Visit A Farm- Find a farm with a pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins, wander through their sunflowers or petting zoo
Go To a Haunted Corn Maze- Now I realize this may be difficult for some. Any regular corn maze can be just as fun. A few years back, a couple farms in our area started doing Friday/Saturday night haunted mazes. All decked out with real people dressed as scary scarecrows, chainsaws, and dark dead ends of a maze is enough to give you goosebumps for days. But a really unique and fun way to spend a few hours on a Friday night in a small town.
Go Antiquing- This may not be everyone’s idea of a fun fall activity. I grew up in a small farming town loaded with antique and boutique shops. There’s something nostalgic for me about grabbing a pumpkin spice latte and wandering into shops with the crisp fall air outside that always reminds me of fall.
Go Apple Picking - depending on where you live this may be easy or difficult. In Washington we have several resources to help you find a pick your own apples adventure in a gorgeous orchard. If you live outside the Pacific NW, look up your county extension office or simply search for u-pick farms in your area.
Bake Apple or Pumpkin Bread - Bake this rustic apple bread for a country treat. If you’re more of a pumpkin bread fan, try adding chopped pecans or walnuts on top before you bake it for a lovely alternative.
Make Your Own Applesauce - after your apple picking adventure, cook those sweet things into a quick applesauce with your Wednesday night pork chop dinner.
Decorate Your Porch For Fall - You don’t have to have a porch to decorate. For the last several years I’ve decorated my front door and then several areas in my home that you see when you first walk in. Several years ago I made a wreath from wet branches that I bent together into a fall wreath. That wreath has now been decorated different ways depending on the season. If you have a porch but no place to plant those mums we talked about earlier, just set a few different colors of them in arrangements with those cute pumpkins you’ve picked.
Make a Fall Wreath - A few years ago I made a simple branch wreath. By snipping wet branches after a few days of rain, they were bendable and easily shaped into my wreath that has now seen several seasons. You can use a wreath form and gather dried maple leaves, branches and even fallen apple or pear tree branches to weave into the perfect fall wreath
On a cooler day this week, we took a trip to the nursery, that lead to a stop at a farm stand on our drive home. Just a simple honor system stand, they were bursting with the most gorgeous squash, onions, carrots, dried beans and local salsa. It's hard to beat these gigantic carrots for $0.50 each!
If you don't grow your own pumpkins, this is prime time for a trip to a pumpkin patch. Wear rubber boots as its likely muddy out in the fields if you end up trudging out to pick your own. Then have a well deserved hot apple cider with whipped cream to cozy up.
Save those pumpkin seeds if you carve your own pumpkins for roasted pumpkin seeds or save for next year to plant for your own pumpkin crop. Once of the easiest things to grow, you'll have pumpkins growing out of your ears before you know it!
So go out and grab your rubber boots, pick the best pumpkin, grab a jug of apple cider for later, and don't forget to pick a few apples for a pie on the weekend!