It’s that time of year again when the leaves start changing color and the air gets crisper. With the busyness of the holiday season on the horizon, I love joining my family in fall activities near me. It’s the perfect time to create family memories.
From apple picking to nature hikes, there is something on this list of family fall activities for everyone. Even teenagers will love the throwbacks to their childhoods.
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Fall Activities for Families
it seems activities are easier to find and plan when kids are younger. As our kids grow, they get opinions and have ideas about what qualifies as family fun. Even though they act tough, teens are just big kids at heart. More than anything they crave interaction with friends and family.
This fall, include your bigger kids in simple and affordable fall activities in your area. You might be surprised which ones become the family favorites.
1. Go on a Colorful Nature Hike
Fall is a wonderful time to get outdoors and appreciate nature. All the fall colors, cooler temperatures, and fall foliage make for a perfect nature hike. One of the best ways to enjoy this season is to go on a nature hike. You can collect leaves, acorns, berries, and other fall treasures as you explore the woods and trails.
Nature hikes are a great way to get exercise and fresh air. They can also be very relaxing. If you’re feeling stressed, spending time in nature helps calm and center us. Plus when it comes to the fall activities near me with the kids, a nature walk is always a great option.
Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife and take pictures along the way – you may even spot some beautiful fall flowers! Nature hikes can be part of an educational experience too. You can talk about different species of plants or animals and how they interact with their environment.
Bring paper and a crayon to make a nature rubbing. Snap pictures of things in similar color schemes or go on a color safari.
If you need help helping new trails, download the free AllTrails app. It has GPS tracking and maps for over 50,000 trails all over the world. There is a paid upgrade that allows you to download maps, so you don’t need cell service while on your hike.
AllTrails is a free mobile app and website with detailed, hand-curated trail maps, along with crowd-sourced reviews and photos. With 300,000+ trails, users can filter to find the route that’s right for them.
Upgrade to the PRO version for offline maps and more.
2. Make a Thanksgiving Cornucopia
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest. What better way to show your gratitude than by creating a cornucopia filled with natural treasures from your own backyard?
To make your cornucopia, start by collecting leaves, berries, twigs, and other fall foliage. Once you have a good selection of materials, arrange them in a cornucopia-shaped basket or bowl.
Add a touch of whimsy with some acorns, pinecones, or even a few feathers. As you fill your cornucopia, take time to appreciate the beauty of nature and give thanks for all the gifts it has to offer.
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3. Visit a Nearby Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin patches are a fall tradition for many families. They offer a great opportunity to get outdoors, enjoy the cool weather, and pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving jack-o-lanterns or baking. While you’re out pumpkin picking, take some time to explore all the different varieties of pumpkins. You might be surprised by how many different shapes, sizes, and colors they come in!
If you are visiting with a toddler or preschooler, here are a few tips for visiting a pumpkin patch.
4. Have a Pumpkin Carving Contest!
This is the perfect time to hold a pumpkin carving contest! Pumpkins are in season, and they make for great decoration. Plus, carving pumpkins is a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy. To hold a successful contest, set some ground rules.
First, decide how many people want to compete. Then, let them choose their pumpkins. Bue sure to set a time limit for carving. One hour is usually plenty of time.
At the end, provide prizes for the winners. A gift basket full of fall-themed items would be perfect!
5. Create Fall Crafts
There are so many fun fall-themed crafts to choose from! During your next visit to the park or hike, collect natural materials for crafts; twigs, leaves, pinecones, flowers, and rocks. You could make a wreath out of fall leaves, use items for this DIY bird feeder, or even a turkey out of a paper plate.
6. Make Homemade Applesauce Together
Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables. One of the best things about this time of year is the abundance of apples.
Whether you like them tart or sweet, there’s an apple out there for everyone. And what better way to enjoy this fall fruit than by making homemade applesauce together? Not only will you get to enjoy the delicious results, but you’ll also create lasting memories in the kitchen.
7. Play Classic Games like Tag, Hopscotch, or Four Square
Tag is a timeless game enjoyed by people of all ages – just make sure you choose a safe place to play where there aren’t too many obstacles. Hopscotch is a great way to get everyone moving, and it can be tailored to different levels of fitness. Four square is a classic playground game that can be surprisingly competitive – but don’t worry, there are no winners or losers, just lots of fun. See our list of favorite outdoor games for teens here.
8. Day trip to a Local Farm or Apple Orchard
Enjoy the fall scenery and visit a local family farm or apple orchard. Our local orchard has a cider press. Customers can watch the apples picked get made into apple cider right on site.
Many farms offer hayrides, corn mazes, and other fall activities that the whole family will enjoy.
9. Go on a Hayride or Wagon Ride
Hayrides are a fun fall activity for the whole family. They’re usually offered at farms or pumpkin patches. Many hayrides also include stops for things like apple picking or visiting a petting zoo.
10. Make a Fall-Themed Snack or Meal
There are so many delicious fall foods to enjoy! Why not make a fall-themed snack or meal together? Don’t forget the pumpkin spice!
Our fall favorites include pumpkin roll, roasted sweet potatoes, and pumpkin soup.
11. Go Camping
Pack up the car and take the family camping. Fall weather is cooler and the campgrounds are typically less crowded than in the summer months. Just don’t forget the S’mores!
12. Try Halloween Candy Science
Do you eat candy corn and those hard waxy candy pumpkins? Neither do we. These Science Experiments You Can Eat make use of all the leftover Halloween candy no one wants to eat.
13. Go Backyard Camping
If you’d rather not leave home, pitch a tent for backyard camping. Set up camp and enjoy a campfire, tell ghost stories, or play a game of camping charades or Pictionary. This is one of our favorite fall activities to do as a family.
14. Visit a Corn Maze
Weave your way thru tall stalks of corn to find your way through the labyrinth. This website has listings of corn mazes near you. Here are a few tips on visiting a corn maze with young kids.
15. Go on an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
On your mark, get set, go….. Print out this nature walk scavenger hunt and see what you can find in the backyard, around the neighborhood, or at a local park.
16. Volunteer as a Family
Sign up to help in your local community through volunteering or lending a hand on a community service project. Children are never too young to learn the value of helping others. Volunteering is a great way to serve and put focus on helping others.
17. Make Jack O’Lanterns
Once you pick out your pumpkins, use it to create your own Jack O’Lantern. You can carve out designs or use spray paint and templates to do these simply painted pumpkins.
18. Take the Family to a Fall Festival
Local events are great fall family fun. Play games, enjoy a caramel apple, listen to live music, and just have fun spending the day together. Many are free and offer a variety of activities for all ages.
Here in Oklahoma City we have Pumpkinville at Myriad Gardens. It was voted Best Pumpkin Patch 2022 by USA Today 10Best. Thousands of pumpkins take over the local children’s garden for this annual event. There are games, activities, and special events.
19. Walk at Night with a Flashlight
Now that it’s getting darker earlier, get outside and see what you can see at night. You can do this in your backyard, neighborhood, a park, etc. Explore your world on the dark side and see what animals come out to play at night. Just remember to remind the kids to stick together so no one gets lost.
21. Go For a Fall Color Family Bike Ride
Whether it’s in a car or on a bicycle, you can enjoy the season together. Enjoy the fall foliage or discover a new place. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the cooler weather in the great outdoors.
22. Take the Family to Fly a Kite
With brisker temperatures and light breezes, now is a perfect time to go fly a kite. Think of the Mary Poppins film and the scene where they go “fly a kite, up to the highest height….” Now that that song is stuck in your head, you don’t have a reason NOT to get outdoors.
23. Support Local Business at the Farmer’s Market
Our farmer’s market is one of my family’s favorite fall activities. There are plenty of vendors with homemade crafts, locally grown food, and even face painting. My teenagers like to go off and explore on their own and then we meet up at a stall with homemade cinnamon rolls.
24. Bake Together
Fall is the time of pumpkin spice everything. So you could bake up a homemade pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, or skip the oven and make pumpkin ice cream instead. If you’d rather skip the pumpkin, try these Snickerdoodle Muffins or these Apple Muffins with Walnuts.
25. Go Geocaching
This is a real-life treasure hunt using GPS devices, and a fun family fall activity that gets you moving. You can find geocaches all over the world. Go to the Geocaching website, enter your location and start exploring. This is a great way to get outdoors and explore with the whole family.
26. Make a Scarecrow
Stuff an old shirt and pants with straw and create a fall decoration for your front yard. Don’t have any old clothes lying around? Use an old pillowcase and stuff it with straw. Add fall accessories like a scarf, hat, or glasses. Get creative and have fun with it.
27. Jump in a Leaf Pile (Clean Up the Garden)
Now I know cleaning up the garden may not have been at the top of your “fun fall activity” list. That’s why I started with jumping in a leaf pile. As my kids get older, they have more responsibilities and actually enjoy being involved in our garden.
We make a family day out of cleaning up the garden. I plant bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinths for early spring flowers. Once we are done working (and jumping in leaf piles) we grab a blanket and enjoy a picnic lunch outside.
28. Bicycle Obstacle Course
Set up a bicycle obstacle course with chalk and a few road cones. Challenge neighbors and friends to join in for a little friendly competition. Teenagers might have fun setting up the obstacle course for younger kids or building more advanced courses with ramps and speed bumps.
29. Decorate the Front Door
I don’t decorate my door for every season, but I love fall decorations. My teens love helping me with this, too. It’s fun watching their creativity blossom. Use pumpkins, straw bales, and mums in a nice arrangement on your porch.
30. Fall Family Fun Around the Bonfire
Gather around a backyard bonfire and savor the brisk autumn evening. Can you hear that fire crackle already? Roast s’mores and tell ghost stories.
If you want to make it colorful, check out these fire color changing packets. I also have portable backyard fire pits recommendations.
31. Set Up A Hot Chocolate Bar
Have family and friends over for hot chocolate and dessert. Incorporate into your movie night or when enjoying a backyard bonfire. You can whip up a premade mix or set out a hot chocolate bar and let everyone create their own.
My teens love inviting their friends over for a night around the fire pit with a hot chocolate bar. It’s not only a fun fall family activity, but gets friends in on the action, too.
32. Visit a Haunted House
This is a fall classic for many families. With Halloween just around the corner, you may want to find haunted houses near me and get your scare on. Just remember, it’s all in good fun.
33. Go to a Football Game
Fall means football season! Whether you go to a professional, collegiate, or high school game, this is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family. If you don’t want to spend the money on tickets, have a tailgate party instead.
How do I Find Fall Activities Near Me?
Fall activities are widely available in most regions. Look for local farms, orchards, parks, and museums that offer fall-themed activities.
How Can I Save Money On Fall Activities?
Make DIY decor and crafts part of the fall activities. Potluck picnics, free community events, and seasonal meals at home will help you save money on fall family activities.
For more fall bucket list adventures, try:
- Best US Campgrounds to Visit in the Fall for Fall Foliage
- 4 Reasons to Go Fall Camping
- Cheap East Coast Road Trips to Take
There are plenty of fall fun learning activities for the whole family to enjoy during the fall holidays. Whether you’re visiting a local farm or making homemade applesauce, these activities will bring your family closer together and create lasting memories. Don’t let the cooler weather keep you inside – get out there and have some fun this fall!
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I love this article! Fall is my favorite season for family fun. Going on a nature hike is a top pick. I remember one year when we found the most amazing orange and red leaves to collect. It was like a mini treasure hunt. And talking about wildlife and plants? So educational! Do you think it’s better to go on a hike in the morning for better light or in the afternoon when it’s a bit warmer?