Enjoy Fall to the Fullest!
We are well into September so I think we can consider Summer officially over. Most kids have gone back to school (mine have been in school for over a month now) and the weather is finally getting a bit cooler.
Early Fall is one of my all-time favorite times of the year. It seems like there is so much going on and the weather is often beautiful enough to fully enjoy it. Make a commitment now – while you still can – to enjoy this Fall to the Fullest! Here are my favorite ways – and what I plan to make sure we do before the cold weather hits!
- Apple picking. I love going to the apple orchard each year. We load up on crisp, fresh apples, check out the farm store and enjoy time in the warm sun. Once we get home we can use all those apples to create more memories – making apple pie, packing them for picnics, etc. Good times for sure!
- Hiking. With a new puppy, hiking is high on our list of priorities this Fall. He’s a hairy dog, so the hot summer sun is a bit rough on him. A cooler autumn breeze is perfect for him to enjoy long hikes with us. We’ve been checking out nearby parks the last few weeks and enjoying them all!
- Last time for outdoor activities. We’ll hit the pool one last time on the next really warm day. We’ll definitely play a game or two of putt-putt, and we’ll take a bike ride or two while we still can.
- S’mores by the campfire. Last month we hung lights outside over our patio – now it’s like our own little outdoor paradise! So we’ve been plugging in the lights and roasting marshmallows over the firepit. Often!
Drinks on the porch. While we can still sit outside in the evenings, we NEED to have our friends and neighbors over to visit – once winter hits we all tend to hibernate!
How are YOU going to enjoy this Fall? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Great list! I enjoy all of these, but especially look forward to a little bit more time to enjoy bike rides. One thing that I would add to this list is an outing to a local pumpkin patch, or at least some pumpkin carving before Halloween!
Brock – how I love a good bike ride. Since we just got a new puppy, it’s been a challenge – one of the main reasons we’ve gone back to more hiking!
Great list! I’m adding caramel apples, hay rides and corn mazes. 🙂
Catrina – YES to caramel apples. We also always do a hay ride – but you know, I can’t recall taking the kids to a corn maze – I’ll have to add that to the list!
I love Fall! Michael’s had a fun craft last weekend of making a tree with your handprint then using torn up pieces of Fall-colored tissue paper around it for leaves. I plan on doing that with the kiddos along with some leaf rubbings. I wish we could go apple-picking! All the orchards around here had a bad year which means no apples for us. 🙁 Next year!
Stacy, what a fun craft! I’ve done a similar one where the kids dip their thumbs in various ink colors for the “leaves” on the tree.
Nice article. I love fall, like you seem to. Where I live, though, the weather is still in the 90s for the foreseeable future. I would love to have some good autumn weather.
Yes Erin, although winter can be tough, we are lucky to have a beautiful Fall in Indiana!
This is a great list. I’m glad you included having friends over – that hadn’t been on my radar, but it is definitely something we should do before the weather gets too cold.
Suzanna, yes add that one – it’s crazy how we all tend to see our friends less often in the winter, so get in a good habit now!
What a great list! Cutting firewood is a favorite fall activity for us–we love crisp mornings out in the woods!
Lisa, crisp fall mornings in the woods sounds wonderful!
Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the cool air, the nearing of the holidays. Fall has the most wonderful smells. I’m not much on hiking although the drinks on the porch and the s’mores sounds delicious.
Dana, that’s what’s so great about this season – something for everyone!
What a great Fall list. It’s wonderful to go hiking here when the weather cools down.
Shelah, I can’t tell you how happy I am that my kids seem to be really liking to hike this year – it’s the first year THEY have been suggesting it instead of just going along with me!
Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love how the weather is cooler and we love to camp fires and smores for the kids. I just love watching their face as they get a warm and toasty marshmallow.
Haley, yes – my kiddos love s’mores too – and it’s such a great way to entertain them easily!
We love fall! too It’s our favorite time of the year. I have five young boys so when this season comes around you can imagine how much fun we have. I really like the lights you put up outside and i’m thinking we are going to try it!
Monica, the lights are AMAZING – it took a few hours and some help from my SIL and BIL but they look great. We bought them on sale the end of last year at Target, so you could probably find a pretty good deal right now.
I love fall for all the outdoor festivals that go on. Plus the farmers market has new life right before winter settles in. Sitting outside at restaurants has to be one of my favorite things to do in the fall.
Heather, I’m a big fan of sitting outside at restaurants too. We were at one recently and as it got chillier in the evening, the owner was bringing out blankets – pretty cool.
I love Fall. We are feeling it a bit with low 70’s temps and the fall breeze is so welcoming from the heat. Do not like humidity at all. Looking forward to keeping my windows open and welcoming the fall breeze and sipping some tea on the back porch.
Beautiful list
Myriam
Myriam, ah yes, the open windows are HEAVEN!
Great list! We are adding a few new things to our fall fun this year. Making caramel apples, some how we always forget about making these. Also, new to us this year will be pumpkin bowling. lol yes, bowling pins or whatever you find to use as pins, milk jugs maybe, and a pumpkin for the bowling ball.. I think it will be a blast 🙂
Tina, we always do pumpkin bowling at the zoo – it’s tons of fun!
Picking apples and making fresh apple pie, sounds like the perfect fall day!
Nicola, I agree!
Love this list! We are going to the apple orchard in a couple weeks, and I am looking forward to making apple pie, applesauce, and cider vinegar with the kids when we get home.
We also really love hiking and will definitely go a time or two again before the weather cools down, although in my part of the country it doesn’t ever get too cold (thankfully!)
Miranda, I’ve never made cider vinegar – I might have to give that a try this year!
Oh, what a great list! I love apple picking and hiking in the fall, especially when the leaves are all changing colors. Such a beautiful season!
There are never enough weekends in the fall, I say! Dinner parties, my annual book club Halloween party, pumpkin carving get-togethers….. Fall is my Christmas.
Totally agree – never enough weekends! I’m in love with Fall too!
I live in Arizona, so as soon as summer is over, we have fall until summer starts again. It is my favorite times of year and one of the reasons that I hate the thought of moving! Pumpkin patches, sitting outdoors with family and friends chatting, sitting outdoors at our favorite local coffee shop… I love fall!!
Yes you are super lucky all winter long Leila!
I love Fall and try to make the best of it as well – biking, hiking, walking, and even a little bit of tennis. The Fall clothes, boots and yummy Fall comfort food. It’s all nice – what’s not nice is what follows. The snow, slush, ice and freezing temps – yuck!
I enjoyed your list – thanks!
Missy, yes I love boots too! Not quite cold enough for me to break them out, but my daughter wore a pair to school today.
In my part of the world our seasons aren’t so distinct but I love your blog post. The headline is pretty compelling, the blog has pictures that capture your attention and your content is listed which makes it easy to read.
Thanks! I do feel lucky to enjoy such distinct seasons!
I love fall, but unfortunately, we don’t really have it down here in FL, so I just look forward to the days when it’s “not miserable” outside. Our hikes have to wait until January (unless we travel north!) and I get excited over the few days I can manage to leave the windows open sometimes as we approach Christmas, still in our shorts!
Lisa, yes you do miss fall in FL, BUT I’ll be envying you this winter when we are FREEZING!
Lovely ideas 🙂 I especially am a fan of smores by the fire 🙂
Julie, me too!
I love pumpkin time! I love seeing them all out in stores. We always visit a pumpkin patch with the kids and have a great time. Fall is so fun!
Shannon, yes we need to hit the pumpkin patch still this year!
What great ways to celebrate Autumn. It is Spring over in Australia so these ideas are going to come in handy. Picking an apple straight from the branch seems to have a hearty crunch to it. My favourite type of hike is walking along creek beds with running water – there is something about the wilderness that has a balancing affect on me. Thanks for the reminders of what I can get up to just before Summer sets in.
Rachel.
Rachel, I love hiking along creek beds too – we did that last weekend and of course both kids “fell” in!
Fall and winter are my favorite seasons. Of course living in Florida we barely have these seasons. Every fall we enjoy a local farm that hosts a huge festival with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, games for the kids, local vendors, petting zoo, hayrides, etc. The kids love it! Their favorite part is when they shoot pumpkins from the cannons. I think this year I am going to try and find a place where we can go apple picking.
Rebecca, I’m glad you get to enjoy the farm even without the long fall season!
We’re in Minnesota, where the autumn colors (and temps) are beautiful! It’s a bittersweet season, though, because it goes so fast and leads to….winter, which is also beautiful but extremely COLD.
(What can I say? Once and always a midwestern gal. 🙂 )
Apple-picking tops my list of fall favorites, along with baking and raking and soaking in the light. This post speaks to my heart, dear Pam! I love the fall as much as you. ♥
Margaret, I bet your leaves are BEAUTIFUL right now – ours are just starting to turn.
I love going apple picking! I recently moved to Florida from Indiana so I’ll be missing out this year. so sad.
I would miss Fall, BUT in Florida you’ll be enjoying evenings outside while here in IN we are running through the snow and ice to get inside!
Fall is my favorite time of year. I tend to do a lot with the kids. I wish we had a quality apple orchard around here worth taking the kids to. These are all great ways to enjoy the fall.
I love fall. We love picking apples and pumpkins. Doing fall themed crafts. Spending time with the kids at soccer games. Raking leaves – its all great!
Yes to soccer games – they are so fun! We have our first tournament this weekend and I am really looking forward to it!
Fall, what’s that? ha ha – it’s been in the high 90s here this past week, and we don’t have central air! 🙂 Hoping it cools down soon so I can even start to think about fun fall things to do. But I think I’m most looking forward to cool evenings where we can sit outside and have dinner and drinks…and maybe a fire in our firepit. 🙂
Ronni, hopefully the cooler weather will come to you soon! Until then I guess just enjoy summer!
I’m afraid cooler wetter weather and shorter days have already landed in England – I’m enjoying baking lots and taking photos of changing leaves.
What a great list! It’s not quite cold in Colorado yet (85 degrees today!) but when it comes it’s so nice to have cooler mornings and evenings! We typically go pumpkin picking on the first weekend in October for our Jack o’ Lantern pumpkins, and then we stop by a little country restaurant called the Gooseberry Patch to have lunch on our way back to town (all the pumpkin farms are about an hour outside of our hometown)
We will definitely have to try s’mores this year too, nice idea for fall!
Linda, sounds like a perfect weekend!
I love this time of year too! There are so many festivals and fairs going on and I love to attend those. I also love fire pits and it is a perfect time of year to use it. Enjoy!
You are right Jeana – firepits are perfect in the fall!
Unfortunately, I live in the part of the world where there is just 2 kinds of weather Hot/humid and rainy. I would love to experience fall one day in my life time. By the way your activities listed sound like so much fun!
Lerie, thanks – we do love fall, so sorry you don’t get to experience it!
Fall is by far my favourite time of the year. There’s just something about the colours, the clothing and food that just makes it seem so cosy. I always so a pumpkin patch and apple picking with my family too. It’s a great tradition that I look forward to each year,
This post brings me joy. I love autumn and all things warm, delicious, brisk and orange colored. I grew up in NY and apple picking was a big event. I’ve never forgotten those memories.
Hopefully my kids will remember apple picking too!
I have always wanted to go apple picking. I think this year just might be the year. Thanks for the reminder.
Melissa, go for it!
Love apple picking too, but I think my favorite is evening walks with my husband. If it’s around sunset or dusk it’s so beautiful; if after the sun has gone down we get to see all the stars. Love this time of year.
Marie, that is lovely! An evening walk is the perfect time to connect.
I am definitely looking forward to fall. Apple picking, tea drinking, cooler weather, holidays, pumpkin patch, soups, and so much more.
Brittney, love soups in the fall – I am making a big batch of chili for dinner tonight!
I love this list. And how convenient to have your own firepit outside! I can’t wait to have one. 🙂 Until then, we need to find a cool state park or something and do it. So many times “life” happens and we forget to savor the moments, and the seasons! I know it will be here soon enough but here in Charleston, SC the weather is still hot and icky.
Yes, when we built our house we added a gas line so we could create one down the road – we knew it was something we would want to enjoy frequently.
Great ideas! and most of which I can actually do where I live. ,Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, TJ – glad you can have some Fall fun!
I love fall!! We’ve taken walks daily, and I’m currently making applesauce from local apples. Mmmm!
Yum on the applesauce – homemade is so tasty!
I’m so glad that fall is here. It’s my favorite season. My husband and I plan to take our niece to a pumpkin patch this fall and then let her carve pumpkins with us.
Love carving pumpkins Crystal – and then roasting the seeds afterward!
I’m itching to go apple picking so bad. My daughters are finally old enough to enjoy it. Nice list!
Thanks for the tips!