Favorite Fall Activities For The Best Autumn Bucket List
Quoting one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year, fall has to be my favorite season because
“…that’s the only time when magic can be tasted in the air.”
Divine rivals by rebecca ross
Fall magic is definitely in the air and it is the perfect time of year to start creating unforgettable memories. This ultimate list of fall bucket list ideas has everything from achieving a cozy fall aesthetic at home to unique bucket list ideas for couples and fun fall traditions to start with your kids. Kickstart this season with me, and let the fall festivities begin!
Cozy Fall Aesthetic
Create a cozy fall aesthetic for your home that invites relaxation with the charm of autumn. Here are the top ways to make your home comfortable for fall and achieve that cozy fall aesthetic:
1. Set the tone of a cozy evening by lighting all the candles in your house. My go-to fall scent is Voluspa’s Spiced Pumpkin Latte. This is exactly what my house smells like during the fall season. The delicious aroma of pumpkin spice latte is literally the perfect fall candle.
2. Cozy up by the fireplace.
3. Search “fireplace sounds” on YouTube for hours of relaxing background noise if you don’t have an actual fireplace. You can even find a video with a comfy balcony and a combination of rain sounds. I’ll have this playing in the background whenever I read a book or want some relaxing background music.
4. If the fireplace is not your fall aesthetic, search “Relaxing Autumn Forest” instead. Instant cozy autumn vibes.
5. Create a fall-themed playlist and play it throughout the season.
6. Set up a comfortable corner where you can wind down and relax at the end of the day. Add a chunky blanket, a soft pillow, and all your favorite books or devices.
Cozy Fall Vibes
Creating cozy fall vibes is about embracing the comfort and ambiance of the season. We’re in our comfiest season yet! Embrace the fall vibes with the following tips:
7. Nothing feels cozier on an autumn night than curling up with a good book and snuggling up in a warm blanket.
8. Go thrifting for some vintage sweaters, cozy cardigans, and flannel everything.
9. Paint your nails a darker color. My go-to colors are OPI’s Brown to Earth and OPI’s Linkin Park After Dark. Both are affordable (under $15!) and chic!
10. List all the fall-themed, dark academia, and thriller books you want to read this season.
11. Curate a season-specific routine. Schedule in slow mornings while drinking coffee and taking in the crisp morning air. Soak up these cozy little moments.
12. It’s time to switch out your summer clothes to your fall wardrobe. I live in chunky knit cozy sweaters with fluffy socks all season.
13. Take longer walks in the cooler weather.
14. Watch fall shows like Gilmore Girls or The Vampire Diaries.
15. Get up early and watch the sunrise.
16. Take a candlelit bath while watching your favorite show or reading a book.
17. Open the window or sit outside on the front porch when it rains. Bring the cozy blankets and throw pillows with you.
Fall Food Favorites
Fall brings comforting foods that many love, and can even give a feeling of nostalgia with just one taste. Here are some fall food favorites:
18. Arrange a charcuterie board of fall treats – complete with some red wine!
19. Try all the delicious food and desserts at your state fair: turkey legs, Indian Fry Bread, funnel cakes with strawberries and Nutella, and more!
20. If you love chili and live in Arizona, take a family day and go to Schnepf Farm’s Fall Festival on the days when they have their Pumpkin & Chili Party. They’ve got pumpkin chili, regular chili, chili & chicken, and more chili dinners – a chili lover’s dream!
21. Make some mouth-watering pumpkin cinnamon rolls or bake pumpkin bread. I make these at the start of every fall season and throughout October. In addition to being tasty, it makes the house smell so good.
22. Make easy pumpkin sugar cookies using the Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookie dough.
23. Pair those pumpkin cookies with a cup of hot cocoa.
24. Make a haunted cookie gingerbread house.
25. Bake an apple pie or pumpkin pie. Then, take it further and scoop some vanilla ice cream on top of the warm apple pie.
26. Roast pumpkin seeds.
27. Sip on some hot apple cider.
28. Or eat an apple cider donut.
29. If you are going to the fair this year, taste of all the delicious state fair food!
30. Treat yourself to a caramel apple. You can find caramel apples at a fall festival. Grocery stores also sell caramel apples during this time of year.
31. Drink all the fall edition drinks at the coffee shops.
32. Make a hearty soup.
33. Use the slow cooker for new recipes.
34. Try out a new tea flavor.
35. Sip on some Sleepytime Tea at night. I stick with my tried and true nighttime flavor Honey Vanilla Chamomile from Celestial Seasonings (add a squirt of honey for extra sweetness!).
Fall Activities For Families
Indoor Fall Activities
Indoor fall activities are a great way for families to bond and make memories within the comfort of home. Here are a few fun things to do with your kids:
36. Get creative and gift Halloween goodies to your neighbors by making BOO! Baskets. Secretly deliver these fun baskets to your neighbor’s doorstep.
37. Have a fall movie marathon. Write down all the bucket list movies you want to watch this season and check them off as you watch them!
38. Introduce your kids to the classic Halloween movies you watched growing up. For example, movies like Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Halloweentown are our family’s favorites. Don’t forget the Disney Halloween-themed movies!
39. Put up some fall-inspired home decor like a fall wreath.
40. Decorate for Halloween as a family.
41. Carve pumpkins. However, try to carve them within three days before Halloween.
42. We have also painted our pumpkins if you don’t want the mess of carving pumpkins. In other words, they are easy, less messy than carving pumpkins, and last longer!
43. Or create a family gratitude pumpkin. Each day in November leading up to Thanksgiving, have your kids come up with something they are thankful for and write it on a pumpkin.
44. Make a fall craft with the kids and hang them up for everyone to see.
45. Make DIY Halloween costumes with your kids.
46. Family game nights are always a hit with our family, no matter what season.
47. Read Halloween books with your kids.
48. Wear glow-in-the-dark Halloween pajamas.
49. Have the kids help bake muffins to deliver to your neighbors. Extra points if they are pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
50. Have a glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt. Hide glow-in-the-dark objects around your house and have the kids hunt for them in the dark.
51. Conduct Halloween science experiments with your kids. Kid-friendly science kits that are safe, fun, and under $15 can be purchased online. My daughter and I both had a blast (no pun intended!) with this science experiment kit.
Fall Outdoor Activities
Enjoy the vibrant colors of autumn and the many fall family events outdoors. These outdoor fall activities for families provide the perfect opportunity to embrace the beauty of the season:
52. Visit an Enchanted Pumpkin Garden where artists carve pumpkins into art and display them for all to enjoy! The kids will love seeing all the silly pumpkin carvings.
53. Before the leaves fall, take the kids on a scenic drive to see all the colorful trees, changing leaves, and beautiful fall foliage!
54. Have the kids jump in a large pile of leaves.
55. Visit a farm.
56. Go on a hay ride.
57. Get lost in a corn maze.
58. Go pumpkin picking.
59. Have a fall-themed picnic.
60. Take a professional family photo outside. Do this now when the weather is fantastic, and you can use these pictures on this year’s Christmas cards.
61. The weather is so lovely that an outdoor movie night might make for a perfect evening!
62. If you have one near you, drive-in movie theatres are also fun for the family! Take a bunch of blankets and pillows with you and sit in the trunk of your car or truck while watching the movie!
63. Some cities may also have free outdoor movies at the park. Make sure you check out your city’s recreational activities.
64. Go on a nature hike.
65. Go to the state fair.
66. Take that whole family to the fall festival while wearing matching outfits.
67. Visit pumpkin patches.
68. The cooler weather lets you have fun at the zoo.
69. Go on a family bike ride in the evening during the sunset.
70. Glow in the dark bowling.
71. Go to fall or Halloween events in your city. If you look up events on Facebook, you’ll see many events happening around you.
72. Check out your local hotels to see if they do anything for the fall season. The Fairmont Princess in our state hosts holiday events, including a Fall Pumpkin Night. They’ll have rides, food, and a fall display with fireworks.
Outdoor Halloween Activities
It’s spooky season! These outdoor Halloween activities add an extra spooky layer to your fun fall season:
73. Attend your neighborhood Halloween Block Party! If your community does not have one, search for a neighborhood close by or gather your neighbors together to plan the first block party.
74. Go on a Halloween scavenger hunt.
75. Remember to go trick-or-treating this Halloween!
76. My state zoo has a super fun Halloween-themed event where you can dress up in costumes, walk around the zoo, and go trick-or-treating. They even have a dance floor with a DJ and employees dressing up as famous characters. It’s called The Halloween Spooktacular. Check out your local zoo to see if they have any events for Halloween.
77. Dress up for family-themed Halloween costumes! One Halloween, I dressed up as BatGirl, my daughter was Harley Quinn, and her dad was the Riddler. We went to a Halloween festival in full-out costumes.
Thanksgiving Bucket List
Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude and enjoy the company of loved ones. Make Thanksgiving truly special with these ideas to help you reflect on the things that matter most in life:
78. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or attend a local Thanksgiving parade.
79. Participate in a Thanksgiving charity run or walk to support a cause you care about.
80. Volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank or other local food bank to help the community.
81. My favorite fall tradition for November is to start a family gratitude jar where everyone can write something they are thankful for every day in November. The jar can be read at Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by your loved ones.
82. Organize a family football game on Thanksgiving Day. Make it fun by making matching shirts for each player.
83. Put together a family cookbook of the family’s secret recipes.
Bucket List Ideas For Couples
Strengthen your bond as a couple with activities from our fall bucket list for couples. Add these romantic and sometimes spooky fall activities to your list:
84. Spend a date night at an outdoor haunted attraction like Fear Farm Haunted Fairgrounds.
85. Go on a picnic date.
86. Cuddle up together and watch a scary movie.
87. Go to an apple orchard for apple picking.
88. Have a photo date at a sunflower farm.
89. Make your own candles.
90. Go to a haunted house.
91. Go to an adults-only Halloween party
92. Go to that Halloween party wearing couple-themed costumes.
93. Spend the night at a haunted hotel.
94. Go on a haunted tour or a local ghost tour.
95. Go stargazing together for a dreamy date night.
96. The weather is perfect for a hot air balloon date.
97. Visit the local farmer’s market.
98. Visit a new cafe and go on a coffee date.
99. Stay indoors and have coffee in bed together in the morning.
100. Visit a local bookstore.
101. Attend a football game together.
102. Make “You’ve been BOOZED” baskets together with alcohol instead of candy. After that, deliver them to another couple in your neighborhood.
Fall Activities With Friends
Fall is a time to connect with friends and family, make lasting memories, and embrace togetherness. Add these great ideas for making the most of the fall season with a group:
103. Throw a Friendsgiving Party. Make it outdoors with twinkle lights for a nice cozy ambiance dinner with close friends.
104. Make it a Potluck Friendsgiving so all the responsibility does not land on one person.
105. My fondest camping memories involve gathering our family and friends around a warm bonfire and exchanging life stories or ghost stories!
106. Since you are around a firepit, remember to roast marshmallows!
107. Take a camping tripwith a large group of people.
108. One year, we went camping with a group of friends, and our kids went “trick or treating” at each family’s tents. All the kids even wore Halloween pajamas and had fun jumping from tent to tent.
109. Gather your closest friends and do a fun ghost photoshoot where you all dress up as ghosts or do the pumpkin head photoshoot.
110. Have a great time letting off some steam by going to a Rage Room. It’s literally a place where you pay to smash and destroy things. Talk about relieving stress!
111. Have a girl’s night in and make Halloween-themed drinks to share.
112. Even better, bring those drinks to a witch-themed party where everyone must dress up as a witch.
113. If you live near the West Coast, take a group trip to Six Flag’s Fright Fest.
114. Take a road trip to a winery for wine tasting.
115. Go tailgating before a football game.
116. Gather a group of friends to do a scary escape room.
117. If you and your friends love solving mysteries, host a murder mystery night.
118. Adult game night with friends. Cards Against Humanity, anyone?
119. Host a movie night with friends. We love a good Harry Potter Marathon! You get bonus points if you include butterbeer and Harry Potter-themed snacks.
120. Rent out a cozy cabin in the woods for the weekend. Our family goes annually with a large group of our friends, and it makes for some of the best memories.
121. Host a pie night where everyone brings a different type of pie to share.
Fall Bucket List Printable
This post was all about providing you with the ultimate fall bucket list ideas for you to have the coziest, unforgettable, and fun fall season as a family, as a couple, with a group of friends, or just by yourself. I’ve created two annual fall bucket list printables for you to keep track of all your fall activities so you can have the best season. The first printable is a list that you can print out and write all the ideas you want to do. The second printable is already filled in with ideas from this post and your child can color in each picture.
Creating a fall bucket list is an exciting way to make the most out of the season with all the activities and experiences to enjoy. Keep track of all the fall bucket list ideas you want to do this year by grabbing the free fall list that you can fill out, or color, and check off as you go on all of your fall adventures!
