As autumn sets in, there are so many things to look forward to with your family. The leaves will be changing color. You can enjoy autumn with all the seasonal foods like pumpkin soup and eggnog. Go shopping for boots and scarves as you prepare for the holidays. To get the most out of the season, here are some great ways to enjoy this time of year with the ones you love.
1. Candy Apple Outing
Apples are one of the healthiest things to eat due to all the fiber, but you can also use them as naughty treats. Have you ever bitten into a delicious candy apple? Candy apples can come in a variety of flavors such as caramel, toffee, and chocolate. However, traditional candy apples have a red cinnamon-flavored coating. According to the Show Mens Museum, what we call a candy apple is referred to as a toffee apple outside of the United States and Canada, and it has been around for over 100 years.
The coating is topped off with all sorts of yummy ingredients like coconut, nuts, and more. Candy apples are a nice treat that can top off some apple picking or a fall festival. If you’re in an area that has an apple orchard, the family can have fun with an afternoon or weekend of gathering apples together. If you don’t want to buy a ready-made candy apple, take some of your apple pickings and make your own at home.
However, just be prepared that you may need some extra dental care at this time of year. Between Halloween and the Christmas season coming up in winter, a candy apple is just the beginning of the many treats coming your way as you enjoy autumn. So make sure you follow the advice of the American Dental Association which advises you to brush and floss at least twice daily or after each meal.
2. Hay Ride
Enjoy autumn with your family, with a festive hayride. For many households, hayrides are an annual tradition that the little kids especially love. These hay rides usually involve scenic tours in cornfields, farmland, and vineyards. Since fall marks a time when the leaves come in so many vibrant colors, it’s the most popular time for these types of activities.
If you want your kids to appreciate what farmers do, a hayride allows them to engage with local farmers in the area. Your hayride may also involve a chance to go apple picking at your local apple orchard or pick out a pumpkin for Halloween at a pumpkin patch. While these types of outdoor adventures are available in many cities and states, you’ll especially find some of the best ones in Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington State, and Utah. I think a few hours enjoying autumn on a hay ride and picking up your pumpkin. You may want to take your family for a traditional treat of Chinese food.
3. Horror Movie Marathon
Nothing says fall like a horror movie marathon. After all, Halloween is the popular fun-filled holiday that marks the season in a way, like no other holiday does. Halloween is a time when kids and adults alike can dress up, eat candy, and watch horror movie marathons throughout the month. Don’t worry, you don’t have to restrict your horror movie marathon to Halloween night.
Make sure you call your local heating company so your home is nice and snug during the fall evenings as you and the family cozy up in front of the TV. Enjoy Autumn in an extra special way with a large TV or movie screen so you and your family can enjoy regular horror films at this time. With so many cable channels and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, you and the family won’t be at a loss for finding a movie that’s right for you.
Of course, you don’t have to restrict your horror movie marathon to your house. Just about every year there’s at least one or more horror films that come out. Pick any Saturday and go with the family to your local theater and enjoy buttery movie theater popcorn as you see the latest horror movie sequel. You may even find movie theaters that are playing rereleases of classics like The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby.
Depending on your location, you may even be able to find drive-in theaters, which make the movie-going experience even more fun from the comfort of your family vehicle. Some restaurants also have movie marathons at various times of the year. So you and your household may be able to make the most out of your dining out experience at a restaurant that’s having a movie screening.
4. Trick or Treating
If you have children, you understand that trick or treating is one of the best ways to enjoy autumn together. Of course, your kids aren’t the only ones who get to dress up. Many adults dress up with their kids and enjoy a night of fun going from neighborhood house to house as they fill their bags with yummy goods of candy that may last until Thanksgiving. Make trick-or-treating fun by buying a plastic pumpkin for your kid to put their candy in. A plastic pumpkin is also reusable to keep every year.
If your kids are older and beyond the trick-or-treating phase, you all can still have fun that night by having candy ready for when the local kids show up at your door. Whether you and the kids participate in Halloween night candy hunts or have candy left over after the trick-or-treaters have gone, be ready for a trip to the dentist. Have fun with sweets during the Halloween time. Just practice good oral care and stick with your regular dentist appointment.
5. Forest Hike
There’s nothing like a beautiful hike through the forest as you enjoy autumn with your family. Thanks to your local tree trimming service, your public trees will stay healthy throughout the year. Hiking is a great way to enjoy nature, bask in beautiful natural views, and stay fit together. Your family can bring a camera to take photos of wildlife or the beautiful changing leaves. Enjoy the fresh air that trees bring, since they’re known for cleaning the air and producing oxygen.
Hiking is a great way for you and your family to stay in shape as it can help reduce chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. It’s a good form of aerobic exercise that doesn’t feel as intense as going to the gym. However, some hiking trails are more intense than others and can give you a more intensive workout. It’s a good way to also get the kids away from a screen such as an iPad or a phone. You can start teaching them about the benefits of nature and enjoying their local scenery. If you or anyone else in your family experiences seasonal depression, a forest hike can help combat that, since nature is known to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.
6. Scenic Drive
If you’re stuck at a loss for ideas of how to enjoy autumn, why not just get in a car and drive? When you and the family are in a car, you turn the radio up, kick back, and enjoy the scenery as the trees go by. The family can take turns switching to their favorite radio stations. Get silly as you sing along together in the car to the latest jams. Make pit stops at your local eateries on the road. You can go for a scenic drive for an hour or take an extended trip to another state. Properly prepare for your autumn drive with a visit to your local auto repair mechanic. After all, you don’t want your car to inadvertently break down with the family in tow and mess up your beautiful autumn time.
Maybe you and your family can kick your scenic drive up a notch by ditching a car and renting an RV for the weekend. That way, it’ll be easier for you and your family to go across a few States and see what Fall has to offer in different spots. You can check out different fall festivals in various locations. See who makes the best candy apples or apple cider? Visit some friends in different locations and take lots of photos. Plus with an RV, you and the family won’t have to pay for a hotel as you’ll have sleeping and cooking facilities on your mobile vehicle.
7. Fireplace Relaxation
Does your home have a beautiful fireplace? What better way to enjoy autumn than cozying up to the fire with your loved ones? You can curl up on the couch or floor pillows as you tell each other ghost stories. Play a game of charades or enjoy your movie marathon close to the fire. Make sure your fireplace is ready for the season by hiring a professional chimney cleaner. The chimney cleaner will ensure there’s no lingering soot or fumes in the fireplace that can be a fire hazard. Sometimes animals may also nest in a chimney, but a chimney cleaner will ensure that any hazards are removed and it’s properly cleaned for you and your family to enjoy throughout the season.
8. Pumpkin Carving
How can you possibly enjoy autumn without some pumpkin carving? When you visit your local pumpkin patch, get a pumpkin for each family member. Your family can have a pumpkin carving contest to see who can carve a pumpkin the fastest. See who has the best artistic carving skills that can produce the best-looking pumpkin. Get an ifak medical kit so you have a nice sharp tool to have beautiful perfected shapes, carve faces, and other scenery in your pumpkin squash.
9. Petting Zoo
Before Winter sets in, why not take the family to your local petting zoo? These zoos have a variety of animals you may not always be able to interact with regularly. A zoo is fun at any age, but little kids especially love playing with the animals and being able to feed them. Interacting with animals can put anyone in a good mood. Local petting zoos are a great educational resource to learn about animal behaviors, habitats, sounds they make, and food they eat. Plus, it’s another activity that involves being outside and enjoying fresh air. Bringing the camera to take photos will create lasting memories. It’s hard not to have fun and be happy at local petting zoos. It gives the family a fun and wholesome way to bond while enjoying animal time.
10. Winery Tour
Did you know that a winery tour is a great event for your family to do together? While parents may assume a wine event may not be appropriate for kids, they couldn’t be further from the truth. A wine tour can also involve yummy catering or picnics that the whole family can enjoy. Some vineyards have grape stomping activities and hayrides that everyone can have fun with. During the tour, you all can learn about the different varieties of grapes and winemaking techniques.
Gather around and take notes as you learn about the history of wine together. While you and your spouse can enjoy wine samples, there are other things for the kids to drink and eat. Such a tour is a great way to enjoy autumn with family while learning about food or drink production and having the chance to be outside at times.
Autumn is a magical time of year for many reasons. You and your family won’t be at a loss for things to do or see. You could do something as simple as going on a scenic ride and observing nature around you. Be more active with hiking or have more exuberant fun with trick or treating. Start searching for the local theaters that are playing the latest horror films. Whatever you and your family decide, you’ll have countless ways to enjoy autumn annually. So start making those lasting memories now.