumpkin and apple cider.
DONATE FOOD OR TIME TO LOCAL FOOD BANK
This is one that you can most certainly do throughout the year, but I am terrible and usually forget until people start asking for donations of food or time. It’s so nice to always have that reminder though! With kids, it can often be hard to go with them, but if they are old enough, it is so worth it to show them the importance of helping those around them.
LEAF TRACING
This family fall activity is probably more for families with little kids, but I still enjoy it! The trick is to trace the leaf without crushing it… haha. We enjoy tracing them, coloring or painting them and then cutting them out and blowing them to try to keep them from touching the floor. It’s simple, but it’s fun.
FALL BAKING
Holiday baking is so much fun! I can’t tell you how many memories I have around each season that involves food. Hot coco in the winter, homemade ice cream in the summer, all things pumpkin in the fall! I had so many recipes that I’ve found that I wanted to share, so I’m just making a separate section with those below.
EATS
Here are our favorite fall treats with amazing recipes from fellow bloggers who I love!
CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS
DULCE DE LECHE APPLE PIE
APPLE CIDER
APPLE CIDER DONUTS
TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
CORNBREAD AND CHILI
SOUP IN A BREAD BOWL
If you’re looking for good bread bowls, check out your local bakeries for sourdough bread bowls. They taste divine with this soup.
NUTELLA SWIRLED PUMPKIN MUFFINS
I hope this list gave you some good ideas for family fall activities that you can do together! I know that having this has helped us make the most of this season and make some good memories. Let me know what some of your favorite family fall activities are in the comments!
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